HomeGuide puts plain concrete flatwork at roughly $6 to $12 per square foot installed across the country in 2026. We do not post a Pittsburgh price list. Two driveways of the same size can differ a lot here, because one sits on a level lot with truck access and the other drops down a hillside behind a row of parked cars.
The dollar figures on this page are national numbers that HomeGuide published for 2026. They are not quotes from Pittsburgh Concrete Experts. Slope, access, haul-away, local labor and material costs all push a Pittsburgh job up or down from them. Last checked October 2026.
How much does a concrete driveway cost?
The published 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 driveway. Plain work is $6 to $10 per square foot and basic decorative work is $10 to $15. On Pittsburgh lots the things that move the price most are the slope, how the concrete reaches the forms, drainage at the garage and how much old material has to leave.
| Driveway | National installed cost (HomeGuide 2026) |
|---|---|
| 20x20, 400 sq ft | $2,400 to $6,000 |
| 24x24, 576 sq ft | $3,500 to $8,600 |
| Plain finish | $6 to $10 per sq ft |
| Basic decorative | $10 to $15 per sq ft |
How much does concrete cost per square foot?
For a slab, the national figure is $6 to $12 per square foot installed. Thickness changes it: a 4-inch slab is listed at $6 to $8 and a 6-inch slab at $8 to $10. Those numbers assume normal forming, stone base, concrete, finishing and labor. Tear-out, a pump, extra stone on wet clay and hand work on a steep yard are added on top.
How much does a concrete patio cost? What is a fair price for a 20x20 patio?
A plain concrete patio is published at $4 to $12 per square foot, and a stained or stamped one at $8 to $30. For a 20x20 patio that means $1,600 to $4,800 plain, or $3,200 to $12,000 stained or stamped, so a fair quote should land in or near that band unless the site is difficult. A plain 12x12 is $600 to $1,700. For a 12x20 or 16x20, multiply your square footage by the per-foot range. Back yards here are often reached only through a narrow side gap or down steps, and moving concrete by buggy or pump costs more than backing a truck up.
How much does it cost to pour a concrete slab for a 24x24 garage or a 30x40 shop?
HomeGuide lists slabs at $600 to $1,200 for a 10x10, $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 row for 24x24 or 30x40. Our own arithmetic from its $6 to $12 per square foot figure gives $3,460 to $6,900 for a 24x24 slab (576 sq ft) and $7,200 to $14,400 for a 30x40 slab (1,200 sq ft). A slab that carries a building also needs footings below frost depth and a permit, and those are priced from the plans.
How much is a yard of concrete?
Ready-mix is published at $119 to $147 per cubic yard nationally, delivered within 20 miles. That buys the material only. Forms, stone, steel, labor and finishing make up most of an invoice, so the per yard price is a poor guide to what a finished driveway will cost.
How much does it cost to remove and replace an old driveway, with the old concrete hauled away?
Price it as two jobs added together. Breaking out old concrete and having it hauled away is published at $3 to $8 per square foot with disposal, or $1,200 to $4,500 for a whole driveway. The new driveway is then $6 to $15 per square foot. Our quotes show tear-out and haul-away as a separate line so you can see both halves.
How much does stamped concrete cost compared with plain, and what about color or stain?
Stamped concrete is published at $8 to $19 per square foot, against $6 to $10 for a plain driveway. A 20x20 stamped patio is $3,200 to $7,600, a two-car stamped driveway is $6,900 to $10,400, and a 4x20 stamped walk is $800 to $1,700. We found no published upcharge for color or stain on its own, so we give no figure for it. That part is priced once we have seen the slab and you have picked a look.
How much does a concrete walkway cost?
A concrete walkway or sidewalk is published at $7 to $17 per square foot installed. At 4 feet wide that is $28 to $68 per linear foot, and the average job is $1,400 to $3,400. Walks that include steps, which is most front walks in this city, cost more than a flat run. We have no published figure for steps and price them on site.
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost?
The national average for a concrete retaining wall is $3,000 to $10,000, or $45 to $270 per linear foot, or $15 to $45 per square foot of wall face. Pittsburgh walls are often tall and hold up a yard, a driveway or a neighbor's slope. Height, drainage, engineering and access for excavation decide where a wall falls, and a tall hillside wall can sit well outside a national average.
How much does a parking pad or sidewalk cost for a small business?
No published figure was found for commercial parking pads or lots, so we do not quote one here. For a small business the price depends on vehicle loads, drainage, the accessible route and whether any of the work is in the public right-of-way. A plain sidewalk can start from the walkway range above. We visit, measure and write it up.
I got three quotes for the same patio and they are far apart. Which one should I trust?
Trust the one that tells you what is under the concrete. When quotes are far apart, the difference usually hides in excavation depth, the thickness of compacted stone, slab thickness, reinforcement, whether the mix is air-entrained for our winters, and who pays to haul the spoil up the hill. Line the quotes up item by item. A low number that skips the base is the expensive one after two or three freeze-thaw seasons.
The contractor wants extra for a gravel base after demolition. Is that normal?
It can be legitimate, but the terms should have been agreed before the old slab came out. Under old Pittsburgh concrete it is common to find wet clay, cinders, brick rubble or nothing at all. Fixing that takes more stone and more digging. A careful quote names an allowance or a unit price for added base. If someone asks for extra for the stone base without that, ask to see the exposed ground and get the change in writing first.
How do I know if a concrete quote is fair?
A concrete quote is fair when the price sits near the published range for the work and the paper lists what is included. Check for square footage, thickness, base depth, reinforcement, air-entrained mix, joint layout, finish, drainage, tear-out, haul-away, permits and cleanup. Under Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act a home improvement contract over $500 must be in writing, so a one-line number on a business card does not meet the standard.
For a real number, we need to see the site. Call (412) 725-2024 or text a few photos, and we will set up a free on-site estimate with a written quote.