Frequently Asked Questions
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General Questions
Ron Hodges Inc. is based in Winter Springs, FL, and we handle concrete and paver projects throughout Florida. That includes Winter Springs, Oviedo, and Longwood, along with the neighborhoods in between. We're familiar with the soil, drainage patterns, and permitting process in this part of Central Florida, which matters more than people realize a driveway or patio built without accounting for our sandy soil and heavy summer rain won't hold up the same way over time.
We handle the full range of concrete and paver work for homes and businesses: concrete driveways, concrete patios, concrete walkways, paver installation, paver cleaning, and sand & seal service. Whether you're pouring a brand-new driveway from scratch, adding a patio for outdoor living, or refreshing pavers that have lost their color and started collecting weeds between the joints, we can take care of it from start to finish. We also handle the site prep, grading, and cleanup that go along with each of these projects, so you're not left coordinating multiple contractors.
Yes. On the residential side, we handle driveways, patios, walkways, and paver maintenance for homeowners across Winter Springs, Oviedo, and Longwood. On the commercial side, we take on concrete work for businesses that need durable, professional-looking surfaces that can handle regular foot and vehicle traffic parking areas, walkways, and entryways, for example. The planning process is similar either way; we just scale the crew size, equipment, and timeline to match the size and complexity of the job.
The easiest way is to call us at (407) 947-8843 or email ronhodgesinc@yahoo.com with a few details about your project, the type of work you need, a rough size of the area, and your address. From there, we'll typically want to come take a look in person before giving you a firm number, since things like ground conditions, drainage, access for equipment, and any old material that needs to be removed can all affect the final price. We'll walk the site with you, answer your questions, and follow up with a clear, written estimate so you know exactly what's included before any work begins.
Yes, we're a licensed and insured concrete and paver contractor serving Winter Springs, FL. We're happy to provide documentation if you'd like to see it before work begins. It's a fair thing to ask any contractor before they start digging up your yard or pouring concrete on your property. Working with a licensed, insured crew also protects you if anything unexpected happens on site during the project.
It depends on the season and the size of the job, but we'd recommend reaching out a few weeks ahead of when you'd like work to start, especially in spring and early summer when outdoor projects tend to pick up across Central Florida. Smaller jobs like sand and seal service can often be scheduled with less lead time than a full driveway or patio installation, which involves more prep work and coordination.
Concrete Driveways, Patios & Walkways
Pricing depends on several factors: the size of the driveway, the finish you choose, and site conditions like grading, drainage, and whether an old driveway needs to be removed first. Plain, broom-finished concrete generally costs less per square foot than decorative finishes like stamped, stained, or exposed aggregate concrete, since those involve extra labor and materials. On top of the finish, things like slab thickness, reinforcement, and the amount of prep work your site needs will all factor into the final number. We'll walk you through the options during your estimate and give you a clear, written price so there are no surprises once work begins.
Concrete goes through two stages: setting and curing. It's typically firm enough to walk on within a day or two after the pour, but it needs about a week before it's ready for light vehicle traffic, and closer to a full month to reach its maximum strength. Florida's heat and humidity can actually help concrete cure a bit faster on the surface, but we still recommend being patient and following our specific guidance for your project, since rushing traffic onto a new slab too early is one of the most common causes of early cracking.
Both are options, and which one makes sense depends on how extensive the damage is. Small surface cracks, minor chipping, or a single damaged section can often be patched or repaired without touching the rest of the driveway. But if the slab has settled unevenly, has cracks running through multiple sections, or shows signs of the base underneath failing, patching is usually just a temporary fix; a full replacement tends to be the better long-term investment at that point. When we come out with an estimate, we'll take a close look and give you an honest read on which route makes the most sense for your budget and how long you plan to stay in the home.
A concrete patio is poured as one continuous slab, which gives you a clean, seamless look, fewer joints for weeds or ants to get into, and generally costs less upfront than pavers of a similar size. A paver patio is built from individual interlocking pieces set on a compacted base, which gives you a lot more flexibility with colors, patterns, and textures, and makes future repairs easier if one paver cracks or stains, we can often pull just that piece and replace it instead of redoing the whole surface. Neither option is objectively "better"; it really comes down to your budget, the look you're going for, and how you plan to use the space. We're happy to walk you through both during your consultation.
In most cases, yes permit requirements depend on your specific city or county, the size of the project, and whether it affects drainage or setbacks on your property. Winter Springs, Oviedo, and Longwood each have their own permitting rules, which is part of why local experience matters. We handle the permitting process for our jobs, including submitting the paperwork and coordinating any required inspections, so you don't have to navigate that on your own or risk work getting flagged down the line.
For a typical residential driveway or patio, the actual pouring and finishing can often be done within a few days once the site is prepped. But the full timeline includes several stages: removing any old material, grading and compacting the base, forming and pouring the concrete, and then letting it cure before it's ready for regular use. All told, a straightforward residential project might run one to two weeks from start to finish, while larger or more complex commercial projects take longer. We'll give you a realistic, project-specific schedule before work starts so you know what to expect.
Some hairline cracking is normal for concrete over the years it's a natural part of how the material cures and responds to temperature changes, and it doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong. What we focus on to minimize cracking is proper base preparation, correctly placed control joints (which give the concrete planned spots to crack that aren't visible in everyday use), the right slab thickness, and quality materials. A driveway or patio installed with those fundamentals in place should hold up well for decades with only routine maintenance.
Pavers
Most residential paver patios or walkways can be completed in a few days to about a week, depending on the size of the area, the paver pattern chosen, and how much base preparation the site requires. Driveways and larger commercial spaces take more time, since a solid, properly compacted base is what actually keeps pavers from shifting, sinking, or developing uneven spots down the road. We don't rush that step. We'll give you a specific timeline for your project once we've seen the site.
With proper installation and routine maintenance, pavers can easily last several decades — concrete pavers typically hold up well for 25 years or more, and their lifespan stretches even further when they're periodically cleaned and resealed. Because pavers are individual interlocking pieces rather than one continuous slab, they also tend to handle ground movement and minor shifting better than poured concrete, which is part of why they're such a popular choice for driveways and patios here in Central Florida.
Sometimes, yes it depends on the condition of the existing slab, its height relative to doorways and drainage points, and whether it's stable enough to build on. In many cases, though, it's actually better to remove the old surface entirely and build a fresh, properly compacted base underneath, since pavers rely heavily on what's beneath them to stay level and perform well over time. We'll assess your specific site and give you an honest recommendation rather than defaulting to whichever option is faster.
We work with a range of paver styles, colors, and laying patterns to match your home's look and how you plan to use the space from classic running bond patterns for driveways to more decorative herringbone or basket-weave layouts for patios and walkways. We'll go over material and color options with you during your consultation, including samples where helpful, so you can see how different choices will actually look on your property before we start.
It can happen over time, especially if the joint sand has washed out or worn down, which creates small gaps for weeds to take root and ants to nest in. This is one of the main reasons we recommend periodic sand and seal service refreshing the joint sand and resealing the surface closes those gaps back up and makes it much harder for weeds and ants to get established in the first place.
Paver Cleaning & Sand and Seal
Sun exposure, dirt, mildew, algae, and everyday foot or vehicle traffic all gradually wear down the surface of pavers, which is why even a well-installed paver driveway or patio can start looking dull, blotchy, or discolored after a few years especially in Florida's intense sun and humidity. That fading isn't just cosmetic; it usually means the original protective sealer has worn away, leaving the paver surface more exposed to staining and moisture. Regular cleaning and resealing brings back the original color and rebuilds that protective layer.
Most paver surfaces benefit from a fresh sand and seal every 2 to 4 years, though the right interval depends on how much sun and foot or vehicle traffic the area gets, and how exposed it is to Central Florida's rainy season. A high-traffic driveway or a pool deck that sees constant sun and splashing will generally need service more often than a shaded walkway that doesn't get much use. We can take a look at your pavers and give you a maintenance schedule tailored to your specific property.
It's a two-part maintenance process. First, we thoroughly clean the pavers to strip away dirt, algae, and old worn sealer, and then refill the joints between the individual pavers with fresh polymeric sand. That sand locks the pavers together, helps keep them from shifting, and closes off the small gaps where weeds and ants tend to get in. Once the joints are refilled, we apply a protective sealer over the entire surface, which restores the color and finish, blocks moisture and stains from penetrating the pavers, and makes future cleaning noticeably easier.
Sealers generally come in a few finish options a glossy "wet look" that deepens the color and gives the surface a shine, and a more natural, matte finish that protects the pavers without changing their appearance much. Some sealers also add a bit of texture or slip resistance, which can matter for pool decks and walkways. We'll talk through which finish fits the look you want and how the area is used before we apply anything.
Sand and seal is a maintenance and protection service, not a structural repair. If individual pavers have sunk, shifted, cracked, or come loose, those specific pieces typically need to be lifted, and the base underneath corrected or the paver replaced, before any sealing happens. When we come out to evaluate your pavers, we'll flag anything like this up front and let you know if repair work is needed as part of the job, so the sealer isn't just covering up a problem that will resurface later.
We'll give you a specific timeframe based on the exact sealer used and the weather conditions on the day of service, but as a general rule, it's best to stay off the surface for several hours to give the sealer time to properly cure. Driving on a freshly sealed paver driveway usually requires waiting longer than simply walking across a patio or walkway, since vehicle weight puts more stress on a surface that hasn't fully healed yet. We'll spell this out clearly before we finish the job so you're not caught off guard.
It's a fairly contained process. We section off and work through the area methodically, and most residential paver cleaning and sealing jobs a driveway, patio, or walkway can be completed in a single day, sometimes two for larger areas. We'll let you know ahead of time what to expect in terms of noise, access, and any vehicles or furniture that should be moved out of the work area beforehand.
Maintenance & Warranty
A few habits go a long way: regular sweeping to keep grit and debris from grinding into the surface, cleaning up oil, rust, or organic stains promptly before they set in, and keeping up with resealing on the schedule we recommend for your specific material and location. For concrete, that also means being mindful of harsh pressure washing settings that can etch or damage the surface over time. We're happy to give you a written care sheet with specific recommendations once your project is finished.
It does, more than people expect. Heavy summer rain can wash out paver joint sand faster than in drier climates, and constant sun exposure accelerates fading and sealer breakdown on both concrete and pavers. That's part of why we generally recommend sand and seal service closer to the 2-to-3-year mark for most Central Florida properties rather than stretching it out to 4 or 5 years like homeowners in drier regions sometimes can. We build our maintenance recommendations around our local climate, not a generic national average.
Yes, we stand behind the concrete and paver work we do. We'll go over exactly what's covered for your particular project installation quality, workmanship, and any material-specific terms — when we provide your estimate, so you know precisely what to expect before we get started.