Concrete driveway building in Temple TX - a slab built on packed, well-drained ground
Cracked, sinking or holding water? We dig out and pack the base, set the slope and joints, and pour a slab that drains.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into building a concrete driveway in Temple?
Concrete driveway building in Temple, TX means clearing out the old surface, digging down to firm ground, packing a base and pouring a new slab that sheds water away from your house, with the joints laid out ahead of time so cracks land where we plan them. You'll notice the pour, but most of what makes a good driveway is the ground work underneath it.
Most calls start with an old driveway that's cracked through, a section that's dropped, or water that sits by the garage after every rain. What moves the price is the size of the drive, whether old concrete or asphalt has to be broken out and hauled off, how much soft dirt has to come out before the base goes in, and how plain or fancy you want the finish. The schedule turns on the weather, on any permit your address needs, and on curing, the days a new slab needs to harden before it's ready for your car. When I come out, your estimate puts your own number on all of that.
How do you know it's time for a new driveway?
Cracks that keep getting wider
A hairline crack is normal, but one you can fit a coin in, or one that opens a little more each season, usually means the ground underneath is moving. Water gets in, the edges chip and the crack keeps growing, so waiting usually means more concrete to break out later.
A section that sank or tipped
When one slab drops below the one next to it, the dirt underneath has usually settled or washed out because it was never packed well. It's a trip hazard now, and the soft spot tends to spread as water keeps finding it.
Water sitting near the garage
Puddles that hang around after rain, or a drive that tips toward the house, mean the slope was set wrong or the slab has shifted. That water soaks the ground under the slab and next to your foundation, which makes both of them move more.
How we handle concrete driveway building, start to finish
Before anything else, I look at the trees near the drive and how water runs off your yard, because both decide where we set the grade. Then we break out the old surface, dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, and pack a base so the new drive doesn't settle along with loose dirt, and we slope it so water heads for the street and not toward your house. We lay out the control joints before the pour, the straight cuts that give a slab a place to crack, so the cracks that come land in lines we chose, and we cut them early before the concrete picks its own spots. Where the drive meets your garage floor, a walk or a curb, we set a strip between them so each piece can move on its own. Rebar, steel bars set inside the slab to tie it together, goes in before the truck arrives, and we pour in the cooler part of the day, give it a broom finish, a light texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, and keep it damp while it cures. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you go plainer on the finish than cut corners on the base, because the base is buried on the first day and it's what decides whether the slab stays put.
A new driveway is a good time to think about what it connects to. Plenty of homeowners run the work out back as a concrete patio while our crew is already set up, and if you want the drive to look like more than plain gray, stamped concrete adds pattern and color, often as a border so the rest stays a simple broom finish.
Tearing out and replacing an old drive
This suits a driveway that's cracked through, sunk or holding water, because patching it leaves the new concrete sitting on the same tired ground. We haul off the old material, fix what's underneath and start fresh.
A new drive, a widening or a parking pad
This suits new builds, a drive that's too narrow for two cars, or a pad for a trailer or boat. When new concrete meets old, we separate them with a joint so they can move without breaking each other.
Get a free written quote for your driveway
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll walk your driveway with you, free and with no obligation, and send a written quote afterward.
(254) 791-8043- Based in
- Temple, TX 76501
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about a driveway in Temple?
Here's how it goes from your first call to the day the forms come off and our crew cleans up.
Call us or send the form
Call (254) 791-8043 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time to come look. It helps to mention the drive's rough size, any trees or drains nearby, and whether it meets a highway.
Walk the driveway with me
I come out, walk the site with you and ask about drainage, trees and what the concrete has to carry, whether that's two cars or a work truck and trailer. Then I send a written quote that lists what's in it and what isn't, so you can set it next to anyone else's and see what you're paying for.
Permits, pour day, then cleanup
Once you say go, we check with the office for your address about permits and set a pour date with the forecast in mind. I'm on site with our crew through the forming, the pour and the cleanup.
Why Temple homeowners call A&L Temple Concrete Construction for driveways
The owner walks your job
I'm the one who comes out to look at your driveway and write the quote, and I'm on site with our crew for the forming, pouring and finishing. The person who heard your worries about drainage is the one standing there when the grade gets set.
Working in Temple since 2023
I started this business in Temple in 2023, after years running a landscaping company alongside concrete crews and a few seasons learning the trade on one. That's why I spend so much time on the ground before any concrete shows up.
Licensed and insured on every pour
We're fully licensed and insured. That covers you and your property while our crew and the concrete truck are in your driveway.
Before you compare quotes, call (254) 791-8043 or send us your driveway details with its rough size, any trees or drains nearby and whether it meets a highway.
Driveways, patios and the clay ground around Temple
The Blackland Prairie runs from north of Dallas south to San Antonio, and its Houston Black soils are highly expansive clays that swell when they get wet and shrink as they dry. Ground like that can lift a driveway in a wet season and let it drop in a dry one, so we dig out the soft dirt, pack the base, grade the slab to shed water fast, and lay out the joints so the cracks that movement causes land in the cuts. We're based in Temple and work across Bell County and the cities around it, up toward Waco and down toward Georgetown, and we take the same care with the ground on driveways in Belton and Killeen.
If your driveway meets a state highway, the local District office of TxDOT issues the permit, and nothing gets built on the highway right of way, the strip along the road the state controls, until that permit is in hand, so we work through TxDOT first. For a drive onto a city street, we check with the city or county office for your address and tell you what we learn, and if a permit is needed, we handle the application with that office before we start.
Questions about concrete driveways in Temple
How much does a concrete driveway cost around Temple?
Pouring a concrete driveway in the Killeen-Temple area usually costs about $2,300 to $7,000 per driveway. The size of the drive and how much ground prep it needs move it the most, and your quote spells out what's included. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Is a concrete driveway better than asphalt?
Concrete usually costs more up front than asphalt, though that gap isn't as wide as it used to be. What you get for it is a longer service life and lower upkeep costs, so you're trading a bigger bill now for smaller ones later. If you plan to stay in the house a while, I'd lean toward concrete.
How do I keep a new concrete driveway from cracking?
You can't keep concrete from cracking entirely, but joints laid out before the pour control where the cracks go and keep them to a minimum. Wire mesh won't stop cracks either, though it tends to keep them from opening up. Surface shrinkage cracks show up more often near trees and other plants, so if your drive runs past a big tree, tell us and we'll plan around it.
Can concrete be poured in the summer in Temple?
Yes, concrete poured in hot weather generally holds up about as well as concrete poured in mild weather, as long as it reaches proper strength and the curing keeps the surface from drying out. Wind and sun matter as much as the heat, so a breezy, sunny day calls for more care than a calm, humid one at the same temperature. We plan how we'll keep the slab damp before the truck shows up.
What does TxDOT require before a driveway onto a highway is built?
Work can start only after the permit is issued and TxDOT has had 24 hours' notice. The highway side ditch also has to keep draining the way it did before, and TxDOT approves the size and design of any culvert or other drainage structure the driveway needs, so we settle that with them before we set forms.
What causes a concrete driveway to heave in one spot?
Extra water soaking the clay under that spot can push it up, whether it comes from a leaking water line, a broken drain or culvert, or rain pooling against a wall of the house. That's why we ask where your downspouts, drains and lines run, and grade the drive so water moves away instead of collecting.
Concrete work that often goes with a driveway
Concrete patio construction
If the backyard is bare dirt or cracked pavers, a patio built on a packed base gives you a level, solid spot for chairs and a grill.
Stamped concrete services
When plain gray feels too plain, stamping adds pattern and color to a driveway border, a front walk or a patio without giving up the strength underneath.
Service areas for driveway work around Temple
A&L Temple Concrete Construction is based in Temple, TX, and works across Bell County and the cities around it, up toward Waco and down toward Georgetown. Twelve cities have their own page below, and if yours isn't one of them, give us a call and ask.
Temple, TX
Get a quote on your new driveway
Pour dates follow the forecast, so sorting out the quote and any permit early gives us more good days to choose from.