Pour notes
Pour notes
Cost guides for new concrete work, grouped by job. Each one lists its sources at the end.
Slabs and ready-mix
- Concrete Cost per Yard: Delivered vs. Installed (2026)What a cubic yard of ready-mix costs delivered, the fees for short loads and Saturdays, how many yards you need, and how that compares to installed slab prices.
- Concrete Foundation Cost for a Garage or Addition (2026)What a new slab or footing-and-slab foundation for a garage or room addition costs, how size changes the total, and what the code and your plans decide.
- Concrete Slab Cost per Square Foot: What's in the Price (2026)Concrete slab prices per square foot from three cost guides, split into concrete, labor and add-ons, with the math for 4- and 6-inch slabs.
- Cost to Pour a Concrete Slab: Size, Yards and What's Included (2026)What it costs to have a concrete slab poured and finished, by size and use, how many yards it takes, and what a written quote should spell out.
Driveways
- Concrete Driveway Cost per Square Foot and by Size (2026)What a new concrete driveway costs per square foot and by size, what the price includes, and what changes it, with each figure from a named, dated source.
- Concrete Driveway Extension Cost: Widening or Adding a Pad (2026)What it costs to widen or extend a concrete driveway, how the new section joins the old one, and which permits to check, with each figure from a named source.
- Concrete Driveway Replacement Cost: Tear-Out Plus New Pour (2026)What it costs to replace a concrete driveway: tear-out and haul-away priced apart from the new slab, with each figure from a named, dated source.
- Concrete vs Asphalt Driveway: Cost, Lifespan and Climate (2026)Concrete vs asphalt for a driveway: installed price, lifespan, cure time, upkeep and cold-weather mix rules, with each guide's numbers shown side by side.
- How Thick Should a Concrete Driveway Be? 4, 5 or 6 InchesConcrete driveway thickness by use: 4 inches for cars, 5 to 6 for trucks and RVs, thicker aprons where cities require it, plus what each extra inch adds.
Patios and finishes
- Cost to Replace a Concrete Patio: New Slab vs. Tear-Out (2026)What a new or replacement concrete patio costs per square foot, what tearing out the old slab adds, and what a written quote should list.
- Pavers vs. Concrete Patio: Cost, Build and Upkeep Compared (2026)Pavers vs. a poured concrete patio: installed cost per square foot from named guides, how each one is built, and how each holds up over time.
- Stamped Concrete Patio Cost vs. Exposed Aggregate and Colored (2026)Stamped concrete patio prices per square foot and by size, how exposed aggregate and colored concrete compare, and what the decorative premium covers.
Walkways, steps and walls
- Concrete Retaining Wall Cost: Per Square Foot and Linear Foot (2026)What a poured concrete retaining wall costs per square foot of face and per linear foot, plus drainage, footings, engineering and permits, from named sources.
- Concrete Sidewalk Cost: Per Square Foot and Linear Foot (2026)What a new concrete sidewalk costs installed, per square foot and per linear foot, plus tear-out, base, finish and permit lines, from named sources.
- Concrete Steps Cost: Poured vs. Precast, Per Step (2026)What new concrete steps cost per step and in total, poured or precast, with removal, railings and the code rise-and-run limits a contractor works to.
Before you build
Call 811 a few business days before any digging so buried utility lines get marked. Driveway aprons, foundations and taller retaining walls may need a permit — ask your local building department. Wet concrete can burn skin: crews wear gloves, boots and eye protection. Get the price, thickness, base and reinforcement in a written contract with a contractor who carries the license (where your state requires one) and insurance.