Rosewood Concrete · Portland, Oregon
Concrete Driveways Portland, OR
Driveways built for Portland's wet season. New pours, full replacements, widening, and aprons, permitted and inspected.
Licensed, bonded, and insured · CCB #263019
Rosewood Concrete pours concrete driveways across Portland, from 1920s bungalows in Laurelhurst to newer homes on the east side. We break out failed slabs, rebuild the base underneath, pull the city permit for the apron, and leave you with a driveway that drains, stands up to winter, and cracks along the joints we cut instead of across your parking spot.
Every job starts with a site measure. We check slope, drainage, soil, tree roots, and truck access, then send a written quote with the slab thickness, mix, reinforcement, and joint layout spelled out. Most quotes go out within 48 hours of the measure.
Licensed, bonded, and insured · Oregon CCB #263019 · Written scope and pricing
Driveway Work Rosewood Concrete Handles in Portland
Most Portland driveway calls fall into one of six jobs. Each one gets its own slab spec, because a parking pad for a sedan and an apron that takes a delivery truck are not the same pour.
Driveway Replacement
Driveway replacement starts with a clean break. We saw cut the old slab along a straight line, break it out, and haul the debris to a Metro authorized transfer station or a local concrete recycler. Then we rebuild from the subgrade up. Pouring new concrete over a base that already failed just restarts the clock, so the rock underneath gets as much attention as the surface.
New Concrete Driveways
New homes, ADU parking, and gravel driveways paved for the first time all start here. We set the grade so water runs away from the house, place and compact the base, and form the slab to the width and turning radius you actually need.
Driveway Widening and Extensions
Adding a second car width, a side pad, or a run back to a detached garage gives you more parking without a full rebuild. We plan the seam between old and new concrete as a joint line so the two sections can move without breaking each other. If the widening changes the curb cut, the city reviews it first.
Driveway Aprons and Curb Cuts
The sloped section between the street and the sidewalk sits in the public right of way. Rosewood files the PBOT permit, builds to the city standard drawing the inspector assigns, and books the form and final inspections.
RV Pads and Parking Pads
RVs, trailers, and work trucks load a slab far harder than a car. These pads get a thicker section, 5 to 6 inches, with rebar sized to the weight.
Concrete and Paver Driveways
A concrete field with a paver border or stamped band gives an older Portland home a finished edge without the upkeep of an all paver drive. See our residential concrete options for border and color choices.
How We Build a Driveway for Portland Rain
Portland driveways usually fail from the bottom up. Wet clay and river silt lose strength through the October to March rainy season, the slab settles, and the cracks follow. That is why our spec starts under the concrete, not on top of it.
- Base: 4 to 6 inches of 3/4 inch minus crushed rock, compacted in 2 inch lifts, so water drains sideways instead of sitting under the slab.
- Slab thickness: 4 inches minimum for cars, and 5 to 6 inches where trucks or RVs park.
- Concrete mix: Air entrained, 4,000 psi, to resist freeze thaw scaling and deicer damage.
- Reinforcement: Fiber or rebar sized to the load, with #4 rebar on 18 inch centers for heavy aprons.
- Control joints: Every 8 to 12 feet on a 4 inch slab, saw cut the day of the pour, so cracks follow the cuts and not your tire tracks.
- Slope: At least 1/8 inch per foot away from the house, so water leaves the slab and the foundation.
- Curing: Curing compound or a wet cure under plastic, so the slab reaches full strength in cold, damp weather.
Soil changes block to block. The tight clay through East Portland holds water and pushes us toward a deeper base and better drainage. West Hills lots see freezing nights the valley floor skips, which is why every exterior driveway gets an air entrained mix.
We also isolate the new slab from the garage stem wall, house foundation, and light posts with expansion material. At handoff, you get a first winter care sheet: sand for traction, and no calcium chloride or rock salt on new concrete.
Driveway Finishes That Work in Portland
A broom finish is the right call for most Portland driveways because it grips on wet days and on slopes. The other finishes earn their place on specific homes and budgets.
- Broom finish: Fine ridges brushed across the slab. Best for most driveways, sloped lots, and shaded drives where moss keeps coming back.
- Exposed aggregate: A washed surface with the stone showing. A strong fit for older Portland homes and drives that need extra texture.
- Stamped concrete: A pressed pattern that looks like stone, brick, or pavers. Best for borders, bands, and accents, sealed after the cure.
- Integral color: Color mixed into the concrete during the pour, not painted on afterward, so it runs all the way through.
- Paver borders: A concrete field framed with pavers, a clean match for Craftsman and bungalow fronts.
Garage floors are the one place we steel trowel smooth, since they stay dry. Outside, a smooth surface turns slick in the first November rain.
Portland Driveway Permits, Handled for You
In Portland, installing or changing a driveway always requires a permit, even when it opens onto an alley or a gravel street. Which permit you need depends on where the concrete sits.
The Apron and Sidewalk Crossing
The stretch between the curb and your property line belongs to the city. Repairing or replacing it takes a Minor Improvement Permit from PBOT, and larger scopes move up to a Public Works Permit.
- Permit fee: $2.82 per square foot, with a $101 minimum and $333 maximum
- Inspection fee: $445.90, plus $150.60 for any extra inspection
- Inspections: At least two, one on the forms or base before the pour and one final
- Processing: Up to 7 business days
The city picks the standard drawing for your street, such as curb tight or separated sidewalk, and the inspector sets the final details.
The Driveway on Your Lot
Creating a new or larger driveway, or paving a gravel one, needs a zoning permit from Portland Permitting & Development. PBOT also approves curb cuts only when they lead to legal parking.
Street Trees
If roots have to be cut, a City Forester inspects before the forms or base go in. Removing a street tree takes a separate Urban Forestry permit.
Rosewood confirms which permits your project triggers at the site measure, files them, schedules every inspection, and hands you the closed permit record. An open permit is the last thing you want surfacing when you sell.
Concrete Driveways Across Portland Neighborhoods
The neighborhood shapes the driveway as much as the homeowner does. Here is what we plan for in different parts of the city.
Inner Eastside (Laurelhurst, Irvington, Alameda, Hawthorne, Sellwood, Moreland): Older lots, narrow driveways, and mature street trees. Root work brings in the City Forester, and tight side yards sometimes mean we pump the concrete over the house instead of chuting it off the truck.
East Portland (Lents, Hazelwood, Parkrose, Powellhurst): Heavier clay that holds water through winter. These driveways get extra attention on base depth and where the runoff goes.
West Hills and Southwest (Hillsdale, Multnomah Village, Sylvan, Council Crest): Steep drives and colder nights. A broom finish, an air entrained mix, and careful joint layout keep a sloped driveway safe and intact. Some lots also need a retaining wall to hold the grade.
North and Northeast (St. Johns, Kenton, Alberta Arts, Beaumont): A mix of older bungalows and infill homes, many with aprons and sidewalk panels due for replacement.
Around the Metro: Rosewood also pours driveways in Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Tualatin, Oregon City, Hillsboro, and Sherwood. For patios, walkways, and other flatwork, see our page for concrete contractors in Portland.
What a Concrete Driveway Costs in Portland
Rosewood prices every Portland driveway after a site measure, because size is only one of six things that move the number.
- Square footage and thickness: A 6 inch RV pad uses half again the concrete of a 4 inch car slab.
- Tear out and haul off: Old concrete is heavy, and disposal is priced by volume.
- Base repair: Soft or muddy subgrade means digging deeper and bringing in more rock.
- Access: A wide open drive lets the truck chute straight in. A tight side yard may need a pump.
- Finish: Broom costs least. Exposed aggregate, stamping, color, and paver borders add to it.
- Permits: The PBOT apron permit and inspections alone run $546.90 to $778.90 before any extra inspections.
You get a written fixed price proposal with the mix, thickness, reinforcement, joint plan, and dates on it, so nothing gets renegotiated halfway through.
From Site Measure to Parking on It
- Site measure and quote: Written quote within about 48 hours of the measure.
- Permits: PBOT can take up to 7 business days to issue an apron permit.
- Tear out and base: Saw cut, demolition, excavation, and compacted rock.
- Forms and reinforcement: Apron forms are inspected before any concrete arrives.
- Pour and finish: Screed, float, edge, finish, and cut joints.
- Cure: Walk on it after 24 to 48 hours. Drive on it after 10 to 14 days.
- Seal: Where the finish calls for it, at around 28 days.
On site, most driveway replacements take 3 to 5 working days from demolition to final finish. We pour year round. July and August, Portland's driest stretch, move fastest, while winter pours run with blankets, accelerators, and tighter weather windows.
Signs Your Portland Driveway Is Due for Replacement
A few hairline cracks are normal, because concrete is durable but not crack proof. These signs point to a failing base, which no patch will fix:
- Panels that have sunk, tilted, or lifted, especially near the garage or the street
- Cracks running across several panels instead of stopping at a joint
- A flaking or pitted surface after winter, known as scaling
- Water pooling on the slab or running toward the garage or foundation
- A broken apron or a raised lip at the sidewalk, which can draw a Sidewalk Repair Notice from the city
- Street tree roots pushing slabs up
When only a panel or two has failed and the rest sits flat, replacing those sections can make sense. When settlement runs through the whole driveway, the base underneath is gone, and a full replacement is the only fix that lasts. We tell you which one you have at the site measure.
Why Portland Homeowners Hire Rosewood Concrete
Rosewood Concrete is contractor managed, so the person who measures your driveway stays responsible for it through the final walkthrough.
- Licensed, bonded, and insured: Oregon CCB #263019. Check it on the CCB license search in two minutes.
- One point of contact: No handoffs between a salesperson, a demo crew, and a finisher you never met.
- Written scope and pricing: Thickness, mix, reinforcement, and joint layout are on paper before work starts.
- Permits and locates handled: PBOT and city permits, 811 utility locates, and every inspection.
- A documented pour: Your project file keeps the mix ticket and joint layout, useful for a future home inspection or sale.
- A clean finish: Debris hauled, site cleaned, and a final walkthrough with you.
Concrete Driveway FAQs for Portland
Get a Quote for Your Portland Driveway
New pours, full replacements, widening, and aprons. Written quotes within 48 hours of the site measure.
Call (971) 289-6488