Concrete driveway building in Key West FL - a driveway poured to keep its strength

A standard 4-inch residential concrete slab in Florida, with materials, labor and a basic broom finish, usually costs about $8 to $14 per square foot. A Key West driveway can come in differently once tear-out, base work, steel or a stamped finish are added, so I measure on site and give you a written scope with the price.

The City of Key West Building Department issues permits, and the city requires one for work over $1,000 in materials and labor, at the building official's discretion. In a flood hazard area any development needs a permit, grading and fill included, and in the Historic District exterior work also needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. We handle that paperwork when a job calls for one.

Yes, the city counts pavement as impervious surface, cover that water can't soak through, and limits how much of your land it can take up. Work that affects the street, the sidewalk or a parking space also needs a right-of-way permit from the city's Parking Department, and a dumpster set in the street needs its own application there.

We pour when the weather is on our side, which can mean early morning or even night. Hot-weather guidance calls for stricter care on a sunny, windy day than on a calm, humid one at the same temperature, so I watch the wind and sun as much as the thermometer before setting a start time.

No, pervious concrete has lower compressive strength, its resistance to crushing, than conventional concrete. It has open pores so water passes through, but it leaves out the fine material and its stones bond more weakly. Conventional concrete gives you the stronger driveway, so choosing pervious means accepting less strength.

Concrete can crack, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and get them in on time so cracks don't land where nobody chose. Adding water to the mix on a hot day can weaken the concrete, which is why we keep it out and build on a packed base.

The city requires state-certified or registered contractors to file copies of their Florida license, liability insurance and workers' comp coverage or exemption. Monroe County keeps a list of registered contractors that shows one as active only while those dates and the business tax are current, so look us up there before you sign.