Most concrete in Dunwoody does not need to come out. A driveway that has dropped at one joint, a patio with a scaled surface, a walk that holds water after a storm: each of these can often be repaired, lifted back to level, or given a new wearing surface over sound structural concrete. Our job is to tell you which of those three your slab actually needs. Sometimes the honest answer is replacement, and when it is, we say so.
We start on site, not on the phone. We look at where the slab has cracked or settled, check the joints and the drainage around it, and find out why it moved before we decide how to fix it. Across Fulton County the dominant soil is Rion, which drains well, but it varies, so every site is tested individually before work starts. Then the repair gets matched to the cause: filling voids under the slab, raising a sunken section, or resurfacing a worn top.
Rain is usually what finds the weak spot. The area gets about 50 inches of it a year, and water that runs toward a slab instead of away from it can wash out the base underneath. A patch over that kind of failure looks fine for a season. Getting it right means fixing the drainage first, using repair materials that bond to the old concrete, and carrying the existing joints up through any new surface so the cracks have somewhere to go. If your driveway or patio has started to move, call for a free estimate.
We price a slab after seeing where it goes. The footprint, the grade, how water leaves the site and what the soil test shows all move the number, and every site is tested individually before work starts. From there it comes down to the slab itself: how thick it needs to be for what sits on it, rebar or wire mesh, the compacted stone base, forming and the finish. Call for a free estimate.
Driveways carry loads a patio never sees, so we pour them thicker, over a compacted stone base, with rebar set on chairs so it sits mid-slab instead of lying in the dirt where it does nothing. Control joints go in at close, even spacing, because concrete will crack and the point is to decide where. The area gets about 50 inches of rain a year, so every driveway is sloped to carry water away from the garage and foundation.
Interior slabs for basements, garages, workshops and additions start below the concrete: a compacted base, then a vapor barrier so ground moisture doesn't wick up into whatever flooring goes down later. We place wire mesh or rebar depending on the load. A steel-trowel finish gives a dense, smooth surface for garages and shops. Polished or sealed concrete can also serve as the finished floor on its own, with nothing laid over it.
Most slab failures start underneath. Water washes out the base, a void opens, and the slab settles or cracks over it. We find the cause first, because patching a crack over a void only buys time. Settled sections can often be lifted and leveled by filling the space below. Scaling and spalling get ground back and resurfaced. Where the slab is broken through or the reinforcement has rusted, we cut out the section and pour new.
A good walk is mostly base and drainage. We excavate, compact a stone base, form the edges straight and build in a slight cross-slope so rain runs off instead of pooling. Joints are tooled at even spacing to control cracking, and the surface gets a broom finish for grip when it's wet. Where a walk meets a driveway or steps, an expansion joint lets the two move independently. Nearby tree roots get dealt with before we pour.
A cracked or sunken slab usually has a cause underneath it, and fixing the surface without finding that cause only hides it for a while. Our work begins below the concrete. Every site is tested individually before work starts, because while Rion soil (well drained) is Fulton County's dominant type, it varies across the county, and we do not assume one property matches the next. What we find decides whether a slab gets leveled, resurfaced or replaced.
The job runs in a plain order. We look at the whole property first: how the slab was built, where water drains off the roof and lawn, whether reinforcement was used and where it has failed. Then we tell you what we would do and why, in words you can check against what you see. On repairs we match materials as closely as the old concrete allows, so a patched patio does not stand out from the rest of it. Stamped and decorative surfaces get the same care as plain ones.
Most slab failures trace back to water. This area sees about 50 inches of rain a year, and runoff that pools against a slab edge or washes out the base will undo any resurfacing laid over it. Getting it right means correcting the drainage, rebuilding the base where it has gone soft, and only then putting down the new surface. That takes longer than a quick overlay. It is also the version with a reason to last. If your driveway or patio has started to move, call for a free estimate.
Most damaged concrete in Dunwoody does not need to be torn out. We offer four approaches, and the right one depends on what the slab is actually doing. Crack repair seals and fills breaks before water gets underneath. Leveling lifts a sunken section back to height by pumping material beneath it, which suits driveways, walkways and patios that have settled but are still sound. Resurfacing bonds a new layer over a tired surface, plain or decorative, including stamped patterns. Full replacement is for concrete that has failed structurally, and no overlay fixes that.
Every job starts with what sits under the concrete. Soil varies from one lot to the next, so we test each site individually before work starts. We check the reinforcement, measure how far each section has dropped, and trace where water runs off the surface. With about 50 inches of rain a year, drainage often explains a sunken slab better than the slab itself does. A settled walkway beside a downspout tells a different story from a patio cracking along a single joint. Only then do we pick the method and order materials.
Repairs usually fail for one reason: the fix treated the symptom. Patch a crack without stopping the movement behind it, and it opens again beside the patch. Lift a slab without fixing the washout that sank it, and it settles again. Lay a resurfacing coat over concrete that is still shifting, and the new surface cracks along the old lines. We would rather replace one bad section than overlay a whole driveway that cannot hold it. Getting the order right is most of the job, and it is the part nobody sees once the concrete cures.
Most of what a repair or resurfacing job costs is set before any new concrete arrives. It comes down to what is already in the ground, how we get to it, and what the finished slab has to carry. You can check most of it yourself with a walk around the driveway.
| What changes the price | Which way | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Old concrete that has to come out | costs more | Breaking out a failed slab and hauling it off is labor and truck time before anything new goes down. |
| A slab that is sound but worn on top | costs less | If the base is solid and the cracks are hairline, a resurface bonds to what is there instead of replacing it. |
| No clear path for the truck | costs more | When a mixer cannot back up to the forms, we pump or wheel the concrete in, and both add crew and equipment. |
| A driveway that carries heavy vehicles | costs more | The slab goes thicker with rebar instead of wire mesh, which means more material and more time setting reinforcement. |
| A sunken or washed-out base | costs more | Leveling over a soft base repeats the failure, so the sub-base is dug out, refilled and compacted first. |
| Water that pools against the slab or house | costs more | With about 50 inches of rain a year, the surface has to shed water, and regrading or adding a drain becomes part of the job. |
| Broom finish instead of stamped or colored | costs less | Decorative surfaces need extra hands, release agents and sealing. A broom finish does not. |
Comparing bids, line them up on the same points: whether removal and haul-off are included, how thick the new slab is, what reinforcement goes in, how the base is prepared, and where the control joints go. A lower number that leaves one of those out is pricing a different job. Ask each contractor to put those details in writing.
No. Dunwoody is one of many towns we work in across metro Atlanta, and the work is the same wherever the property sits. A cracked driveway in Brookhaven gets the same inspection, the same materials and the same crew as one in Dunwoody. Residential patios, commercial walkways and structural slabs all fall inside that coverage. If you are unsure whether we reach your street, call and ask.
We split the job into sections, so part of the lot, walkway or entrance stays open while the rest is under repair. Every work zone is fenced and marked. Staff and customers get a clear route around it, and tools and materials stay out of foot traffic. Near the office towers of Perimeter Center, that usually means phasing the parking areas and planning the loudest cutting for hours the building approves.
Metro Atlanta, including the city itself and the towns around it. We take repair, leveling and resurfacing work in large communities and small ones, and none of them waits behind another. Each is served on the same terms: someone looks at the site, checks the conditions, and writes the estimate for that property alone. The full list of towns appears elsewhere on this page, so you can find yours there.
Repair it when the damage stays on the surface. Scaling, hairline cracks and a worn finish usually respond to crack filling or a resurfacing overlay. A slab that has sunk evenly can often be lifted back to grade. Replacement makes sense when cracks run wide and keep moving, when sections have heaved to different heights, or when the base underneath has failed. We check the slab and the ground below before recommending either.
Ask for that in writing, from us or from any contractor you are considering. A license number and an insurance certificate can both be checked with the office that issued them. Do that check before a contract is signed. On the certificate, look for the carrier's name, the policy dates and the type of coverage. Paperwork you verify yourself tells you more than any claim printed on a website.
Every town on the service list, spread across metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs Concrete Pros handles repair, leveling and resurfacing for homes and businesses throughout that area. Driveways, patios, stamped and decorative surfaces, commercial walks: the scope of work does not shrink as the drive gets longer. Each property gets its own look at the slab and the ground beneath it before we recommend anything.