Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGuide's driveway guide puts standard to basic concrete at $6 to $15 a square foot nationally. On that scale a 20 x 20 two-car pad lands around $2,400 to $6,000, and breaking out an old driveway adds roughly $2 to $6 a square foot. Base depth on clay, thickness and access move the Fargo number, so the written estimate is the figure to plan on.

Two reasons. The Lake Agassiz clay under the city swells when wet and shrinks when dry, which moves slabs. And the winter freezes water in the concrete over and over. Good base prep, air-entrained concrete and well-placed control joints keep cracks small and in the joints.

Most exterior pours here happen between late spring and early fall, once the ground has thawed and nights stay above freezing. Cold-weather pours are possible with heated water, accelerating admixtures and insulated blankets, but they cost more and leave less margin, and we will not place concrete on frozen ground.

That depends on where the work is. Sidewalks and approaches in the City right of way fall under the Engineering Department and must be done by a contractor licensed with the City as a Sidewalk Contractor, and driveways have to fit the City's width limits at the sidewalk line. We look up what applies to your address and job before anything is scheduled.

Narrow cracks and a few sunken panels are usually worth sealing or lifting. HomeGuide's leveling and resurfacing guides point to replacement once cracks wider than a quarter inch spread across the slab, spalling is heavy, or the concrete is breaking apart. After we see it, we tell you which side of that line it falls on.

Walking on it is usually fine after a day or two. Give it about a week before a car parks on it, longer for heavy pickups or trailers. Full strength takes roughly four weeks, and cold weather stretches every one of those times.

Yes. A penetrating sealer slows salt brine and meltwater from soaking into the surface, which is what drives scaling here. HomeGuide prices sealing at about $1 to $3 a square foot and suggests redoing it every 2 to 3 years.

Cars need four inches at a minimum. HomeGuide's driveway guide calls for five to six inches under RVs or heavy traffic, with thickened edges. On soft clay we often add depth where vehicles swing in or park heavy loads.

Neither one prevents cracking; both keep cracks from spreading apart. For driveways we use rebar on chairs, since it holds its place at mid-depth. HomeGuide prices steel reinforcement at about $1 to $3 a square foot.

Yes, as long as daytime and overnight temperatures allow a proper cure. Late pours may need blankets. New concrete should not see de-icing salt its first winter, so we talk through snow care with fall customers.

HomeGuide says 30 to 40 years with proper maintenance. In Fargo the base under it and how it is sealed and cared for in winter make the biggest difference.

Work on the approach and sidewalk in the City right of way falls under the Engineering Department and requires a contractor licensed with the City for sidewalk work. We check what applies to your address and include it in the quote.

For a plain 12 by 12, HomeGuide's patio guide shows roughly $600 to $1,700; stamped or stained, the same size runs about $1,150 to $4,300. Where yours falls depends on backyard access and how much base the site needs.

Four inches is standard. HomeGuide recommends six inches with added reinforcement under hot tubs, outdoor kitchens and other heavy items.

Sometimes the slab can be raised and re-sloped if it is in one piece. If it is cracked through or badly settled, replacing it with the right slope is the better fix. We look at it and tell you which.

Both can work. Concrete is one solid piece with no joints for weeds and is easier to shovel. Pavers can be lifted and reset if the ground moves. Many people pick concrete for lower upkeep.

Light furniture after a few days. Heavy items like a hot tub should wait until the concrete has cured for about four weeks.

It does when it is air entrained, cured properly and kept sealed. Most failures show up on stamped concrete that was never resealed or got rock salt in its first winter.

It can be when it is wet or frosted, because sealer smooths the surface. On walks and steps we pick patterns with more texture and can mix a grit additive into the sealer.

On HomeGuide's patio guide, plain concrete runs $4 to $12 a square foot against $9 to $30 for stamped. Its sidewalk guide prices the stamped finish as an add-on of about $3 to $4 a square foot.

Not with a true stamp, since that has to be done while the concrete is wet. A stamped overlay can go over sound concrete, but cracked or settled slabs should be replaced first.

HomeGuide recommends every 2 to 3 years. Areas that get salt and car traffic may need it on the shorter end.

The property owner. The City's sidewalk page cites North Dakota law requiring owners to build and maintain sidewalks next to their property in the right of way.

Not in the right of way unless you are licensed. The City requires a Sidewalk Contractor license with the City and a North Dakota contractor's license, and unlicensed work can be fined $500.

If the City's contractor does the work, the cost goes to the Special Assessment Office. You can pay in full without interest by the deadline on the notice, or it goes on your property taxes over twenty years with interest.

If the panel is not broken, yes. The City allows sand or mud jacking to realign unbroken panels, but you pay for it directly. HomeGuide lists about $400 to $900 to mudjack a 100 square foot sidewalk.

Skip salt the first winter, use sand for traction, shovel promptly (Fargo requires sidewalks to be cleared within 24 hours after snow stops), and keep the steps sealed.

Cars are usually fine on four inches. Heavy pickups, a lift or shop equipment call for more depth. For reference, HomeGuide's slab guide prices 4 inch slabs around $6 to $8 a square foot and 6 inch slabs around $8 to $10.

Usually, if the walls and footings are sound. We cut along the walls, remove the old floor and pour a new one inside the building.

A new garage normally needs a building permit, and the slab is part of it. We check what your city requires for the job before scheduling.

Usually it was finished flat, or the slab has sunk since. If it cannot be lifted back into a useful pitch, a replacement floor sloped to the door is the usual cure.

A light shed can usually go up after about a week. Let the slab cure about four weeks before heavy loads.

Both raise slabs that are still in one piece. HomeGuide's leveling guide prices mudjacking at $4 to $9 a square foot and foam at $8 to $25. Foam weighs less and often holds longer; mudjacking is cheaper. Which one fits depends on the slab and the soil under it.

Only if the cracks are small and the slab is not moving. HomeGuide says cracks wider than a quarter inch typically show up again through a resurfaced layer.

Usually freeze-thaw damage at the surface, made worse by de-icing salts and concrete that was finished wet or poured without air entrainment. Sealing slows it down on sound concrete.

HomeGuide's leveling guide gives about 5 to 10 years or more, depending on the method and the soil. On Fargo clay, keeping water away from the slab is what helps a lift last.

Yes. If a repair will not last, we say so and price the replacement instead, so you can compare.