5 Tips for a Worry Free Driveway Installation
Having your driveway replaced with a new concrete driveway should be a worry free process. This is an exciting time and a well deserved investment to add beauty to your home. To ensure the concrete installation process goes smoothly, consider these five suggestions:
- Move your vehicles out of the garage and off the driveway.
Some planning needs to be done involving your vehicles because they need to be out of the way for us to complete your driveway. You will need to keep all vehicles off the new concrete driveway for seven days after the final pour. If you have a vehicle in your garage that gets used sometimes, chances are you will need it during that week so we advise getting that vehicle out as well.
Some cities require a permit to park on the street overnight. Please call your city hall or police department one week prior to the arrival of our crew. You are responsible for getting the necessary permit.
When parking your vehicles on the street, please keep in mind that we will be moving a lot of equipment in and out of your driveway. Do not park across the street from your driveway. We recommend leaving us at least one hundred feet in all directions for us to get our equipment in and out and the concrete trucks in and out.
- Open your garage door.
Your new concrete driveway buts right up to your concrete garage floor. By having the door open while we pour and finish gives us access to create a nice edge on the new concrete driveway.
- Mow your grass, turn the sprinklers off, and blow leaves away.
We recommend mowing your grass two days prior from the start of your driveway replacement because grass clippings should stay off the new concrete for the seven days required for it to cure properly. Also, you do not want to drive your lawn mower on the driveway for at least three days after the final pour.
Sprinklers should be turned off because we do not want the sub-grade saturated before the pour and we do not want the concrete wet in non-uniform locations which leads to discoloration.
During the fall, blowing the leaves out of the yard prevents leaves from blowing on the concrete as we are pouring and finishing.
- Keep your pets inside or on a leash.
Rest assured, we are very good a fixing animal foot prints such as dogs, cats, bunnies, squirrels, birds, and mice, however we would rather not. Please keep your pets inside or on a leash until the day after our final pour. If you have a neighbor’s dog that frequents your yard, please let the owner know to keep them in as well. Remember, there is nothing we can do about animal footprints once the concrete is hard.
- Talk to you children about staying off the driveway.
If your children are young, this is a great learning experience for them! They are always welcome to watch at a safe distance. Once the concrete is poured, however, the fresh concrete becomes a kid magnet! How can they resist sticking their hands in it, writing their names in it, or riding their bike through it? Consider putting them on “guard duty” to make sure nobody touches their new driveway.