Huntington/Tri-State in NOAA's engineering weather data
NOAA's engineering weather data includes a station named Huntington/Tri-State, about 8 miles west of downtown Huntington, at an elevation of 837 feet. NOAA treats it as the nearest station to Huntington. For Huntington/Tri-State it lists:
- a 1% summer design temperature of 89°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 74°F;
- a 99% winter design temperature of 12°F;
- a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet);
- a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.0 inches per hour;
- about 52 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
Those values describe the station. They are not measurements taken in your yard.
Where Huntington sits
Huntington is the county seat of Cabell County and also stretches into Wayne County, sitting on the Ohio River where West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky meet.
Population in Census QuickFacts
According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Huntington's population estimate on July 1, 2025 was 44,815, and the Census count on April 1, 2020 was 46,842.
Stake it out before anyone prices it
A slab drawn on paper and a slab marked on the ground can turn out to be different sizes. Before the first estimate, run string lines or spray paint along the edges you have in mind, then live with the outline for a few days. Park the car inside it. Carry the trash cans across it. Set the patio chairs where they would go. Then write a short scope for each area:
- the purpose of the surface and the heaviest thing that will rest or roll on it;
- length and width from your layout, plus any curves or steps;
- the existing surface, if any, that has to come out;
- spots where rain already collects or where a downspout empties;
- the look you want.
Every bidder gets the same sheet, so the numbers you get back describe one job.
Tearing out the old surface
When an old driveway or walk is coming out, ask how the crew breaks it up, whether a machine will cross the lawn to reach it, and how they protect the curb, the sidewalk and nearby plantings. Ask where the rubble goes, whether hauling is in the price, and whether broken concrete is reused as fill anywhere on your lot. If wire mesh or rebar turns up in the old slab, ask how that changes the removal.
What goes under the slab
The ground beneath carries everything above it. Ask each contractor:
- How deep will you dig below finished grade, and why that depth?
- What happens if the crew uncovers soft clay, roots, old fill or a wet pocket?
- Which base material do you use, how thick is it, and how is it compacted?
- Does the base extend past the slab edges?
- Who requests the utility locate, and how close will you dig to the marks?
Ordering the mix
The concrete arrives with a recipe. Ask what strength it is ordered at, whether outdoor work will be air-entrained, and what slump the crew wants when the truck pulls up. Ask who decides whether water gets added at the chute and what limit they hold to, since added water makes placement easier and leaves the paste weaker. If the mix includes a plasticizer or an accelerator, ask what each one is for.
Steel and fibers
Ask whether your slab will get rebar, welded wire, synthetic fibers, or none of them, and why. Then ask where in the slab's depth the steel is meant to end up, and how the crew holds it there during the pour: chairs, blocks, or lifting it by hand as the concrete goes in.
Choosing a finish
A broom finish leaves fine ridges for grip. A smooth trowel finish suits a garage floor but can turn slick when wet outdoors. Stamped concrete copies stone or brick patterns, and exposed aggregate reveals the stones in the mix. Ask for photos of finished work in the style you want, whether color is mixed in or broadcast on top, and what upkeep each finish asks of you over the years.
Where the joints go
Ask for a sketch showing every control joint, with spacing and depth, and whether the joints will be formed while the surface is wet or sawn shortly after. Where new concrete meets the house, a step, the garage or an older slab, ask whether an isolation joint will separate them. Ask, too, which way each surface will slope, how much fall per foot, and where the runoff will end up.
Curing and the first weeks
Ask how the slab will be kept moist while it gains strength: wet burlap, plastic sheeting, a spray-on curing compound or a combination. Ask what forecast would push the pour to another day, how the slab will be protected if a cold night arrives early in the cure, and when foot traffic and car traffic can return. Ask about sealer and timing, and which deicers they would keep off new concrete.
Driveway aprons and the street
If the job touches the strip between the street and the sidewalk, or the sidewalk itself, ask who owns that piece of ground and which permits or inspections, if any, apply to it. Ask whether the contractor handles that paperwork or expects you to.
Paperwork to raise at the first meeting
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits does the project need, and who files for them?
- Will an inspector see the forms or the base before the pour?
- Can you provide proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
Reading the written scope
A bid you can compare names square footage and thickness for each area, removal and disposal, digging depth and base, mix strength and air entrainment, reinforcement, the joint sketch and slope plan, finish and color, curing method and sealer, permits and locates, the payment schedule, cleanup, and the written warranty with its exclusions. If one bid is far below the rest, ask which of those lines it leaves out.