Concrete & Demolition Contractor in Lincoln Square, IL

Concrete and demolition work in Lincoln Square

Lincoln Square has brick two-flats and single families with mature street trees. That shapes the work we do here more than anything else. The three things we get called for most in Lincoln Square are root-lifted public walk, rear patios in established yards, and garage and pad replacement.

We are based in Avondale at 3227 N Western Ave, which puts Lincoln Square 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 Square is one contractor and one schedule rather than two companies negotiating with each other over your driveway.

What Lincoln Square 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.

What we see repeatedly in Lincoln Square is water. Slabs pitched the wrong way, downspouts discharging onto concrete, and yards that hold instead of drain. Fixing the slab without fixing the water just resets the clock.

• 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.
• Slabs poured on bad base. Most cracked driveways in the older neighborhoods were poured straight on disturbed clay with no compacted stone under them.
• 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 Lincoln Square

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

How a Lincoln Square job runs

1. Determine public or privateWe establish where the property line is and whether the work needs a municipal permit before quoting.
2. Permit where requiredPublic way work is permitted and inspected. We handle the application.
3. Saw cut and removeExisting flags are saw cut clean at the joints and removed rather than broken ragged.
4. Address the causeRoots, failed base and drainage get dealt with, or the new walk fails the same way.
5. Form, pour, finishFormed to spec, poured, broom finished, jointed on the correct spacing.
6. Restore the parkwayGrass and parkway restored, debris hauled.

What we look at before quoting in Lincoln Square

Every estimate in Lincoln Square 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 Square 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 Square

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 Square we are regularly in North Center, Edgewater, Albany Park, Avondale and Irving Park. The full list is on the areas we serve page.

Lincoln Square FAQ