Concrete Driveways · Ann Arbor

Concrete Driveways in Ann Arbor, MI

Name: Ann Arbor Concrete Contractors
Address: Ann Arbor, MI, US
Telephone: +17343897912
Price range: $$

We pour and finish concrete driveways built for Ann Arbor winters, from the first tear out to the last pass of the broom.

Call +17343897912 Get a free quote

What we install

New Concrete Driveways Done Right the First Time

A driveway is the first thing people see when they pull up to your Ann Arbor home. It also takes a beating that most of the yard never feels. Every day it holds the weight of your vehicles. Every winter it rides the freeze and thaw swings that Washtenaw County is known for. We build concrete driveways that stand up to all of it. Our crew handles the whole job from the first cut to the final finish, so you deal with one team and one clear plan.

Most of the driveway failures we get called about trace back to what happens under the slab, not the concrete on top. Water that sits in a soft base will heave the surface when the ground freezes, and by spring you see cracks and low spots. We grade and compact a proper stone base before a single load of concrete shows up. We set the forms to drain water away from your foundation and toward the street. Then we place steel or fiber reinforcement so the slab moves as one piece instead of drifting apart.

A compacted stone base that keeps water from pooling and heaving the slab.
Control joints cut at the right spacing so the driveway cracks where we plan, not where it shows.
A surface pitched to shed rain and snowmelt away from your house.
Steel or fiber reinforcement sized to the loads your vehicles put down.
One local crew from demolition through the final finish, on the phone the whole way.

A driveway is only as good as the base under it, and the base is the part nobody sees until it fails.

Ann Arbor sits in a real freeze and thaw climate, so the mix matters as much as the muscle. We use air entrained concrete for outdoor flatwork. That mix builds tiny air pockets into the slab, which give freezing water somewhere to expand. It is one of the biggest reasons a driveway lasts through Michigan winters instead of flaking apart. We also time our pours around the weather. Concrete that cures too fast in July heat or too cold in a November snap never reaches the strength it should.

If your Ann Arbor driveway is cracked, sinking, or just past its years, we are glad to walk it with you and lay out honest options. Call us and we will get you on the schedule.

Materials

Concrete Driveway Finishes and Materials We Work With

Poured concrete is the workhorse of Ann Arbor driveways, and for good reason. It carries heavy loads, shrugs off the summer sun, and takes salt and plows better than most surfaces when we mix and place it right. The standard choice is a broom finish, where we drag a stiff broom across the fresh surface to leave fine ridges. Those ridges give tires grip on icy mornings. It looks clean, it wears well, and it is the most budget friendly way to get a driveway that lasts.

When homeowners want more character, we pour decorative options that still hold up to our climate. Exposed aggregate rinses the top layer of paste away to reveal the stone inside the mix, which hides wear and adds traction. Stamped and colored concrete can mimic brick or stone with far less upkeep. Whatever look you choose, we build the same strong base and reinforcement underneath. Curb appeal means nothing if the slab breaks up in three winters.

Broom finish: the everyday standard, with great traction on icy days.
Exposed aggregate: stone texture that hides wear and grips well.
Stamped and colored: brick or stone looks with far less upkeep.
Air entrained mix: built in defense against freeze and thaw damage.

What about the alternatives?

Driveway Surface Options for Ann Arbor Weather

Not every driveway material earns its keep in a Washtenaw County winter. Here is how the common choices stack up against salt, plows, and the freeze and thaw grind that defines our season.

Poured concrete

Handles heavy loads, road salt, and plow blades when we place it on a compacted stone base. It is our first pick for most Ann Arbor driveways.

Recommended

Stamped concrete

The same strong slab with a pressed pattern that reads like brick or stone. You get looks and real durability in one pour.

Recommended

Exposed aggregate

A poured slab with the top paste rinsed off to show the stone. It grips well and hides wear, though it costs a bit more to finish.

Acceptable

Asphalt

Goes down fast and flexes with the ground. Michigan sun and salt soften it over time, so it needs sealing often to last.

Acceptable

Gravel

Cheap to lay and easy to add to, yet it scatters into the yard, ruts under tires, and turns to mud during our wet springs.

Skip

Loose pavers over sand

Pretty on day one, but pavers set on plain sand heave and wander in freeze and thaw ground and sprout weeds along every seam.

Skip

How it goes

From quote to walk-on, fast.

Your inquiry

Call or send the short form with what is going on at your place. A sentence or two is plenty for the first step.

We talk it through

We go over the situation on the phone, ask the questions that matter, and tell you what we would do next.

A clear plan

You get a plain-language rundown of the work, the order it happens in, and what to expect on the day.

The work gets done

Our crew shows up when we said, does the job, and walks you through the result before leaving.

Before you book

Straight Answers Before You Pour

We would rather answer the hard questions up front than surprise you later. Here are the ones Ann Arbor homeowners ask us most.

How long before I can drive on my new concrete driveway?

You can walk on it within a day, but hold off parking vehicles for about a week so the slab reaches enough strength. Heavy trucks and dumpsters should wait a little longer. We give you exact timing for your pour based on the weather that week, since Ann Arbor heat and cold both change how it cures.

Will my driveway crack?

Every concrete slab moves, and control joints are how we decide where it cracks. We cut those joints at planned spacing so the slab relieves stress along clean lines. Done right, the cracks tuck into the joints where you barely notice them. What we prevent is the random spider cracking that comes from a weak base or a rushed pour.

Can you pour a driveway in the winter?

We pour year round, but cold weather work takes extra care. We watch the forecast, use blankets to hold heat in the fresh slab, and adjust the mix so it sets before it freezes. If a hard freeze is coming and the timing is wrong, we will tell you straight and move the pour rather than risk a weak driveway.

How fast can you start in Ann Arbor?

It depends on the season and how booked we are, but we keep the schedule tight and honest. Once we walk the site and settle on a plan, we give you a real start window, not a vague someday. Spring and fall fill up fast here, so the sooner you call, the better your options.

Do I have to tear out the old driveway?

Usually yes for a driveway that is heaved, crumbling, or sinking, because pouring new concrete over a failing base just repeats the failure. We haul out the old slab, fix the base, and start clean. If your driveway is still sound and you only want a fresh look, we will talk through your options honestly instead of selling you a tear out you do not need.

What thickness and size do I need?

For a standard car and light truck driveway we build to a thickness that carries daily loads, and we go thicker where an RV, trailer, or work truck parks. Thickness, reinforcement, and base depth all work together, and we size them to how you actually use the driveway rather than a rough guess.

Aftercare

Keeping Your Ann Arbor Driveway Solid for Years

Concrete is low maintenance, not no maintenance, and a little care goes a long way in our climate. The biggest enemy of a Michigan driveway is water that soaks in and then freezes. So most of what we suggest comes down to keeping water out and keeping salt off. A sealed, clean slab shrugs off winter far better than one left to fend for itself.

Seal the concrete every few years to close the pores that let melting snow soak in.
Skip the rock salt and reach for sand or a concrete safe deicer on icy mornings.
Rinse off road salt and grime in late winter before it sits and eats the surface.
Keep the control joints and edges filled so water cannot work its way underneath.
Use a plastic edged shovel or blade so you do not chip the surface when you clear snow.
Fix small cracks early while they are cheap and easy, before winter pries them wide.

FAQ

Concrete Driveway Questions From Ann Arbor Homeowners

Ready when you are

Let's make your next steps easier

Tell us what is going on at your Ann Arbor home and we will walk you through the options. One call or one short form is all it takes.

Call (734) 389-7912 Make your inquiry