Question 1

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in the Dallas area?

Accepted Answer

We price by the square foot and put it in writing after a free on-site measure - the number never moves after you approve it. Cost depends on thickness, square footage, whether we're tearing out an old slab, and finish (broom is standard; stamped, integral-color, or exposed aggregate runs higher). A standard residential driveway poured full-depth with steel on chairs and our 4,000 PSI mix is a different price than thin builder-grade flatwork, and we'll show you exactly why on the estimate. Marcus walks the slab, checks grade and drainage, and hands you the square-foot price the same day.

Question 2

How long does a concrete project take, and when can you start?

Accepted Answer

Once you approve the written estimate, most residential pours break ground that same week, weather and cure temperatures permitting. The pour itself is usually a day; the real timeline is the sub-base prep and forming beforehand and the cure afterward. You can walk on a fresh slab in about 24 to 48 hours, but we ask you to keep vehicles off a new driveway for about 7 days and understand it reaches full strength around 28 days. We won't rush a pour into ground that's too cold or too wet to cure right.

Question 3

Do I need a permit, and do you handle it?

Accepted Answer

Some flatwork doesn't require a permit, but driveway approaches that tie into the city right-of-way, structural slabs, and additions usually do - and it varies by city across Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Irving, and Arlington. We pull the permits we're responsible for and schedule the inspections, so the work goes on record and stays under warranty. We'll tell you upfront at the measure whether your project needs one.

Question 4

Why does concrete crack, and how do you keep my slab from cracking?

Accepted Answer

Around here it's the soil. Dallas-area clay is expansive - it swells in spring and shrinks every August, and that movement is what cracks a slab poured the cheap way. All concrete moves as it cures, so the question isn't whether it cracks but whether it cracks where you want it to. We compact and grade the sub-base for that clay, lay steel on chairs so it sits in the middle of the slab carrying load, and saw control joints by the foot so any cracking follows our line, not across the middle of your new patio. That's the whole reason we can warranty the work for ten years.

Question 5

What's covered by your 10-year warranty?

Accepted Answer

Every Ironset pour carries a written, transferable ten-year guarantee against workmanship failure. If a slab we placed cracks outside its control joints, or fails because of how we prepped, reinforced, or finished it, we make it right. It transfers to the next owner, so it adds value when you sell. What it doesn't cover is damage from things outside the concrete itself - tree roots, a plumbing leak undermining the base, or someone parking a loaded truck on a section that wasn't rated for it - and we'll always tell you straight which bucket a problem falls in.

Question 6

Should I repair, resurface, or fully replace my old slab?

Accepted Answer

Depends on what's actually wrong, and we'll tell you straight rather than upsell a tear-out you don't need. Heaved panels and trip-hazard joints can often be ground flush or slab-jacked. Surface scaling and worn finish can take a bonded overlay or resurfacing. But if the slab is cracked through, the sub-base has failed, or it's thin builder-grade flatwork that's spidering everywhere, a full-depth replacement is the honest call - patching it just buys a year. Marcus assesses it on site and recommends the option your slab truly needs.

Question 7

Can I get stamped, colored, or decorative concrete instead of plain gray?

Accepted Answer

Yes - stamped, integral-color, and exposed-aggregate finishes give you the look of stone, brick, or slate in one monolithic pour, and we seal it against the Dallas sun. We do patios, walkways, and pool decks this way all the time. If you're in a Plano-style HOA neighborhood, we handle the color and finish approvals before the forms ever go in so your new work ties into the existing hardscape and matches the street.

Question 8

Are you licensed and insured, and who actually does the work?

Accepted Answer

Yes - Ironset is licensed and insured, ACI certified, an ASCC member, and certified in decorative concrete. We're family-owned and have poured across the DFW Metroplex since 2008. Just as important: we don't sub the pour out to whoever's available. The same experienced crew that sets your forms screeds, floats, and brooms the finish, and Marcus is on the job, not just on the estimate.

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Foundations and Slabs in Dallas

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