Thornton Concrete Driveway: Concrete Driveways in Thornton, CO

Concrete driveways in Thornton

Thornton Concrete Driveway works on one thing above all: the concrete driveway in front of your house. We break out driveways that have cracked or sunk and pour new ones. We widen driveways that are too narrow. And when a driveway only needs a repair, we repair it.

We also pour the concrete that goes with a driveway, such as sidewalks, walkways, steps, patios and parking pads.

How a driveway job goes

We start with a visit. We measure the driveway you have now, look at the slope and where the water drains, and check where the driveway meets the street. Then we write a quote with a sketch of the new driveway. If you go ahead, we break out the old concrete, get the base ready, set up the wooden boards that hold the wet concrete in shape, and pour.

Driveways

New concrete driveways

We pour new concrete driveways for homes and additions, and we slope each one so the water runs off toward the street.

Concrete driveway replacement

For concrete driveway replacement, we take out the old slab, firm up any soft spots in the ground under it and pour new concrete.

Driveway extensions

We build driveway extensions to give you room for another car or a trailer. Thornton limits how close a driveway can get to the side property line, so we measure that first. The rules are further down this page.

Driveway aprons

The apron is what we call the stretch at the street end of the driveway. We replace driveway aprons on their own or as part of a new driveway.

Concrete parking pads

We pour concrete parking pads next to the driveway, or at the side of the house for a boat or camper.

Repairs and sealing

Concrete driveway repair

Our concrete driveway repair work covers cracks, broken corners and sunken sections. If the slab is too far gone to repair, we'll tell you.

Concrete driveway sealing

With concrete driveway sealing, we clean the slab and roll on a sealer. Ask us which sealer we plan to use and why.

Concrete removal

We also handle concrete removal on its own, for old slabs, pads and walkways you want gone.

Sidewalks, patios and more

While we're redoing your driveway, we can pour other concrete around the house too. We pour concrete sidewalks, concrete walkways, concrete patios, concrete steps and garage floor slabs.

Thornton's driveway rules

Before we pour, the driveway has to fit the city's rules. The City of Thornton says a home driveway needs a permit from its Planning & Zoning team, and that goes for new and replacement driveways alike. Here is what the city's planning page says about home driveways:

• If your garage holds two cars or more, the driveway has to stay at least 3 feet from the side property line in front of the house.
• With a one-car garage or no garage, that gap can be as small as 12 inches. But you also need a 6-inch curb or something similar to send water away from your neighbor's lot.
• A second driveway needs the OK of the city's traffic engineer, and it can be 12 feet wide at most.
• On a corner lot, the driveway has to stay at least 20 feet from an intersection with a local street, and farther from some bigger streets. We check this when we measure.
• Anything you park or drive on counts as part of the driveway.

If your job reaches the public sidewalk or street, we check with the city whether it also needs a right-of-way permit. The city says it only issues right-of-way permits to contractors with a Thornton contractor license. It also says that once a sidewalk has been cut, the whole panel has to be replaced, not just the piece that was cut.

Salt and your driveway

Here is the winter advice we pass on to Thornton homeowners. It comes from Connecticut's Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, which has a page of salt tips for residents.

It says to clear light snow with a stiff brush or a broom, and deeper snow with a shovel, so you need less salt. It warns that thick layers of salt can pull water to the surface and leave patches of ice. By its count, one 12-ounce coffee mug of salt is enough for 500 square feet of driveway. It also lists calcium magnesium acetate, a de-icer with no salt in it, as safer for concrete and plants, though it can still harm life in streams and lakes.

What to get in writing

Before you agree to anything, ask for these on paper:

• How thick the concrete will be and what goes under it.
• Whether there's steel in the slab, and where.
• The finish on the surface.
• Where the joints will be cut.
• Who applies for each permit, and whether they hold a Thornton contractor license.
• Who hauls away the old concrete.
• The start date, and when you can drive on the new driveway.

Questions about concrete driveways in Thornton

Do I need a permit to replace my driveway in Thornton?

Yes. The city says residential driveway installations need a permit from Planning & Zoning, and its rules cover replacement driveways too.

Can I make my driveway wider?

It depends on the size of your garage and how much room there is to the side property line. We'll measure it and tell you what the city's rules allow.

If you cut the sidewalk, do you replace all of it?

The city says that once a sidewalk has been cut, the whole panel has to be replaced. So if your new apron means cutting into the sidewalk, we replace each full panel we cut into.

What should I put on my driveway in winter?

Shovel first and use less salt. Connecticut's environmental agency says one 12-ounce coffee mug of salt covers 500 square feet. Calcium magnesium acetate is one option it lists as safer for concrete.

Which areas do you serve?

We work all over Thornton, and in Northglenn, Federal Heights, Brighton, Commerce City and other nearby towns.

Get a quote

Send the quote form with your ZIP code and a few words about your driveway, or give us a call. We'll come out, measure and write you a quote. Then the choice is yours.