Concrete & Demolition Contractor in Lincoln Park, IL

Concrete and demolition work in Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park has rowhouses, converted greystones and high-value single families on narrow lots. That shapes the work we do here more than anything else. The three things we get called for most in Lincoln Park are stamped and decorative work where appearance drives the budget, rear pads and garage roof decks, and extremely tight access with no alley in places.

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

What Lincoln Park 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.

The mature trees that make Lincoln Park worth living in are also the reason so much of the walk and driveway here has lifted. Roots do not negotiate, and a new flag over an unaddressed root lifts exactly the same way.

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

Services we offer in Lincoln Park

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

How a Lincoln Park job runs

1. Scope walkWe look at what is coming out, what is staying, how material leaves the site, and what the building or municipality requires.
2. Permits and disconnectsDemolition permits pulled where required. Utilities confirmed disconnected before anything starts.
3. Protect and containFloor protection, dust containment, and protection for anything staying put.
4. Demolish in sequenceWorked in an order that keeps the structure stable and the site safe.
5. Load and haulMaterial loaded and hauled, separated for recycling where the facility allows.
6. Broom cleanSite left broom clean and ready for whatever comes next, including our own concrete crew.

What we look at before quoting in Lincoln Park

Every estimate in Lincoln Park 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 Lincoln Park 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 Lincoln Park

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 Lincoln Park we are regularly in Lakeview, North Center, Chicago, Logan Square and Lincoln Square. The full list is on the areas we serve page.

Lincoln Park FAQ