Get matched with top decorative concrete pros in Brantley, AL

A concrete driveway lasts between 25 and 30 years on average, and that's only with proper maintenance. The longevity of a concrete driveway also depends on the method and quality of installation, as well as your local climate. If your driveway gets a lot of wear and tear from several vehicles—especially heavy ones like trucks and RVs—your driveway will last less than the typical 25- to 30-year lifespan.

If you're only working with a gravel pad, and there is no concrete foundation, you might be able to upgrade to a concrete slab, but you’d have to speak with a professional concrete expert to confirm and get pricing. If you have a concrete foundation or cement block walls around the area where you want to build flooring, you might be able to pour a new concrete floor over the existing one to forgo repairs. Again, speak with a concrete expert or foundation company to see if this is an option.

The average cost of concrete for stairs or slabs is between $110 and $150 per cubic yard, or between roughly $4 and $5.50 per cubic foot for materials. Installation, form building, form materials, and preparation will increase the cost to between $150 and $200 or more per cubic yard. 

A 4-inch-thick concrete slab can support around 4,000 pounds per square foot if a contractor reinforces the slab with rebar, while that same slab without reinforcements will support closer to 1,000 pounds. For the purposes of a patio, 4 inches in thickness without reinforcement should suffice unless you’re installing heavy kitchen equipment or a hot tub on it. In those cases, reinforcing your slab and sticking with 4 inches of thickness should provide plenty of strength.