Concrete & Demolition Contractor in Oak Brook, IL

Concrete and demolition work in Oak Brook

Oak Brook has large-lot homes plus a substantial commercial corridor. That shapes the work we do here more than anything else. The three things we get called for most in Oak Brook are long residential driveways, commercial flatwork and pads, and addition foundations.

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

What Oak Brook 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.

In Oak Brook the variable that decides most jobs is access. Getting material in and debris out is half the labor on a tight site, and any quote that ignores it is going to come with a change order attached.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Services we offer in Oak Brook

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

How a Oak Brook 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 Oak Brook

Every estimate in Oak Brook 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 Oak Brook 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 Oak Brook

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 DuPage County and beyond. Close to Oak Brook we are regularly in Hinsdale, Westmont, La Grange, Elmhurst and Villa Park. The full list is on the areas we serve page.

Oak Brook FAQ