Why so many St. Thomas driveways need widening
A large share of St. Thomas's housing stock predates the two-car household, which means single-width driveways poured 8, 9 or even 10 feet wide. Widening these is one of the most common driveway calls we get in the city.
The single-width driveway problem
Neighbourhoods like Lynhurst, Yorkview and the older blocks near Talbot Street and Elgin Street were built when most households had one vehicle. A single-width driveway, often only wide enough for one car with no room to open a door on the passenger side, is common on these lots. As households now run two vehicles plus visitors, we get regular calls to widen an existing driveway to a full double width, or to widen just enough for comfortable door clearance on both sides.
Widening isn't simply pouring more concrete beside the old slab. The existing driveway is typically decades old, has settled at its own rate, and may sit on a shallower base than current practice calls for. We usually remove the old concrete entirely and pour the full new width as one continuous slab with a consistent base depth and slope, rather than patching a new strip alongside old concrete that will crack and settle differently. See concrete removal services for how we handle the demolition and disposal.
Elgin County soil and older grading
St. Thomas sits on clay loam similar to London's, with a comparable frost line. What's different on older St. Thomas lots is the original grading: many were built before modern municipal stormwater standards, so the lot may slope toward the house rather than away from it, or the driveway may sit lower than the sidewalk. When we widen or replace a driveway here, we re-grade the full width to shed water properly, which sometimes means adjusting the slab height at the garage or sidewalk edge more than a simple like-for-like replacement would.
Sidewalk and boulevard crossings
Many St. Thomas properties have a municipal sidewalk running across the driveway apron, and the City has specific requirements for the apron's thickness and reinforcement since it carries pedestrian and vehicle loads plus winter plow pressure. We build the apron section to those specifications regardless of what the rest of the driveway needs, so it holds up under the additional load and doesn't crack ahead of the rest of the slab.
Working around mature trees and narrow lots
St. Thomas's older streets often have mature street trees and narrower side-yard setbacks than newer developments, which limits how far a driveway can be widened without root damage or bylaw issues. Where full double-width isn't possible, we look at a modest widening plus a turnaround apron near the garage, which gives comfortable door clearance without removing a tree or crowding the property line.
Finish and cost for St. Thomas jobs
Most St. Thomas widening and replacement jobs use a standard broom finish, which fits the character of these older streetscapes and keeps cost in the typical $10-$16 per square foot range. For homeowners restoring an older character home, a stamped border or contrasting apron (see concrete finishes) can dress up the entrance without looking out of place next to original brick or clapboard siding.
How long a widening project takes
A full driveway removal and re-pour in St. Thomas typically runs the standard 2-3 days: demolition and disposal, forming and reinforcement, then the pour and finish, followed by a 7-day cure. If we're only adding a new section beside existing concrete that's in good condition, timelines can be shorter, though we'll tell you upfront if that approach is likely to crack unevenly down the road.
What to check before you book a widening quote
Before your on-site estimate, it helps to know roughly how much extra width you're after and whether you're trying to fit two vehicles with full door clearance or simply want enough room to park a second car without blocking the sidewalk. It also helps us to know if there's a mature tree, hydro pole, or shared property-line fence within a metre or two of the existing driveway edge, since those constraints often determine how far a widening project can realistically go on a narrower St. Thomas lot.
- Measure your current driveway width and the width you're aiming for
- Note any trees, poles or fences within 1-2 metres of the driveway edge
- Check whether a municipal sidewalk or boulevard crosses the driveway
- Flag any drainage issues you've noticed, like pooling near the garage door
More questions
Can you widen my driveway without removing the whole thing?
Sometimes, if the existing slab is structurally sound and not badly cracked or settled. In most St. Thomas cases we recommend a full replacement instead, since the old and new sections will crack at different rates and the joint line rarely stays tight over multiple winters.
Do I need a permit to widen a driveway in St. Thomas?
The City of St. Thomas typically requires a driveway permit for width changes, especially where the driveway crosses the boulevard or sidewalk. We can tell you what documentation is needed for your address during the estimate and factor the apron requirements into the quote.
What's a reasonable width for a two-car driveway?
Most St. Thomas homeowners land on 16-20 feet for comfortable two-car parking with door clearance on both sides. Narrower lots sometimes go with 14 feet plus a small apron flare near the garage instead of full parallel width.
Will widening my driveway affect my property's drainage?
It can, in a good way — widening is a chance to correct grading issues that older St. Thomas lots often have. We re-slope the full driveway during the pour so water moves away from the foundation and garage instead of collecting at the low point of the old, narrower slab.