Driveways and paving
Concrete and asphalt contractors in Edmonton
A driveway lasts when the base under it is right. We dig out and compact for frost before we pour or pave.
Call (587) 327-0144- Site visit to written quote
- 48 hours
- Workmanship warranty
- 1 year
- Dug out and compacted
- Base
- Licensed and insured
- WCB Alberta
Meadow Contracting pours concrete driveways, slabs and walks and handles asphalt paving across Edmonton and nearby towns. A 1-year warranty backs our workmanship, and you get a free written quote within 48 hours of the site visit, so the price is set before we break ground.
Selected projects
Storage facility 
Storage facility 
Detached garage 
Detached garage
What are you pouring or paving?
Concrete driveways
The base gets rebuilt before any concrete goes down.
Garage slabs and aprons
Graded so meltwater drains out of the garage.
Walks and patios
Sloped away from the house so water drains clear.
Asphalt driveways and lots
Paved on a compacted base, graded to shed water.
Concrete repairs
Cracked panels replaced when the base is still sound.
What frost does to a driveway
We rebuild the base first, because a driveway sits above the frost line and the base under it does the work.
Read more
Frost goes deep here. The City of Edmonton's deck design guide says deck foundations typically go at least 1.2 m (4 ft) below grade, and its detached garage guide calls at least 1.5 m to the bottom of the footing prudent for an unheated garage, with soil and groundwater conditions setting the final depth. A driveway or patio sits right at the surface, far above that line, so it has to ride out frost movement instead of sitting below it.
That is why most of our time on a driveway goes into the part you never see. We dig out topsoil and soft clay, place the granular base in layers and compact each one, and make sure water has somewhere to go other than under the slab. Reinforcement and control joints then decide where the concrete cracks. All concrete cracks eventually; good joints keep those cracks in straight lines where they do no harm.
How a driveway gets replaced
Site visit
We check the soil and slope, then quote.
Break-out
We remove the old slab and any soft soil.
Base and forms
We compact the gravel base and set the forms.
Pour and finish
We pour, finish and cut the control joints.
Handover
We tell you when to walk and drive on it.
Concrete or asphalt?
We pour concrete and pave asphalt, so we recommend the one that suits your site, how you use the driveway and the upkeep you want.
| Factor | Concrete | Asphalt |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Rigid light grey slab with a textured broom finish | Flexible black surface that weathers to grey |
| When the base moves | Cracks open and panels lift or settle | Dips, ruts and cracks follow the soft spots |
| Repairs | Damaged panels are cut out and replaced; new concrete rarely matches the old colour | Cracks are sealed, and damaged areas are patched or resurfaced |
| Upkeep | Keep joints and cracks sealed | Seal the surface and fill cracks from time to time |
| What drives the price | Area, break-out, base work, thickness, reinforcement and finish | Area, break-out, base work, thickness and access for the paving equipment |
| Common uses | Driveways, garage slabs and aprons, walks and patios | Driveways and commercial parking lots |
Driveway steps in detail
We look at the old slab, the soil, the slope toward the house and the street, and where the downspouts empty. You get one written fixed price after the visit.
We break up the old concrete and haul it away, then dig down to firm soil and remove anything soft or organic. Next we place and compact the granular base, set the forms to the finished grades and lay out the reinforcement.
We place and finish the concrete, then tool or saw the control joints. We tell you when the driveway is ready for foot traffic and when it can take a vehicle, based on the mix and the weather. The work carries our 1-year workmanship warranty.
When asphalt makes more sense
We recommend asphalt for long driveways and commercial parking lots, because damaged areas can be patched and resurfaced rather than cut out and poured again. The groundwork is the same as for concrete: strip the soft material, build and compact a granular base, and grade the surface so water runs off to a ditch, swale or catch basin instead of pooling.
For broken or sunken asphalt, we find out whether the base underneath has failed before we price anything, because resurfacing over a soft base brings the same failure back.
Concrete holdbacks run 90 days
Under Alberta's Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act, an owner making payments on a contract under which a lien may arise must hold back 10% of the value of the work done and materials furnished, for 60 days after the certificate of substantial performance or, without one, after completion. For contracts mainly for concrete work, the holdback period is 90 days.
Questions to ask concrete contractors in Edmonton
How do I choose a concrete contractor in Edmonton?
Ask how they build the ground under the surface. Meadow's quote sets out how deep we dig, how the base is compacted, where the water drains and where the control joints go, in one written fixed price with a 1-year workmanship warranty. We're licensed and insured in Alberta, with WCB Alberta coverage, and our guide to contractor licensing in Alberta explains what those credentials mean.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Edmonton?
It depends on the area, the old slab and how much soft soil has to come out, so Meadow quotes each driveway after a site visit. You get one fixed price. Base depth, reinforcement and the finish also move the number. You can also spread the cost with financing, on approved credit.
Is it cheaper to pour concrete or asphalt?
It depends on the site, so Meadow quotes both side by side after the site visit and you compare real numbers. Much of the work is the same for either surface: breaking out the old driveway, digging out soft soil and building a compacted base. After that, thickness, finish, edging and the upkeep you are willing to do decide which one is better value for you.
When can you pour concrete in Edmonton?
In the frost-free season, which averages 141 days at the Edmonton City station, between the last spring frost around May 7 and the first fall frost around September 25 (1991 to 2020 normals). Meadow can pour outside that window with protection so the concrete doesn't freeze while it cures, which adds time and cost.
Can a cracked driveway be repaired instead of replaced?
Yes, when the damage is limited to a panel or two. Meadow cuts out a cracked or settled panel and pours it again, and replaces a heaved walk section on its own. Cracks across most of the slab, or sinking in several places, point to a failed base, and patching the surface will not stop that movement. We check the base at the site visit and tell you which fix you need.
Does a driveway or garage slab need a permit?
Yes, for a detached garage larger than 10 square metres (108 sq ft), and the City's minimum permit fees for a detached garage total $269.80 in 2026 (City of Edmonton). For a new, wider or relocated driveway, Meadow checks what your address needs before quoting and handles any permit it requires. Garage builds are on our additions and garages page.
Do you pave commercial parking lots?
Yes. Meadow paves new commercial lots and replace failed ones, including the base and the grades that carry water off the lot. Where a business has to stay open, we phase the work where the site allows, so part of the lot stays usable. Larger site projects are covered on our commercial construction page.
Will a new driveway help with water in my basement?
Yes, when the new surface slopes away from the house and your downspouts discharge well clear of it. Meadow grades the new slab that way and can reroute downspouts (eavestroughs and downspouts). The City of Edmonton says houses need a 10% slope away from the foundation walls and advises carrying downspout water at least 2 metres out (lot grading), and EPCOR offers flood prevention home inspections for Edmonton homes.
Get your driveway quoted
We'll check the base and drainage, then send a free written quote within 48 hours.
Related guides
Plain-language guides to Edmonton permits, contractor licensing, costs and tax credits, each linked to its official sources.
