Who widens driveways in Centreville and Chantilly, VA?
JP Companies, Inc. (Virginia Class A #2705118509), a concrete contractor family-owned since 2007 with its shop in Centreville, widens and extends driveways in Centreville, Chantilly, South Riding and the rest of Northern Virginia. The added concrete is built like our new driveways: 4” of 4,000 PSI concrete with 6” x 6” welded wire mesh over 2–4” of compacted 21A or 57 stone.
Concrete Driveway Extensions
A driveway extension adds concrete where the driveway runs out of room: alongside it for a second car, at the top for a turnaround, or beside the garage for a parking pad. The photo shows one of ours, a driveway that widens into a parking area beside a one-car garage.
Families add a driver, buy a bigger truck, or get tired of moving one car to let the other out. A wider driveway gives the second car a place of its own.
Ways to Widen a Driveway
These are the options; the driveway’s shape, its condition and the room the lot has decide which one suits it:
A strip along one side
New concrete along the length of the driveway, wide enough for a second car or simply for getting in and out without stepping on the grass.
A parking pad
A separate slab beside the driveway or the garage for a second car, a trailer or a boat. Several of the parking pads in our gallery sit beside garages and barns.
More room at the garage
A wider area in front of the garage doors, for backing out and turning on a narrow or curved driveway.
A whole new driveway at the new width
When the old driveway is worn out anyway, it can be replaced at the new width, so the whole surface ends up new.
The Concrete in a Wider Driveway
New concrete for a wider driveway is our driveway concrete: 4” of 4,000 PSI concrete with 6” x 6” welded wire mesh over 2–4” of compacted 21A or 57 stone, with a slip-resistant broom finish. How the new area is joined to the old slab is planned with you at the estimate.
Before any digging, Miss Utility (811) marks the utilities and the outline of the new area is spray-painted on the ground with you, so you can see its size before work starts. People can walk on new concrete after 24 hours; give it 7–10 days before you park on it.
Matching the Old Concrete
New concrete starts out lighter than concrete that has weathered for years, so a new strip beside an old driveway shows at first. The difference softens with time, but two pours of different ages rarely look identical side by side.
Two options are worth talking through at the estimate: a border or band of brick or pavers between old and new, like the brick bands and paver borders on driveways in our gallery, or, if the old driveway is near the end of its life, replacing it along with the widening so the whole surface is one new pour.
What Sets the Size
The lot sets the limits: the lawn and the beds you want to keep, trees and their roots, downspouts and drainage, and how the ground slopes. Your county and your homeowners association can set limits too.
Permits, Zoning and HOA Approval
A wider driveway is a change to the lot, and the county, the town or the association may want to see it first. Outside the Town of Haymarket, Prince William County wants zoning approval for every driveway expansion and every second driveway and limits how much of a small lot’s front yard a driveway may cover, while Fairfax County caps front-yard paving by zoning district. The figures are on our Prince William County and Fairfax County pages. In Loudoun County, Building and Development issues building and grading permits, and the county reminds owners that their homeowners association may have its own requirements.
Associations differ. South Riding Proprietary requires approval for new driveways and changes to existing ones. In Stone Ridge, the association’s Community Code #1 has a widening rule of its own, and it treats attached housing differently. Get your association’s written approval before the work is scheduled.
More Driveway Work
More on the driveway itself: concrete driveways. Switching from asphalt at the same time: asphalt to concrete driveways. In a townhouse community: townhouse and shared driveways. For a surface other than broom finish on the new concrete: stamped concrete, exposed aggregate concrete or colored concrete.
Where We Widen Driveways
We widen and extend driveways in these towns.
- Centreville
- Chantilly
- South Riding
- Stone Ridge
- Aldie
- Clifton
- Gainesville
- Haymarket
- Fairfax
- Reston
- Ashburn
- Manassas
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make my driveway wider?
Often, if the lot has the room and your county and association allow it. A driveway can be widened with new concrete alongside it, with a parking pad, or by replacing it at the new width; the lot decides which suits yours.
How much does it cost to widen a driveway?
The new area sets most of it; what has to come out to make room, how much the ground needs and whether the old driveway is replaced at the same time set the rest. The estimate is free.
Will the new concrete match the old?
Not exactly at first: new concrete is lighter than concrete that has weathered for years. A brick or paver border between the two, or replacing the old driveway with the widening, are options to talk through at the estimate.
Does my HOA need to approve a wider driveway?
Usually, yes. South Riding Proprietary, for one, requires approval for changes to existing driveways, and the Stone Ridge Association needs an application for most driveway changes. Check your association’s rules and get its written approval first.
Do I need a permit to widen my driveway?
It depends on where you live: outside the Town of Haymarket, Prince William County wants zoning approval for every driveway expansion, and Fairfax County caps front-yard paving. Ask your county before the work, and your homeowners association too.
Out of Room in the Driveway?
Tell us how many cars you need to fit, and we will come out, measure and paint the new outline on the ground with you.