Concrete & Demolition Contractor in Chicago, IL

Why Chicago concrete fails, and what we do about it

Chicago is one of the hardest climates in the country on concrete. The freeze-thaw cycle runs from November into March, de-icing salt goes down on every driveway and public walk, and the clay soil underneath holds water instead of draining it. Concrete that survives here is air-entrained, poured on a compacted stone base, pitched so water leaves, jointed on a proper grid, and kept away from salt through its first winter.

• Freeze-thaw scaling. Water gets into the surface, freezes, and lifts the top layer off in flakes. It comes from too much water in the mix, finishing while bleed water is still on the slab, or skipping the air entrainment Illinois exterior concrete needs.
• Road salt damage. De-icing salt accelerates surface scaling badly. New concrete should not see salt through its first winter and should be sealed before the second.
• Slabs poured on bad base. Most cracked driveways in the older neighborhoods were poured straight on disturbed clay with no compacted stone under them.
• Control joints cut late or shallow. Concrete is going to crack. Joints decide where. Cut at the wrong depth or a day late and the slab picks its own line across the middle.
• Water pitched toward the house. A patio or walk sloping the wrong way puts water against the foundation every time it rains.
• Settled and heaved sections. Where the slab is sound but has dropped, lifting or a single section replacement costs a fraction of a full tear-out.

Every one of those shows up in concrete repair and replacement work, and every one is avoidable on a new pour. If you are weighing repair against replacement, we will tell you which one your slab actually needs.

Demolition and concrete from one crew

Most concrete contractors sub out demolition and most demolition outfits do not pour. When those are two companies, the gap between them is where schedules slip and where damage gets argued about. We do demolition and the new concrete with the same crew, so there is nobody to blame but us.

How a job runs

1. Estimate and layoutWe walk the driveway with you, check drainage and grade, look at how the old slab failed, and confirm thickness, reinforcement and finish before quoting.
2. Tear-out and haulThe old slab is broken out and hauled. In tight city lots this is hand-guided work around gangways, fences and neighboring foundations.
3. Excavate and compactWe dig past the disturbed material, bring in graded stone, and compact it in lifts.
4. Form and reinforceForms set to the drainage slope. Rebar or mesh set on chairs, not laid on the ground.
5. Pour, finish, jointPlaced, screeded, floated, and finished to your chosen texture. Control joints cut in the same-day window.
6. Cure and clean upCured per the weather, edges cleaned, debris removed. We tell you when you can walk it and when you can drive it.

Frequently asked questions