Garage floor concrete in Lafayette LA - a level floor that keeps rainwater outside
If your garage floor has cracked, sunk or lets rain in under the door, we pour a new slab built to stay level and dry.
What does it take to pour a new garage floor in Lafayette?
Garage floor concrete in Lafayette is a new slab poured on ground we've dug out and packed evenly, so your garage gets a floor that stays level, carries your car and keeps rainwater out at the door.
Most people call us when the old floor has cracked across, dropped in one corner or lets water run in under the door after a storm. The price moves with the size of the garage, whether an old slab has to be broken out and hauled away, how much digging and packing the ground needs, and whether the driveway apron or a decorative finish is part of the job. The schedule turns on the permit check for your address, the weather on pour day and curing, which is the wait while the concrete hardens before you can park on it. I put all of that for your own garage in a written estimate, so you can see what's included and what isn't before you decide.
What happens after you call about a garage floor in Lafayette?
Call or send the form
When you call (337) 216-1997 or send the form below, we set a time for me to come out to your house. I'm the one who comes, because I'd rather see the garage before anyone talks numbers.
I visit and write the estimate
I look at the floor, ask how you'll use the garage and check where the water goes, including how the driveway meets the door. You get a written estimate that lists what's included and what isn't, so you can see exactly what you're paying for.
We check permits, then schedule
Before anything goes on the calendar, we check with the permit office for your address. Once that's settled, we pick a pour day with you, keeping the weather and your parking in mind.
Our crew pours your floor
On the work days our crew lead runs the job with our finishers, and I come by to check the work and answer your questions. When we're done, we go over the curing wait with you before you put the car back in.
How we build garage floor concrete, and the work around it
If an old floor is there, we break it out and haul it away, then dig down to firm ground and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, evenly from the back wall to the door. I watch that step more closely than any other, because soil that's packed unevenly settles unevenly and cracks the slab, and a thicker slab or stronger concrete won't make up for it. Before we set the forms, I look at how your driveway meets the door, since a floor sloped toward the door only drains if the apron, the short stretch of concrete just outside, keeps falling away from the house. A driveway that pitches back toward the garage will let storm water right in, so when we find that, we plan the apron along with the floor. We schedule the pour for a cooler time of day rather than the midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, then give the surface a light broom finish, a fine texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, and keep it from drying out too fast while it cures. If the budget is tight, the base is the last thing I'd cut, because the finish is what you see on day one, but the ground underneath decides how the floor looks and holds up years from now.
Some homeowners want more than plain gray, especially in a garage that doubles as a shop or a gym, and decorative concrete can give the new floor color or texture. Where the yard rises beside or behind the garage, concrete retaining walls hold that ground back so soil and runoff don't end up against the new slab.
Get a written estimate for your new garage floor
We reply to every call and message within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Garage floor questions from Lafayette homeowners
How much does a new concrete garage floor cost in Lafayette, LA?
Concrete slabs in Lafayette usually cost about $6 to $11 per square foot, which is the going rate for slab work in the area, not a quote from us. Replacing an old floor costs more than a first pour, because breaking out and hauling away the old concrete is added on top. I'll give you a written estimate for your own garage once I've seen it.
Do I need a permit to pour a garage floor in Lafayette?
Most construction in Lafayette needs a permit before work starts, and the Development and Planning Department handles permits for the City of Lafayette and unincorporated Lafayette Parish. The city also requires that building not reduce the room your land holds for floodwater, so it's worth asking that department how this applies to your lot. When a permit is needed, we take care of the application and keep you informed, and we do the same with the office for your address in the cities around Lafayette.
How long does it take before I can park on a new garage floor?
Plan on about a week before you park on it, though a new slab should be walkable within 48 hours. Concrete keeps curing and gaining strength for about a month, so waiting that first week before putting a car's weight on it is the safer plan. It helps to line up somewhere else to park before pour day.
What causes a garage floor to crack, and will my new one crack too?
The usual cause is the ground underneath settling unevenly, which is why we spend so much care on the packing I described above. The other common cause is control joints, the planned cut lines that give the slab a place to crack neatly, sawn too late, because they need to be cut within hours of finishing or the slab cracks at random between them. No slab is crack-proof, but the joints are one of the things I watch most closely on a pour for exactly that reason.
Is a thicker slab or wire mesh better for a garage floor?
A thicker slab is usually the better choice if you expect heavy loads, because wire mesh mostly holds the edges of a crack together after the slab cracks and adds little strength. One building code guide advises owners expecting heavier loads to choose a thicker slab rather than relying on mesh alone. Tell me what you'll park or store in there, and I'll write the slab thickness into your estimate.
Does a contractor need a license to pour a garage floor in Louisiana?
Yes, once the job is worth more than $7,500, because Louisiana requires home improvement work valued over $7,500 and up to $50,000 to be bid or done by a contractor registered for home improvement work or a licensed contractor. Jobs of $50,000 or more, or any job with structural work, must be bid and built by a licensed Residential Building Contractor. We're fully licensed and insured.
Other concrete work that goes with a garage floor
Decorative concrete
When the garage is also your main way into the house, decorative concrete can give the floor color and pattern that looks like it belongs indoors.
Concrete retaining walls
If your garage sits below a slope, a retaining wall keeps that soil where it belongs instead of slumping toward the building and your new floor.
Tell us about your garage floor
Call (337) 216-1997 or use the form, and if you can, tell us the garage's size, whether an old slab has to come out and which way your driveway slopes, so I arrive with the right questions.