Concrete Contractor in Bloomington, IL - Driveways That Drain Away From the House

A lot of Bloomington sits on flat ground, and that's harder on concrete than people expect, because water has no obvious place to go. When a driveway or patio doesn't fall away from the house, rain sits against the foundation, soaks the dirt under the slab, and the slab starts to sink and crack. So before we set a single form, I walk the yard with you, figure out where the water runs now and where we want it to run, and build that slope into the base, not just the top.

You'll also find a real mix of house ages here, from older homes with walks and steps that have been patched more than once to newer houses getting a garage or a room added. On the older ones, we usually find the old base was thin or just raked dirt, which is why the slab sank, so we dig it out instead of pouring over the problem.

The City of Bloomington issues the building permits here, and its list names a lot of concrete work: new or replaced driveways, patios, concrete steps and porches, garages, and new buildings and additions. That puts the permit first in line, so before we put your job on the calendar I look into what the city wants, we handle the paperwork when it's ours to file, and I'll tell you plainly if anything lands on your end. Contractors also have to register with the city's Development Services Department every year, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring, us included, whether they're registered for this year. We're licensed and insured.

What moves your price is mostly what's under the concrete and what has to come out first, like how big and thick the slab needs to be, how much old concrete we break out and haul off, how much digging and base it takes to get the water running right, and whether you want a broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, or something decorative. The schedule turns on the permit, our calendar and curing, the stretch where concrete hardens before you can use it, and you'll get your own number when I come out to measure. We drive over from Peoria on I-74, and the same crew that pours in Canton and Pekin shows up here, so being farther down the road doesn't get you a second-string job.

Bloomington is a bigger city than a lot of the ones we work in, and it runs right into Normal, so the calls come in every kind. We see older homes near downtown with narrow driveways and steps that have been patched for years, newer neighborhoods on the edges where folks are adding a patio or a garage, and plenty of small businesses with lots and walks that take a daily beating.

On the older places, tight access and a thin old base usually mean more breaking out by hand and more digging before we pour. On the newer lots, the flat ground means our time goes into grading so water runs where it should, and either way, the part that decides how long your concrete lasts is the part you won't see once we're done.