Driveway apron replacement
The standard job — tear out the cracked, sunken, or trip-hazard apron and pour a fresh one. Edge-matched to the existing drive and the city curb, sloped to drain away from the house and toward the gutter.
Service · Driveway Aprons
Driveway apron replacement in Philadelphia.
What we offer
Driveway apron work across Philadelphia.
The driveway apron is the section of slab between your private drive and the public street — and it’s where most concrete contractor work goes wrong. Wrong slope, wrong elevation, mismatched curb line, gaps you can roll a quarter through. We pour them flush, tied into your drive on the inside and the city curb on the outside, so the transition reads as one continuous pad.
Apron + driveway combo
When the drive is failing too, the apron and drive get poured together — one continuous slab at the seam, no patched-in edge later. The right move if you’re already doing a residential concrete driveway.
Curb cut & new aprons
New driveway where there wasn’t one before? The apron pour is part of the curb-cut work — cutting the existing curb to grade and pouring the apron flush so vehicles can clear the lip without scraping.
Settled / sunken apron repair
Aprons that have settled, sunk below the curb, or pulled away from the drive can sometimes be repaired without full tear-out. We assess on site — if it’s reachable with mudjacking or partial replacement, we’ll quote that instead.
Reinforcement & thickness
Aprons take heavy vehicle loads at low angles — trash truck, USPS, school bus, your own daily wear. We pour 6" thick with rebar or wire mesh on residential apron jobs so the slab handles the abuse without cracking.
Right-of-way coordination
The apron sits in the city right-of-way, which sometimes means a permit, an inspection, or both. We assess case by case and tell you straight at the estimate — we’ll handle the paperwork if it’s needed.
Apron details
The four things that matter on an apron.
An apron looks like a small slab. It isn’t. Get any of these four wrong and the work fails: water pools at the curb, the slab cracks at the seam, vehicles scrape the lip, or the city flags it. Get them right and it lasts the next 30 years.
Slope & drainage
The apron has to shed water off the drive and toward the gutter line — never back toward the house, never pooling at the curb. Pitch is set in the formwork before the pour, not corrected after.
Curb-line elevation
The apron meets the city curb at exactly the right height. Too high and trash trucks scrape it. Too low and the curb forms a lip vehicles bottom out on. We level off the existing curb before pouring.
Expansion joint at the drive
A clean expansion joint at the seam between apron and drive lets each slab move independently. Skip it and the seam cracks the first hard freeze. We tool it into the wet pour, not patched in later.
Broom finish for traction
Aprons get broom-finished by default. The textured surface gives tire traction through Philly winters — smooth-trowel finishes on apron slabs are an ice rink waiting to happen.
Why Marcello
Apron work that doesn’t crack at the seam.
Apron-specific concrete contractor experience.
Most concrete contractors treat the apron as an afterthought to the drive. We don’t. Apron replacement is its own line of work in our shop — we pour them every week across Philadelphia.
Right-of-way navigation handled.
The apron sits in city right-of-way. Permits, inspections, curb-cut paperwork — we’ve handled them all. We assess case by case at the estimate and walk you through what’s required.
Tied into the drive without a seam.
The transition from apron to driveway has to read as one continuous slab — clean expansion joint, matched elevation, edges flush. Our apron pours don’t look "patched in."
The owner pours your apron.
Marcello and his father are on most jobs themselves. No project-manager handoff. The hands that quote the work are the hands that pour the apron.
Recent aprons
Recent apron pours across the city.
Featured · Driveway + apron
Apron tied flush to the sidewalk · Philadelphia
Apron tear-out
At the curb · Philadelphia
Forms set
Tied to the public walk · Philadelphia
Fresh apron pour
Driveway apron replacement · Philadelphia
What to expect
What happens when you hire us.
You call. We pick up.
No call center. No answering service. Most days it’s Marcello himself on the line. We’ll talk through the project and schedule a free walk-through.
We come out. Free walk-through.
We measure, talk through what you’re looking for, and walk the existing condition with you. You’ll get a written quote with a clear scope — no pushy sales.
Schedule confirmed. Materials lined up.
We confirm the start window with you, line up materials and equipment, and walk you through what to move (cars, hose reels, anything along the work line) before the crew arrives.
Tear-out, pour, finish, clean up.
Demo the old apron, level the curb line, set forms, pour, broom-finish, and clean every speck off your sidewalk and street before we leave. Most apron-only jobs wrap in a single day; apron + drive combos run 2–3 days on site.
FAQ
Driveway apron questions, answered.
What exactly is a driveway apron?
The apron is the section of concrete between your private driveway and the public street. On most Philadelphia row homes it’s the slab in front of the curb line, sometimes just a few feet deep. It carries every vehicle that enters or exits, including trash trucks and delivery vehicles, so it takes more abuse than the rest of the drive.
How long does an apron replacement take?
Most apron-only replacements are a single day on site: tear-out and base prep in the morning, pour and finish by afternoon. The fresh slab needs roughly 24–48 hours of foot-traffic cure and 5–7 days before vehicles roll over it.
If we’re pouring the apron and the driveway as one combo, it’s usually 2–3 days.
Do I need a permit for a driveway apron in Philadelphia?
Sometimes — the apron sits in the city right-of-way, so depending on the scope (replacement vs. new curb cut, full vs. partial) the work can require a permit and an inspection. We assess case by case at the estimate.
If yours needs one, we can handle the paperwork or walk you through it if you’d prefer to file it yourself. Either way, you’ll know up front what’s required.
Can you replace just the apron, or does the driveway have to go too?
Just the apron, in most cases. The apron and the driveway are separate slabs joined at an expansion joint, and one can fail while the other holds up fine. We pour the new apron flush against the existing drive and tool a fresh expansion joint at the seam.
If the drive is also failing, we’ll quote both as a combo so the seam between them is one continuous pour rather than a patched edge.
Why does my apron crack right at the curb line?
Three usual reasons: the original pour was too thin (under 6″), there was no rebar or wire mesh under the slab, or the apron got vehicle traffic before it cured. Aprons take heavy axle loads at the curb-line lip — thin or unreinforced concrete cracks there first.
We pour aprons at 6″ with rebar or mesh as a residential standard. It’s why ours don’t crack at the curb.
How much does a driveway apron cost in Philadelphia?
Cost depends on apron size, whether the curb line needs work, access to the site, and whether a permit is required. We don’t publish square-foot prices — they’d be misleading.
The free on-site estimate gets you a written quote with a single number and a clear scope. No hidden line items.
Other services
Other concrete work we’re good at.
Closely related
Concrete Driveways
New installs, full replacements, and parking pads. Often poured together with the apron in one combo job.
View Service
Block by block
Concrete Sidewalks
Public-sidewalk repair, walkways, panel-by-panel replacement — often poured the same week as the apron.
View Service
Repair, not replace
Concrete Patching & Repairs
Cracks, spalling, settled corners. Honest repair-vs-replace assessment for residential concrete repair work.
View Service
Front, side, basement
Concrete Steps
Bull-nose or flat-face. 3 to 14 risers. Railing prep included.
View ServiceAprons by location
Philadelphia & the surrounding counties.
Mayfair · Bustleton · Holmesburg · South Philly · Bucks · Montgomery · Delaware
From our neighbors
Real Philadelphia aprons. Real customers.
★★★★★
Verified
“I contracted with Marcello Family Concrete to replace my driveway, sidewalk, and steps from the driveway to the front door. The Marcello crew was AMAZING. They showed up on time, worked efficiently, and cleaned up as they went along. They’re true craftsmen who take tremendous pride in their work.”
★★★★★
Verified
“I had Marcello family Concrete come and do three of my pads out front. I could not be happier with the quality of work and the expertise of his workers. They were on time, did a great job, cleaned up everything when they were done. I would recommend this company to anybody.”
Get a free estimate
Ready for a new apron?
Free walk-through. Written quote with a clear scope. No call center, no sales script — Marcello will pick up the phone himself.
Marcello Family Cement Work
Est. 1997
BBB A+ Accredited
Licensed & Insured