Concrete cost guide for Sarasota County, September 2026
Installed planning ranges per square foot and per typical project for every concrete service, what's inside the number, and what's charged separately.
- Date
- September 10, 2026
- Basis
- Published Sarasota-area pricing; planning ranges
- Spec assumed
- 4 in., 4,000 PSI, fiber, compacted base
- Not included
- Permit fees, culverts, cage work unless stated
What does concrete cost per square foot in Sarasota in 2026?
Broom-finished flatwork runs roughly $7 to $13 per square foot installed on a compacted base as a planning range on September 10, 2026, with exposed aggregate and integral color at $11 to $17, stamped work at $12 to $20, basic pool deck overlays at $4 to $8 and decorative overlays at $10 to $15. A 600-square-foot two-car driveway lands near $5,500 to $9,500 before demolition.
Planning ranges compiled on September 10, 2026 from published Sarasota-area pricing (Sarasota paver and sealing contractors, regional concrete contractors, and national cost aggregators as cross-checks). Not quotes. Method on the data and methods page.
Concrete cost table
| Service | Typical size | Installed per sq ft | Typical project | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway, broom | 400 to 900 sq ft | $7 to $12 | $5,500 to $9,500 (600 sq ft) | +$2 to $4 demolition; apron/culvert separate |
| Driveway, 6 in. for heavy loads | same | $9 to $14 | $6,500 to $11,000 | #4 bar |
| Patio or lanai slab, broom | 150 to 600 sq ft | $8 to $13 | $2,000 to $3,200 (240 sq ft) | Drain $300 to $700 |
| Exposed aggregate or colored slab | same | $11 to $17 | $2,800 to $4,500 (240 sq ft) | |
| Concrete pool deck, textured, new | 500 to 1,000 sq ft | $9 to $14 | $7,000 to $10,000 (700 sq ft) | Demolition, drains, cage anchors separate |
| Pool deck resurfacing, basic overlay | same | $4 to $8 | $3,000 to $5,500 (700 sq ft) | Slab must pass the tests |
| Pool deck resurfacing, decorative overlay | same | $10 to $15 | $7,000 to $10,500 (700 sq ft) | |
| Stamped concrete | 200 to 800 sq ft | $12 to $20 | $5,000 to $8,000 (400 sq ft) | Reseal every 2 to 3 yrs |
| Sidewalk or walkway | 100 to 300 sq ft | $9 to $14 | $1,500 to $2,300 (160 sq ft) | |
| Slabs and pads | 16 to 200 sq ft | $9 to $15 | $350 to $2,200 | Hot tub 6 in. |
| Crack routing and sealing | per lin ft | $8 to $20 | $300 to $900 typical | |
| Slab lifting (polyurethane) | per area | n/a | $500 to $2,500 | Fix the water first |
| Panel replacement | per panel | n/a | $400 to $900 |
What's inside the number
- Ready-mix at roughly $150 to $190 per cubic yard delivered in the Sarasota market in 2026 (regional pricing), which for a 4-inch slab is about $2 to $2.40 per square foot of concrete alone.
- Base material, compaction and forming.
- Reinforcement: fiber, and #3 or #4 bar on chairs for vehicle slabs.
- Finishing, same-day joint cutting and cure.
- Mobilization, which is why a 40-square-foot pad costs $15 per foot and a 900-square-foot driveway costs $8.
What's outside it
- Demolition and haul-off: $2 to $4 per square foot.
- Right-of-way apron to a city detail, culvert, swale regrading: $500 to $5,000.
- Permit fees and a recorded Notice of Commencement.
- Deck drains, cage re-anchoring, coping.
- Barrier-island logistics: 5 to 15 percent.
Comparing estimates line by line
Use the pricing hub's checklist: square footage, thickness, base depth and material, reinforcement, joints, drainage, demolition, permits, schedule, payment terms, warranty, legal name. A quote missing the base or the permit line isn't cheaper; it's incomplete.
Sources used for this guide
- Sarasota-area concrete contractor cost pages for driveways, overlays and pool deck resurfacing (read September 10, 2026).
- National cost aggregators' Sarasota driveway and stamped-concrete pages as cross-checks.
- Regional ready-mix pricing.
- Full list on the data and methods page.
Questions we get about this
What does a two-car concrete driveway cost in Sarasota County?
About $5,500 to $9,500 for 600 square feet of broom-finished 4-inch concrete on a compacted base as a planning range on September 10, 2026, plus $1,200 to $2,400 for demolition of the old slab and $500 to $2,500 if the apron or a culvert is in scope.
What does a 12x20 lanai slab cost in Venice?
About $2,000 to $3,200 for 240 square feet of 4-inch broom concrete on compacted base, plus $300 to $700 for a floor drain and any cage re-anchoring. Venice's permit and, on the island, engineering review add time rather than much cost.
What does a generator or AC pad cost?
AC pads $350 to $700; standby generator pads $600 to $1,400 including anchor bolts to the template; small pads cost more per foot because mobilization is fixed.
How much more does a 6-inch driveway cost than 4-inch?
About $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot more, or $900 to $1,500 on a 600-square-foot driveway, for the extra concrete and heavier steel.
A site visit or video walkthrough replaces every range on this page with one number.
Worked examples with the arithmetic shown
Ranges are easier to trust when you can see how the number is built. These are planning calculations from the September 10, 2026 ranges, not quotes, and they assume normal access and no surprises under the old slab.
| Project | Size | Calculation | Planning total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-car driveway replacement, Gulf Gate | 24 × 25 = 600 sq ft | 600 × $9 (mid range, 4 in. on 4 in. base) = $5,400, plus demolition 600 × $3 = $1,800 | $7,200 |
| Driveway widening, Palmer Ranch | 4 × 60 = 240 sq ft | 240 × $11 (small area, dowelled to existing) = $2,640, no demolition | $2,640 |
| Pool deck replacement, 1970s ranch | 700 sq ft | 700 × $11 = $7,700, demolition 700 × $3 = $2,100, two drains $1,200, cage anchors $600 | $11,600 |
| Lanai extension, Nokomis | 12 × 20 = 240 sq ft | 240 × $10 = $2,400, floor drain $500 | $2,900 |
| Generator pad | 5 × 8 = 40 sq ft | 40 × $14 (mobilization on a small pad) = $560, anchor template and conduit sleeve $150 | $710 |
| Front walk replacement | 4 × 40 = 160 sq ft | 160 × $11 = $1,760, demolition $400 | $2,160 |
Ready-mix, labor and the floor under every price
Concrete is one of the few trades where a homeowner can sanity-check the floor. Ready-mix in the Sarasota market ran roughly $150 to $190 per cubic yard delivered in 2026. A 4-inch slab uses one cubic yard per 81 square feet, so the concrete alone in a 600-square-foot driveway is about 7.4 yards, or $1,100 to $1,400. Add 20 tons of base at delivered cost, forms, fiber and steel, a crew of three for two to three days, the pump or buggy, demolition, haul-off and disposal fees, insurance, and the margin that keeps a crew available next year.
That arithmetic is why a $4 per square foot driveway quote in this market is not a bargain. It is either 3 inches on raw sand, or it is missing the demolition, or the number will change once the crew is on site. The useful comparison is not the total but the per-square-foot rate with the base depth and the thickness attached to it.
Where concrete beats pavers on cost, and where it does not
| Situation | Cheaper choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Large plain driveway, inland lot, Zone X | Concrete | Lower installed rate per square foot and no joint-sand maintenance |
| Deck that has to match an existing slab | Concrete overlay | Color and texture can run across both; pavers create a height step |
| Lot that floods or has a history of surge | Pavers | A surge-damaged paver field is lifted and reset; a slab is demolished |
| Utility access under the surface | Pavers | Units lift and go back; concrete is cut and patched forever |
| Tight budget, small patio | Concrete | Mobilization dominates either way, and the slab is cheaper per foot |
| Lot at the 50 percent impervious cap | Permeable pavers | The only option that adds surface without adding counted impervious area |
Three quotes, one driveway: a worked comparison
This is a composite built from the ranges on this page, not a real bid set, and it shows how three honest-looking numbers for a 600-square-foot driveway replacement can be describing three different jobs.
| Line | Quote A, $4,200 | Quote B, $7,300 | Quote C, $9,100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition and haul-off | Not mentioned | Included, $1,800 | Included, $1,800 |
| Subgrade | Not mentioned | Graded | Excavated to firm material, proof-rolled |
| Base | Not mentioned | 4 in. limerock | 4 in. limerock in two lifts, geotextile |
| Thickness | Not stated | 4 in. | 4 in. |
| Mix | Not stated | 3,000 PSI | 4,000 PSI with fiber |
| Reinforcement | Wire mesh | Wire mesh | #3 bar on chairs at 24 in. |
| Joints | Not mentioned | Cut next day | Saw-cut same day at 8 ft |
| Apron and permit | Not mentioned | Owner to arrange | Right-of-way permit included |
| Warranty | Verbal | 1 year | Written, with exclusions listed |
Quote A is not cheaper. It is a different, smaller job with the expensive parts left out, and the gap will reappear as a change order or as a driveway that settles in five years. Quote B is a real job at a fair price with two decisions worth questioning: the mix and the joint timing. Quote C is the specification described on this page. The only way to see any of that is to ask for the lines.
Last reviewed September 10, 2026 by the Sarasota Concrete editorial team (author name pending owner input).