Every job below is one we do ourselves across Batavia.
A driveway takes more abuse than any other slab on your property, truck tires, road salt, the freeze-thaw cycle every winter. We pour a minimum 4-inch slab over compacted gravel base and set rebar on anything wide enough to carry a vehicle. Control joints go in the same day so cracking happens where we planned it, not across the middle of your car port.
Patios don't carry the load a driveway does, so we can get more creative with the finish, broom, stamped, exposed aggregate. We still grade it away from the foundation so water doesn't pool against your siding. Most patios go from forms to finished concrete in a day.
Stamped concrete gets you the look of pavers or natural stone without the joints where weeds and ants move in. We run the color hardener and release agent while the slab is still plastic, then stamp the pattern before it sets up too hard to take an impression. Sealer goes on after curing to protect the color and texture from salt.
Not every cracked or sunken slab needs to come out. If the base underneath is solid we can mudjack or foam-lift a sunken section back to grade, and for surface cracks and spalling we can patch and resurface. If the crack is a symptom of a failed base, we'll tell you that instead of just patching over it.
Sidewalks take root pressure from nearby trees and years of shovel abuse in the winter. We set expansion joints against any adjoining slab or foundation so the sections can move independently instead of cracking each other apart. We also match the broom finish to whatever's already on the property where it butts up to existing concrete.
Steps and porch slabs get walked on every day and take a beating from de-icing salt in winter, so we finish them with a broom texture for grip and use air-entrained concrete to resist salt scaling. We tie new steps into the house foundation properly instead of just setting them next to it, which is usually why old ones separate and rock.
A garage slab needs to carry more weight sitting still than most driveways ever will, tools, a car, maybe a lift. We pour to spec thickness with proper reinforcement and isolate the slab from the foundation wall with an expansion joint so the two don't crack each other.
Exposed aggregate gives you a non-slip surface with some texture to it, good for pool decks and patios where plain gray gets slick when wet. We wash and brush the surface once it's set enough to hold the stone but before it fully cures, then seal it to keep the aggregate from working loose over time.
Unsealed concrete soaks up water, and water that freezes inside the slab is what causes surface scaling and pitting. We apply a penetrating sealer that keeps water and de-icing salt out without leaving a slick film on top. Driveways and patios should get resealed every couple of years depending on traffic and sun exposure.
A retaining wall on a sloped lot is holding back more soil than it looks like, especially after heavy rain. We build in proper drainage behind the wall so hydrostatic pressure doesn't push it out of plumb in a year or two.
Four steps, and no surprises in any of them.
You tell us what you want doing, we look at what is actually there, and we ask the awkward questions early.
In writing, itemised, free. If something might add cost later we flag it now rather than at the end.
Same crew throughout. We cover your floors, keep the dust down and tidy up before we leave each day.
You point out anything you are not happy with and we fix it before the invoice, not after.
Concrete work in Batavia and within about 50 miles of it.
Questions that come up once a project is actually underway.
Describe the problem and we will tell you what it probably is. No obligation.
