A concrete driveway warranty should run for a stated number of years and define failure in measurable terms: how long water can puddle, how far the driveway can settle, and how wide a crack can get. Marshall Construction's concrete driveways carry a 1-, 3- or 5-year warranty depending on the package, with written coverage terms and exclusions. The Newark-based company works as a concrete driveway contractor in Delaware.
The warranty rises with the same specifications that set the price tier: thickness, strength, reinforcement and base, the main items in what affects the cost of a concrete driveway. Besides driveways, residential concrete, one of the six services Marshall Construction offers, covers concrete patios, walkways and steps.
The warranty sets three limits. If the concrete goes past any of them during the warranty period, Marshall Construction replaces it:
The warranty length is set by the driveway package. Marshall Construction also pours garage slabs and concrete pads, and a driveway can be one part of combining several concrete projects with one contractor.
Two exclusions are worth noting: displacement or chipping where new concrete meets an existing surface is not covered, and neither are decorative or finely finished surfaces or concrete coloration. Marshall Construction publishes the full list on its residential concrete services and driveway packages page.
Marshall Construction's longer warranties come with thicker, stronger concrete, wire reinforcement and a deeper base, and the company explains what each one does. It says a compacted stone base graded for drainage keeps a driveway from sinking, cracking or holding water, and that without reinforcement, freeze-thaw cycles, heavy vehicles and settling soil eventually win. On thickness and strength, the company says a 4-inch, 3,500 PSI driveway "might hold up for 10-15 years," and puts the difference its packages make at 30-50 years of durability. The same three factors are the causes the company gives for driveways that crack, sink or hold water, and its options for a cracked or sinking driveway come down to removal and replacement. The deeper base and wire reinforcement go in on the work day, ahead of the pour, as the step-by-step account of how long driveway replacement takes shows.
Marshall Construction recommends its Deluxe package, which pairs 5-inch concrete and 8-gauge wire with a 3-year warranty. Heavy Duty, at 6 inches and 4,500 PSI on a 6-inch base, carries 5 years. Kyle Marshall explains thickness, reinforcement and base at the estimate, and his stated standard is that if he would not do something on his own house, he will not do it on a customer's. The company's stated aim is that a driveway it pours never has to be done again. Warranty length by package is one of the items in what a concrete driveway estimate should include.
When comparing quotes, homeowners can check how many years each warranty runs, whether it names specific limits for puddling, settling and cracking, what it excludes, and whether it is part of a written contract. The same checks appear among the questions in how to choose a concrete driveway contractor. Marshall Construction's warranty terms are published on its residential concrete page, and, as part of how the company runs a project, a contract spells out the terms of each job.
Homeowners can request a free estimate to compare the packages for their own driveway, online or by calling (302) 218-2469.
