Concrete contractor in Dyer, IN - slabs that drain away from your house
Highland Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Highland, IN. In Dyer we pour driveways, patios, sidewalks, steps and foundations, and we get the base, the drainage and the timing of the pour right before the surface.
Concrete work on Dyer's flat yards
Dyer sits right on the Illinois line, and most of what we pour here is for homeowners in its neighborhoods and subdivisions, along with some small business and rental property owners. The calls I get usually start with a driveway that's sunk by the garage, a patio with cracks running through it, or water pooling against the house after a rain. We work the same way here as we do next door in Schererville and across the state line in Calumet City.
Most yards here are flat, so water with nowhere to go ends up under the slab and softens the ground it rests on. The price mostly turns on that base work, how much old concrete comes out and where your water runs, more than on the finish. The weather and any permit set the schedule, and you'll get your own number in writing at the estimate.
What we pour and fix in Dyer
When a Dyer driveway has sunk by the garage, the base under it usually gave out, so we dig it out and pack a new one first.
A patio on a flat Dyer lot has to shed water away from the house, so we set the slope before the pour and ask how you'll use it.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick. We build the base the same way, since a pattern can't hide settling.
A walk along the side of a Dyer house often catches roof water, so we pitch it to drain and cut control joints, grooves that decide where cracks go.
An old garage floor that's cracked and pitted from winter salt dripping off the car comes out, and we pour the new one to drain toward the door.
Colored and textured finishes suit a Dyer front entry or patio when you want more than gray, and I'll say so when plain concrete would serve you better.
A retaining wall holds back soil where a yard drops toward a ditch or creek, and we drain behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Basement and shop floors in Dyer homes are often tight spaces, so we plan how the concrete gets in before the day of the pour.
A backyard pool deck in Dyer has to drain away from both the pool and the house, with a finish that grips when it's wet.
Front steps pulling away from a Dyer house have often been lifted by frost, so we rebuild them on a solid footing instead of patching the face.
For a garage, addition or shed on slow-draining Dyer ground, a slab foundation starts with a packed base and rebar, steel that holds it together if it cracks.
When you add on to a Dyer house, the new foundation walls have to meet the old ones, and we plan drainage around them before the dirt goes back.
Lots for Dyer's small businesses and rental properties take delivery trucks and plow blades, so the base and the drainage plan matter more than on a driveway.
Footings for decks, porches and garages carry the weight down to firm ground, and we hand-dig them where a Dyer yard is tight or full of roots.
When a corner of a Dyer house or slab has settled where water collects, raising it can sometimes bring it back, and I'll say so when it can't.
We cut openings, trenches and edges in Dyer slabs so a cracked section can come out or a drain line go in without tearing out the rest.
What Dyer's yards and winters ask of concrete
I come out to look at every job in Dyer myself, and I'm on site with our crew for the prep, the pour and the finish, because those decide how the slab holds up.
A base dug, not raked
We dig soft subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and pack it, because a slab on loose dirt settles with it.
Water sent away from the house
I check where your yard's water runs before we form, so the new slab falls away from your foundation.
Pours timed around the heat
We avoid pouring in the midday heat, which dries the top too fast and leaves it weak and dusty later.
Cracks where we choose
We cut control joints on time, so when the slab shrinks its cracks follow them instead of wandering across the driveway.
Jobs other crews pass on
We take on the side yard where water sits, the tight basement and the wall nobody wants to touch.
Dyer concrete questions we hear
Who issues permits for concrete work in Dyer, Indiana?
The Town of Dyer issues permits for improvement work in the community, through its building office at Town Hall. It puts together permitting packets, each holding the applications for one type of work, so you start with the packet that matches your project on Dyer's building permits page, and the office takes calls at (219) 865-4228 on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Whether your job needs a permit is a question for that office, and if it does, we take care of the paperwork and line up the inspections.
Do contractors have to register with the Town of Dyer?
Yes, the Town of Dyer requires every construction contractor to be registered. Registration calls for a $50.00 fee, a $5,000.00 bond recorded with Lake County and a certificate of insurance for $500,000.00 or more that names Dyer as a holder. This year's registration runs through December 31, 2026, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring whether they're registered for the year your job falls in.
How long does a building permit stay valid in Dyer?
A Dyer permit is canceled if the work hasn't started within 90 days of being issued. For work valued under $600,000.00, which takes in nearly any home concrete job, it also has to be substantially finished within a year, or a new permit is needed for the work that's left. That's one reason we check with the building office before we set a pour date.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Dyer?
The price of a Dyer driveway comes down to its size, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs and whether you want a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, or something decorative. The base is what people want to trim first because nobody sees it on day one, and it's the last place I'd cut, since a slab is only as steady as what's under it.
How do I deal with a tree stump where I want a new patio in Dyer?
Have it ground out before the pour, and don't count on the city for it, since the stump removal Dyer has underway after the August storm covers trees taken from public parkways, not stumps in front or back yards. A stump left under concrete rots and leaves a soft spot that sinks, so once it's out we dig the hole down to firm ground and pack it before we form. If you're not sure whether a stump counts as parkway, Dyer Public Works takes calls at 219-865-4222.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Dyer?
You can usually walk on it within a few days, but give it longer before you drive on it, because concrete keeps hardening for a while after the pour, which is what we mean by curing. Heat and cold both change that wait, so I'll give you your own dates on the day we pour.
Not listed here? Give us a call
Pick another city below, or if yours isn't listed, call (219) 533-1721 and ask, since we work on both sides of the Indiana and Illinois line.
Get a Highland Concrete estimate in Dyer
Call (219) 533-1721 any day of the week, evenings included, or use the form, and I'll come out to Dyer to walk the job with you.