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The concrete work homeowners ask about most
Each is a slab with its own job, and each has to cope with the same soft, wet ground in its own way.
Whatever its purpose, home concrete is built from the same parts: ground cleared of soft material, a compacted granular base, the slab, and the joints and fall that control cracking and runoff. A driveway, a patio and a boat pad differ mainly in the weight they carry, how much the finish shows, and how they meet the house, the street and the yard.
Each page below covers one kind of work and the questions that make two estimates comparable. When a project mixes several, say a new driveway plus a walk and steps up to a raised porch, run through the questions for every part.
Across Greater New Orleans, the same few conditions return on nearly every job: soft delta soil that keeps settling, houses on piers or pilings that do not settle with it, and heavy rain on lots too flat to shed it easily. A sound estimate deals with each of those at your address, not only with the square footage.
Concrete driveways on soft New Orleans ground
A new driveway around New Orleans usually looks perfect the week it is finished. The real test comes a few years later, after a string of summer downpours, a couple of tropical storms and the slow settling that soft delta ground is known for. Whether the slab is still flat and draining by then depends on choices made before the truck arrives: what was dug out, what went in underneath, and how the new concrete meets a house that may not move with it. This page explains those choices so you can read a quote with confidence.
Concrete patios that drain on flat, low lots
A patio in the New Orleans area has one job before it can be a place to sit: it has to get rid of water. Yards here are often flat, the soil drains slowly, and a summer storm can leave the lawn under standing water for hours. A slab that holds a puddle, or that sends rain back toward the house, will stay damp, grow mildew and slowly undermine itself. This page covers how a well-planned patio handles water, soft ground, shade and heat, and how to tell whether a quote has thought any of that through.
Stamped, colored and exposed aggregate finishes for Gulf Coast weather
Stamped concrete can give a courtyard, patio or pool deck the look of old brick, flagstone or slate, which suits the architecture found all over Greater New Orleans. The finish is only half the story, though. Strong sun fades color, near-constant humidity affects how sealers cure, and frequent rain plus shade can turn a smooth pattern slick. This page explains the main decorative options, how each holds up in this climate, and what upkeep to expect, so the choice you make is one you will still like after several summers.
Walkways and steps for raised homes and soft yards
Walkways and steps are small jobs that get used every single day, so their flaws are noticed every single day too. Around New Orleans, the usual complaints are familiar: a front stoop that has pulled away from a raised porch, a walk heaved by an oak root, a step that is taller than the others, and a path that holds water after every storm. Each of those has a cause that a good plan can address. This page walks through them so you can judge what a contractor proposes for the path to your door.
Garage, shed, boat and RV slabs sized to their weight
A slab for a garage, shed, workshop or boat is judged by what sits on it, not by how it looks. Around New Orleans, that often means a fishing boat on a trailer, a camper, a work truck or a building full of tools, all resting on ground that is soft and slow to drain. The weight concentrates at tires, trailer jacks and wall edges, and that is where a thin slab on a weak base gives way first. This page explains how to size and build a slab for the load it will carry and how to compare quotes that describe it.
Repair, lift or replace: reading a failing slab
Sunken driveways, tilted walks and cracked patios are everywhere in Greater New Orleans, and for good reason: soft, wet ground keeps moving long after the concrete is poured. The right fix depends on why the slab failed and whether that cause is finished. Some slabs can be patched, some can be lifted back into place, and some need to come out entirely. This page explains how to read the damage, what each option can and cannot do on settling soil, and how to judge a repair or replacement quote.
Talk through your project
Start with the address, what you want poured or replaced, rough dimensions, and a few photos of the area and any existing concrete.