Plain concrete flatwork costs roughly $6 to $12 per square foot installed across the country in 2026. We do not post a Gonzales price sheet. Two driveways of the same size can differ a lot once you count the clay to dig out, the fill to bring in, a culvert at the road and the old slab to haul off.
The prices on this page are national figures that HomeGuide published for 2026. They are not quotes from The Gonzales Concrete Company. What you pay in Ascension Parish depends on local labor and material costs, how easy the site is to reach, and how much base work the clay needs. Last checked October 2026.
How much does a concrete driveway cost?
The national range for a concrete driveway is $6 to $15 per square foot, which comes to $2,400 to $8,600 for a two-car drive. A plain finish is $6 to $10 a foot and simple decorative work is $10 to $15. Around Gonzales, check that a quote covers base preparation and rebar, since both matter on clay that swells and shrinks.
| Driveway | National installed cost |
|---|---|
| Plain finish, per sq ft | $6 to $10 |
| Basic decorative, per sq ft | $10 to $15 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $2,400 to $6,000 |
| 24x24 (576 sq ft) | $3,500 to $8,600 |
How much does concrete cost per square foot?
Installed slab concrete runs $6 to $12 per square foot nationally. Thickness moves it: about $6 to $8 for a 4-inch slab and $8 to $10 for a 6-inch one. Those figures include forms, base, concrete, finishing and labor. Demolition, extra fill and a pump truck are separate lines when a job calls for them.
How much does a concrete patio cost? Is my price for a 20x20 patio fair?
A plain patio is $4 to $12 per square foot by national figures, and a stained or stamped one is $8 to $30. So a plain 20x20 patio falls between $1,600 and $4,800, and a stained or stamped 20x20 between $3,200 and $12,000. A plain 12x12 is $600 to $1,700. For a 12x20 or 16x20, multiply the square feet by the per-foot range. A quote inside those bands that also lists base, steel and joints is a fair one.
How much does it cost to pour a slab for a 24x24 garage or a 30x40 shop?
HomeGuide publishes $600 to $1,200 for a 10x10 slab, $860 to $1,700 for a 12x12, $2,400 to $4,800 for a 20x20 and $5,400 to $10,800 for a 30x30. It has no line for 24x24 or 30x40. Multiplying its $6 to $12 per square foot gives $3,460 to $6,900 for 576 square feet and $7,200 to $14,400 for 1,200 square feet. That is our arithmetic, not a published row. A shop slab in Ascension Parish usually also needs a raised, compacted pad and thickened edges, which add to the plain slab figure.
How much is a yard of concrete?
Ready-mix sells for $119 to $147 per cubic yard nationally, delivered within 20 miles. That buys the material only. Forming, base, steel, placing and finishing make up most of an invoice, so the per yard price is a poor guide to what a finished slab costs.
What does it cost to remove and replace an old driveway?
You pay for two jobs. Taking out the old slab is $3 to $8 per square foot nationally with disposal, or $1,200 to $4,500 for a whole driveway. The new drive is then $6 to $15 per square foot. When we quote a replacement, the old concrete being broken out and hauled away is a line of its own, so you can see each part.
How much more does stamped concrete cost than plain? What about color or stain?
Stamped concrete costs $8 to $19 per square foot nationally, compared with $6 to $10 for a plain driveway. Published examples are $3,200 to $7,600 for a 20x20 stamped patio, $6,900 to $10,400 for a two-car stamped driveway and $800 to $1,700 for a 4x20 stamped walk. There is no published upcharge for color or stain on its own, so we do not give one. We price color after you choose it and we have seen the slab.
How much does a concrete walkway cost?
National figures put a concrete walk at $7 to $17 per square foot installed. A 4-foot walk is therefore $28 to $68 per running foot, and a typical project comes to $1,400 to $3,400.
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost?
Nationally a concrete retaining wall cost averages $3,000 to $10,000. Broken down, that is $45 to $270 per linear foot, or $15 to $45 per square foot of wall face. Land here is flat and walls are short, so the footing, the drain behind the wall and any engineering tend to decide the local price more than height does.
What does a parking pad or sidewalk cost for a small business?
No national figure was published for commercial parking pads or lots, so we will not make one up. For a small business we visit first. The weight of delivery vehicles, drainage, the accessible route from parking to the door and any driveway onto a state highway all change the design. For a plain sidewalk, the walkway range above is a reasonable starting point.
I got three quotes for the same patio and they are far apart. Which do I believe?
Believe the one that tells you what is under the concrete. When quotes are far apart, the surface is usually the same in all of them. The gap is in how deep the clay is dug, what fill is used and how it is compacted, slab thickness, rebar or nothing, joint spacing, and whether haul-away is included. Ask each contractor to fill in those items and compare again.
After demolition the contractor wants extra for a gravel base. Is that fair?
Sometimes, and the test is whether your contract saw it coming. No one knows what lies under an old slab until it is lifted. Around here crews find wet clay, old tree stumps, a rotted culvert or a washed-out hollow. A proper quote names a unit price for extra base before work starts. If someone asks for extra for the base with nothing in writing, go and look at the hole, ask for the quantity and price on paper, and then decide.
How do I know if a concrete quote is fair?
A quote is fair when the price lands inside the published range for that kind of work and the paper shows what you get. It should state square feet, thickness, base depth and compaction, steel, joints, finish, demolition, haul-away, any permit or culvert work, cleanup and payment terms. A cheap figure on one line cannot be judged at all.
Want a real number for your property? We measure on site and write the quote down, free. Call (225) 529-0954 or text a photo of the concrete.