Concrete Contractors in Lafayette, IN

Lafayette sits at the center of the area we cover, and as concrete contractors here we deal with nearly every age of slab a house can have. The town dates to May 1825, when a trader named William Digby laid out lots on the Wabash's southeast bank, across from where the French had kept Fort Ouiatenon; a year later it was made seat of the new Tippecanoe County. Census figures summarized by Point2Homes put the median year built for Lafayette housing at 1971, and 17.6% of homes date from 1939 or earlier. That range means the work runs from crumbling walks behind century-old houses to first patios behind newer split-levels.

Ground that holds water

The till plains of west-central Indiana are flat and slow to drain. The USDA describes the Toronto soil series, which is mapped on those till plains, as somewhat poorly drained, with water perching six inches to two feet below the surface in fall and spring. The nearby Drummer series is listed as poorly drained. We do not claim either soil sits under your yard, but they explain what digging on this kind of ground can turn up: soft, damp subgrade that pumps under a plate compactor.

That changes how we build:

• We dig out soft spots instead of pouring over them
• We bring in crushed stone and compact it in lifts
• We slope every flat surface away from the house
• We look at where your downspouts dump before we set forms

Brine, salt and the first winter

A WLFI report on the Lafayette Street Department puts the city's coverage at 250 lane miles. Before a storm, crews lay down brine mixed to 23.3% salinity at about 40 gallons per lane mile, which works out to roughly 50 pounds of salt on every lane mile before the first flake. The city splits its streets into 12 snow routes. Tires carry that brine up the apron and onto the driveway all winter. Fresh concrete is most vulnerable to salt scaling in its first season, so we pour exterior work with an air-entrained mix and tell you plainly: no deicing salt on new concrete the first winter. Use sand for grip instead.

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What we build across Lafayette

Concrete Driveways. Many older lots have a single-width drive or two concrete ribbons. We tear out, regrade and widen where the lot and city rules allow.

Concrete Patios. A plain broom-finish slab is the simplest way to get a dry spot for a grill and chairs, and it is the easiest surface to keep clean.

Stamped Concrete. For a patio or front walk that should look like slate or brick, we stamp and color the slab and seal it.

Sidewalks & Steps. Front walks heaved by tree roots and steps with uneven risers are common in the historic districts. We rebuild them level and even.

Garage & Shed Slabs. Detached garages at the back of older lots often sit on thin, cracked floors. We pour new slabs with thickened edges.

Concrete Repair & Replacement. Not every crack means a new slab. We tell you when a repair is enough and when it is not.

Old neighborhoods, newer edges

Lafayette's neighborhoods include Ninth Street Hill, Highland Park, Perrin, Jefferson, Centennial, St. Mary's, Columbian Park and Glen Acres, among many others. Ninth Street Hill, a National Register district since 1997, takes in roughly 30 acres along 9th and State streets, where most of the houses were built between about 1850 and 1946. Houses that old were built before cars, so drives and garages were added later and often poured thin. Out on the city's newer edges, the slabs are younger but builders sometimes skimp on base stone and joints, so we see early cracking there too.

Permits and the right-of-way

Work that touches the public sidewalk, curb or driveway apron can fall under city rules. The city's Contractors Corner page says any time soil is disturbed in the strip between the sidewalk and the street, a permit is required, and it points questions to the City Engineer's office. That strip is exactly where a driveway approach or a sidewalk replacement digs. We confirm what the City of Lafayette requires for your address before we pour and handle the paperwork when a permit is needed.

Call (765) 522-7909 or send your address and a few photos, and we will set up a time to look at the job.