What we break out
We remove almost any concrete on a residential lot, flat or not.
- Driveways, including the apron that meets the street
- Patios, shed slabs and the slab left from an old carport
- Walkways along the side of the house
- Pool decks, with or without the pool behind them
- Footings and grade beams left from an old addition or a garden wall
- Concrete steps, planter curbs and old slabs buried under the sod
How the concrete comes out
We cut first and break second. A walk-behind saw cuts a straight line wherever the old concrete meets something that stays, like a garage floor, a sidewalk or the neighbor's driveway, so the edge left behind is clean and square. Then a skid steer or a mini excavator with a hydraulic breaker cracks the slab into pieces the machine can lift. The skid steer loads those pieces straight into the dump truck. Near the house we switch to a smaller hammer and keep it off the foundation.
Wire mesh and rebar
Old driveways and patios often carry wire mesh, and thicker slabs carry rebar. Steel slows the break: once the concrete cracks, the mesh still holds the pieces together, so we cut it free with shears or a torch before loading. The steel goes to scrap and the concrete goes clean to the crusher. Reinforced concrete takes more cutting and disposal work. A slab thicker than 4 in, or one packed with heavy rebar, gets priced when we see it.
Where the concrete goes
Broken concrete goes to a recycling yard to be crushed and used again, and our debris removal service explains that trip in detail.
A base ready for pavers or new concrete
After the last load we scrape up the loose pieces, cut the base flat with the skid steer and leave it rough-graded to the height you ask for. A paver crew or a concrete finisher can start on it the next day without hauling anything else away. Tell us at the visit when the area will turn into lawn, and we leave room for topsoil and sod.
Permits for concrete work
Permit rules for flatwork vary from one city to the next, and we check yours before the breaker starts. Work on the driveway apron or the sidewalk sits in the public right-of-way, and cities often ask for a separate public works permit and a traffic plan for it.
Concrete removal prices
We price concrete by the square foot of surface, measured at the visit.
| Job | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete removal | Driveway, slab, patio or walkway up to 4 in thick broken out, hauled to recycling and the base left level. | $4 per sq ft |
Labor, equipment and haul-off included, in US dollars, October 2026. Concrete and gut jobs are priced per square foot of slab or floor.
A 12 by 20 ft patio is 240 sq ft; a two-car driveway of 18 by 40 ft is 720 sq ft. Measure yours the same way and multiply by the rate in the table. The long driveways on Pinecrest acre lots are measured just like that. A deck that comes out together with a pool is already counted in our pool removal price. House teardowns and the other jobs we do are listed on our demolition rates page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to remove a concrete driveway?
A driveway costs $4 per sq ft of surface, so a single-car driveway of 10 by 40 ft comes to 400 sq ft at that rate. The price covers the saw cut, the break-out, the haul-off and the leveled base for concrete up to 4 in thick.
Can you take out part of a patio and leave the rest?
Yes. We saw-cut the line before breaking, so the part that stays keeps a straight, clean edge. Owners ask for it when they widen a planter bed or open a square for a tree.
Is the breaker safe next to the house or the pool?
We keep the large breaker away from block walls and from the edge of the pool, and switch to a lighter hammer and hand tools close to them. The saw cut separates the slab first, so the vibration stays in the piece that is coming out.
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