Concrete & Demolition Contractor in Edgewater, IL

Concrete and demolition work in Edgewater

Edgewater has vintage courtyard buildings, high-rises and single families near the lake. That shapes the work we do here more than anything else. The three things we get called for most in Edgewater are shared walks and courtyard hardscape, interior demolition in vintage units, and lake-adjacent freeze-thaw exposure.

We are based in Avondale at 3227 N Western Ave, which puts Edgewater well inside our normal working radius. Because we run demolition and concrete with the same crew, a tear-out and a new pour in Edgewater is one contractor and one schedule rather than two companies negotiating with each other over your driveway.

What Edgewater concrete is up against

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.

Around Edgewater specifically, the recurring theme is age. A lot of the hardscape here was poured decades ago, before compacted stone base was standard practice on residential work, and it is now at the end of a life it was never really engineered for.

• Water pitched toward the house. A patio or walk sloping the wrong way puts water against the foundation every time it rains.
• Slabs poured on bad base. Most cracked driveways in the older neighborhoods were poured straight on disturbed clay with no compacted stone under them.
• 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.
• 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.

Services we offer in Edgewater

Every one of these has a page of its own, and a page specific to Edgewater.

How a Edgewater job runs

1. Diagnose the causeSettlement, base failure, drainage, salt or finishing. The cause determines the repair.
2. Present the optionsLift, section replace, resurface or full replacement, with the trade-offs on each.
3. Address drainage firstIf water is the cause, fixing the slab without fixing the water just resets the clock.
4. Execute the repairSaw cut clean, lift, or tear out and rebuild base as the case requires.
5. Match and finishNew work is finished to match the existing texture as closely as concrete allows.
6. Seal where it helpsSealing extends life on repaired surfaces exposed to salt.

What we look at before quoting in Edgewater

Every estimate in Edgewater starts with the same five questions, because the answers change the number far more than square footage does.

• How does material get in and debris get out? On the tighter lots around Edgewater this is half the labor. A site a truck can back up to and a site where everything moves by buggy are not the same job.
• What is under the existing slab? If the base was never compacted, the new pour needs the bad material dug out, not covered over.
• Where does the water go? Grade, downspouts and where the yard drains. Fixing the slab without fixing the water just resets the clock.
• Does any of it sit in the public way? Aprons and sidewalk sections usually need a permit and have to meet municipal spec.
• What is the slab actually carrying? A work truck, an RV or a dumpster means a thicker slab and more reinforcement than a passenger car.

Taking care of new concrete in Edgewater

Once the pour is done, the first twelve months decide how the next twenty go. Keep vehicles off for about a week and foot traffic off until the next day. Do not put de-icing salt on it through its first winter, and get it sealed before the second one. Keep downspouts discharging onto grass or a splash block rather than straight onto the slab, and if a planter or a pile of firewood is going to sit on it, put something underneath so it does not trap moisture in one spot. That is the whole list.

Nearby areas we serve

We work across Chicago and beyond. Close to Edgewater we are regularly in Lincoln Square, North Center, Lakeview, Evanston and Lincoln Park. The full list is on the areas we serve page.

Edgewater FAQ