Concrete Driveways in Cambridge, MA
Durable Driveways Built for New England Weather
We at Cambridge Urban Concrete build and install durable driveways to be used by you daily and to endure all of the harsh weather that New England has to offer. Your driveway is subject to a great deal of stress from the moment it freezes in late October until the heat wave arrives in July. As such, each driveway is engineered to last through the worst of what the New England climate can throw at it while also adding beauty to your home or business.
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What Makes a Quality Concrete Driveway?
Concrete driveways are so much more than just concrete — they are a finely-tuned system of engineering. Our process begins with preparing the area of the driveway by excavating it properly and ensuring there is adequate drainage away from your house. After we have properly prepared the base, we add reinforcement to the concrete (reinforcement bar or wire mesh) to help prevent cracking.
We formulate our concrete mixes to contain air-entrainment to improve freeze-thaw resistance, which is especially important for the harsh winter months here in Massachusetts. At this point, we can finish the driveway in a variety of ways, including a functional “broom-finish” that provides traction as well as various decorative methods such as exposed aggregate and/or a variety of stamped designs. Each driveway is cured and sealed to prevent moisture intrusion, salt damage, and surface wear.
Concrete Driveway Design Ideas
Multiple designs are available from us for matching the design of your home & your own style:
Classic Broom Finish: Our broom finish has a textured surface, which gives you a non-slip surface in wet weather. This is perfect for older-style Cambridge homes as well as homes where functionality is preferred over aesthetics.
Exposed Aggregate: We allow you to see the stones within the concrete mix, resulting in a textured, non-slip surface with visual texture. Exposed aggregate finishes on driveways are visually appealing with both old and new homes.
Stamped Patterns: Create a beautiful feature out of your driveway by using stamped concrete to create patterns resembling brick, cobblestone, or slate. Stamped concrete is a good option when wanting to create a consistent theme between your driveway & your home’s exterior elements.
Colored Concrete: Use colored concrete by adding color to the mix or use surface stains to create a unique color scheme that will enhance your landscaping & architectural features of your home.
Bordered Designs: Define the borders of your driveway with different colors or textures to add visual appeal & contrast to your driveway.
Concrete Driveway vs Asphalt: The Clear Choice
Concrete driveways offer several benefits to homeowners in Cambridge that are unique compared to an asphalt driveway:
Durability: A properly laid and maintained concrete driveway can last as long as 30-40 years; whereas, an asphalt driveway will need to be replaced approximately 15-20 years.
Maintenance: In addition to being cleaned on occasion, a concrete driveway should have the sealer reapplied at intervals of 2-5 years, depending on weather conditions. An asphalt driveway is constantly requiring seal coating and has to be patched frequently.
Design Options: Because it can be colored with many different colors, there are no limitations to the designs you can create using concrete. With asphalt, your design choices are very limited.
Heat Resistant: The extreme heat during the summer months does not affect a concrete driveway’s performance, and it also will not develop ruts under the weight of vehicles that may be left in one place.
Value of Property: Compared to other types of driveways, such as asphalt, a driveway made of concrete will most likely add value to your property.
Performance During Winter Months: Both concrete and asphalt perform similarly in the winter months, but if your concrete driveway is properly sealed, it will not deteriorate from the use of salt to melt ice like asphalt driveways do.
Concrete Driveway Overlay: Refresh Without Replacement
If you have an existing driveway with a good structural base, however, it may be possible to simply resurface (overlay) the existing driveway. In this process, we add a new layer of concrete (typically 1-2 inches thick) on top of the old driveway. The cost of doing an overlay is generally much lower than replacing the entire driveway. Additionally, overlays can be finished with many of the same decorative finishes that can be applied to new driveways, such as stamping and/or staining, at little additional cost over that of just doing an overlay.
An overlay will work best if there are few cracks in the existing driveway and if the driveway has not had significant settlement or other structural problems. We will inspect your driveway and provide a recommendation as to which option would be best suited to your needs and budget.
Concrete Driveway Installation Cost Factors
The total cost of a concrete driveway is influenced by several factors, including:
The size of your driveway (the square footage): This will determine how much material and labor are required.
Thickness: A 4-inch thickness of concrete is sufficient for standard vehicle traffic; however, if you have heavier traffic than that, then you will need a 5-6 inch thick slab of concrete.
Site Access: If the location where the concrete trucks will be delivering their product is difficult to reach, then it will take longer to get them on site, and possibly you will need to use additional equipment and/or labor to offload them.
Removal of an Existing Driveway: If there is an existing driveway at the job site that needs to be removed and disposed of as part of the construction process, this will add to the overall cost of the project.
Design: There are many different design options available for stamped concrete driveways. These can include: multi-colored stamps, unique stamps, etc. All of these will require more time and more materials.
Base Conditions: Poor soil conditions, poor drainage, etc., can cause problems with the base of the new driveway. These problems will need to be addressed before the driveway can be completed and, therefore, will increase the cost of the project.
Our quotes for a concrete driveway are very detailed and will outline every aspect of the project from excavation to final sealing. We believe that our customers should know exactly what they are paying for when they hire us.
Ready to Transform Your Driveway?
Contact Cambridge Urban Concrete today for a free consultation and concrete driveway quote. We’ll evaluate your property, discuss design options, and provide a detailed estimate for your project.
Let’s create a driveway that enhances your home’s beauty and withstands everything New England weather can deliver.