Concrete Driveways in Tempe, AZ

Concrete driveways in Tempe take a steady beating: summer surface temperatures far above the air temperature, a big swing between afternoon and night, and short monsoon storms that send water across the slab and along its edges. Many south Tempe driveways were poured with the house in the 1970s or 1980s. After that many summers, the common problems are a dropped panel at the garage, a cracked approach at the curb, and joints that have opened wide enough to grow weeds.

Signs it is time for a new driveway

• Cracks with one side higher than the other
• A panel near the garage that has sunk and holds water
• Large areas of flaking or crumbling surface
• Water running toward the house instead of the street
• Edges breaking off along the gravel or lawn
• A driveway too narrow for the cars, trailer or boat you have now

One settled panel on an otherwise sound driveway can often be leveled. When cracking, settling and surface wear show up together, replacement usually costs less over time than repeated patching.

Built from the ground up

We break out the old concrete, remove soft or loose soil and compact a granular base, because poor compaction is one of the causes Rosie on the House lists for failed driveways and walks. Forms are set so the finished slab falls toward the street, away from the garage and the house.

Thickness follows the load. HomeGuide's driveway guide calls for at least 4 inches for standard vehicles, 5 to 6 inches for RVs or heavy traffic, and 6 to 8 inches at the edges. If a work truck, boat or trailer lives on your driveway, we thicken that area. Rebar or wire mesh holds cracked sections together, and saw-cut joints on a planned grid give the slab a place to crack as it heats and cools.

Pouring in the heat

In summer we schedule the truck for first light. The base is dampened so it does not draw water out of the mix, the crew finishes in steady passes without adding water to the surface, and curing compound goes on as soon as the broom finish is done. A driveway poured in the afternoon heat is the one most likely to dust, craze or crack early.

The street end

If your project changes the approach, the curb or the public sidewalk, it falls under the Paving (PV) permit that Tempe's Private Development Engineering team lists for driveways within the right-of-way. We plan that into the schedule. If your yard is flood irrigated, we also keep the pipe that runs under the driveway clear and accessible, as the city asks.

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Finish options

• Broom finish: the standard. Light texture gives grip when the drive is wet.
• Exposed aggregate: stone showing at the surface hides tire marks and dust well.
• Stamped or colored borders: a decorative band along the edges with plain lanes in the middle.
• Lighter color: plain gray concrete stays cooler than dark-tinted mixes in the sun.

After the pour

HomeGuide says to wait at least 7 days before driving on a new driveway and the full 28 to 30 days for heavy vehicles, and to wait 28 to 30 days before the first sealer coat, then reseal every 2 to 3 years. Keep sprinklers from soaking the slab edges, and point downspouts away from the driveway.