Every concrete question we get asked.

We're based in Red Deer County (Highway 2A) and pour concrete across Red Deer, Innisfail, Sylvan Lake, Blackfalds, Penhold, Lacombe, Ponoka, Olds, Bowden, Didsbury, Eckville, Rocky Mountain House, and every acreage and farm in between. If the ready-mix truck can reach it, we can pour it.

Because concrete jobs depend on things we can only see in person — access for the truck, existing grade, base condition, drainage, whether we need to strip topsoil, whether rebar has to work around anything. A phone number is a guess. A real number requires walking the site. We come out free, no pressure.

Usually yes on Central Alberta county roads. Where it gets tricky is soft spring roads, long soft driveways into the yard, tight turnarounds at the pour site, or overhead obstructions (low branches, powerlines). We assess this on the site visit. If a full-load ready-mix can't safely reach the pour location, we spec a pumper truck — that lets us stage the mix at the road and pump concrete up to a few hundred feet into the yard.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no — depends on how bad the road is and whether the concrete truck can safely get in without getting stuck or damaging the road. We'll come look at the access before we schedule the pour. If the road is a problem, we'll suggest waiting or bringing gravel in first. Nobody wants a stuck concrete truck.

Yes. Full demo, saw-cutting, hauling, and disposal are part of most driveway and patio replacement jobs. We quote it as part of the scope so there are no surprises. If the existing slab is still structurally sound and you just want to change the look, we can sometimes overlay — we'll tell you honestly what makes sense.

Depends on the crack. Hairline cracks that stay tight are cosmetic and can usually be sealed or resurfaced. Cracks you can lay a pencil in, cracks with vertical displacement (one side higher than the other), or cracks that keep opening year after year usually mean the base failed — and resurfacing over that just hides the problem for a season. We'll tell you straight which one you've got, not just sell you whichever job pays more.

Almost always one of three things: inadequate base compaction before the original pour, no control joints (or joints spaced too far apart) to guide where the concrete relieves stress, or Alberta's freeze-thaw cycle working on a slab that already had a weak point.

Resurfacing bonds a new wear layer over existing structurally-sound concrete to fix surface scaling, spalling, or cosmetic cracking without a full tear-out. It holds up fine in Alberta freeze-thaw when the underlying slab is sound and the overlay is bonded and jointed correctly — but it's not a fix for a slab that's actively heaving or settling. That needs a different conversation, which is why we look at the site before quoting either option.

For sunken sidewalk sections, patio slabs, or garage aprons that have settled but are otherwise structurally fine, we assess whether leveling makes sense versus a straight slab replacement. On a lot of residential jobs, saw-cutting and re-pouring the sunken section is more cost-effective and permanent than lifting — we'll walk you through both options with real numbers.

If it's purely cosmetic and not a trip hazard or drainage problem, waiting for pour season (roughly April through October) is fine and often cheaper since we're not working around frost. If it's a safety issue — a raised sidewalk edge, a crack channeling water toward a foundation — get it looked at sooner.

4 inches is the residential-car minimum. For a driveway that regularly parks a 3/4-ton or 1-ton pickup, we recommend 5 inches with #4 rebar on 18-inch centres. RV pads and heavy-duty parking areas go 6 inches. Thicker slab plus proper compacted base is what stops the cracking and settling that shortens a driveway's life.

For a table and 6 chairs plus room to move around, plan on roughly 12x14 feet minimum (168 sq ft). For a table, seating area, and a BBQ zone, we usually recommend 16x20 feet or larger (320+ sq ft). Larger entertaining patios that host groups often run 400-600 sq ft or more.

Standard is 1/4 inch of drop per foot, sloped away from the house — that's the Alberta building-code minimum for concrete flatwork next to a foundation. On larger patios we sometimes crown the slab slightly toward two edges so water sheets off in multiple directions. The wrong slope pools meltwater against the foundation and freeze-thaw destroys the joint.

Roughly April through October, sometimes into early November if the weather holds. Concrete needs above-freezing temperatures for the first few days of cure. We can pour in cool weather with blankets and hot water mixes, but we don't push it into hard frost — the cure is compromised and the concrete cracks. We book the shoulder months tight.

Foot traffic after 24-48 hours. Car traffic and regular patio furniture after 7 days. Pickup trucks, RVs, and heavy patio features after 10-14 days to be safe. Full design strength — for machinery, loaded trucks, or full loading — at 28 days. We flag and stake every fresh pour so nobody drives or walks on it too early.

We recommend it and we can do it. A quality penetrating sealer helps concrete shed water, resist road salt, and slow down freeze-thaw damage — the number one thing that shortens concrete life in Alberta. We usually seal 28+ days after the pour once the concrete has fully cured. Re-seal every 3-5 years for driveways in salt exposure, every 2-3 years for stamped work.