Concrete contractor in Lake Station, IN - driveways and garage slabs on solid ground
Highland Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Highland, IN, and we pour driveways, garage floors, patios, steps and foundations for homes and small businesses in Lake Station, from tear-out and base work to the final finish.
Our concrete work in Lake Station
Most of what we pour in Lake Station is at single-family houses: driveways that have sunk by the garage, cracked garage floors, back patios, front walks and steps, plus parking areas for small business and property owners. We come over from Highland for these jobs, the same as we do next door in Gary and over in Dyer. Before I price anything, I ask how you use the space, whether that's a car or two, a work truck or a basketball hoop, because that decides the thickness, the base and where the joints go. The price moves with the size, how much old concrete comes out, the base work and the finish. The schedule turns on any permit and inspection, a dry day to pour and curing, which is the wait while new concrete gains strength before you drive on it. My written estimate spells out what your price includes.
A lot of the old slabs we break out around here were poured on dirt that was raked flat and never packed, and that's usually why they sank. So your money goes into the subgrade first, the ground the slab sits on, dug out and packed hard, because a nice finish on a weak base still cracks. If the budget's tight, I'll trim the finish before I trim the base.
Concrete services for Lake Station properties
For a driveway that's sunk by the garage or cracked across, we tear it out, dig to firm ground and pack a new base before pouring.
Lake Station backyards come in all shapes, so we size a patio around how you'll use it, the grill, the table, the kids, before we set forms.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, pressed into a slab built on the same packed base as any other.
Front walks and the path to a detached garage tend to tip at the seams. We pour new sections with a broom finish, a light texture for grip.
Cracked, pitted garage floors are a common call here. We break out the old slab, fix the base and pour one built to carry a car.
Color, exposed stone or a scored pattern can dress up a plain front stoop or patio. I'll tell you which finishes suit a driveway and which don't.
Where a yard drops toward a neighbor's lot, a poured wall holds the soil back, with drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
For a basement, workshop or shed, we pour a flat, level floor over a packed base, and we take the tight spaces other crews pass on.
A pool deck has to shed water away from the pool and the house and give bare feet grip, so we plan its slope and finish together.
Steps on a lot of houses here crack or pull away from the door. We pour new ones with rebar, steel bars inside that keep cracks from spreading apart.
A new garage, shed or addition needs a slab poured square, level and to the plans, because everything built on top inherits its mistakes.
When you're adding a room or building new, we dig, form and pour the foundation walls, and we line up each inspection before the next step.
For a small business or rental property in Lake Station, we pour lots and drive lanes thick enough for the traffic and pitched so water reaches the drains.
Footings are the wide concrete strip under a wall, porch or garage, and we dig and pour them to the depth your plans call for.
If a slab or foundation has dropped, I'll find out why before we lift it, because raising it without fixing the cause only buys time.
We cut doorways in basement walls, trenches for plumbing and clean edges where old concrete meets new, so a repair doesn't mean tearing out the whole slab.
What Lake Station houses ask of concrete
You deal with me from the first walk-through to the finish, and if a plan won't hold up I'll say so. We're licensed and insured. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
I walk the job myself
I come out to look at every job and ask how you'll use the driveway, patio or floor.
Water sent away from the house
Before forms go in, we check where rain runs, so your new slab falls toward the yard, not the foundation.
Poured at the right time
We'd rather pour in the morning than in midday heat, because that heat leaves a weak, dusty top.
Joints cut on time
We cut control joints, grooves that give a slab a planned place to crack, before it can crack on its own.
Permits and inspections handled
Lake Station expects the contractor to obtain the permits, so we handle the paperwork and line up each inspection.
Lake Station concrete questions
How do I get a permit for a concrete job in Lake Station, Indiana?
The city's Building Department issues building permits for houses, garages, additions and accessory buildings in single-family districts, and its forms include a paving permit. New construction also needs a legal plat of survey, with stakes visible and a street address, before the permit is issued. When it's our job, we check with the department on what your project needs before we set a date.
Who pulls the permit when a contractor does the work in Lake Station?
The contractor does, and the city requires that contractor to be licensed for Lake Station. It's a fair question to ask any crew you're comparing, us included.
How deep do footings need to be for an addition or attached garage in Lake Station?
The department's permit page lists foundations 42 inches deep for new construction, additions and attached garages, or 40 inches, five blocks high, when there's no basement. Footings are listed at 8 inches thick by 16 inches wide, sticking out 4 inches past the wall on each side. We dig and form to what the city and your plans call for.
How long does a garage inspection take in Lake Station?
For single-family work, the city gives its inspectors 48 hours to inspect, so we plan the pour around that window. An attached garage, addition or new house gets four inspections, footing before the concrete is poured, then foundation, rough-in and final. A detached garage gets two, footing and foundation before the pour, then final, plus an electrical permit if you're running power to it.
Can I pour my own slab in Lake Station without a contractor?
You can ask for a Homeowner's Permit to do the work yourself, but the inspector has to approve it before the permit is issued. Talk to the Building Department at 1969 Central Avenue or call 219-850-1331 before you buy materials. If you're on the fence, I'm glad to walk it with you and say which parts are worth doing yourself.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Lake Station?
Your price is set by the driveway's size and thickness, how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much soft ground has to come out under it, and whether you want a plain broom finish or something decorative. Deeper base work is what most often raises the number, and it's also the last place I'd cut. I walk it with you and put in writing what the price includes.
Not on the list? Give us a call
Pick another city below, or call (219) 533-1721 if yours isn't listed, since these are some of the places we work, not all of them.
Ask Highland Concrete for an estimate
Call (219) 533-1721 or use the form, and if a garage or addition is in the plans, we can talk footings before anything's drawn up.