Concrete work that stands up to everyday use in Norfolk, NE

The price depends mostly on the size of the driveway, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground underneath needs. A finish like stamping or color adds to it, and so can tight access for the truck. Your free estimate lists each step and what's included, so you can see where the money goes.

Cut the finish before the base, because a fancy top on ground that was only raked level still settles and cracks with the dirt under it. The base is buried on day one, so it's the easiest thing to skimp on and the hardest to fix later. A plain broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires some grip, costs less than stamping and wears well.

You're off it from tear-out until the new concrete has cured, which is the wait while it hardens and gains strength before it can take people and then cars. Weather is usually what moves the start date. Your estimate spells out the timing for your job.

Yes, Nebraska requires every contractor who works on property other than their own, subcontractors included, to register with the Nebraska Department of Labor. The department has a contractor search page, though it says registration isn't a promise of quality or protection against fraud. We're fully licensed and insured.

Ask the city's Planning & Development office at 402-844-2280, because the city's permit list names other projects like decks and fences and doesn't settle concrete work either way. Outside city limits, the Madison County planning department handles zoning permits for unincorporated areas. We check with the office that covers your address, and when a permit's needed we handle the paperwork with you.

Yes, satisfaction is guaranteed on every job. What usually helps a new slab last after that is keeping downspouts and grading sending water away from it, and going easy on de-icing salt its first winter.

Most slabs get a few fine cracks as they shrink, but we cut control joints, shallow grooves that steer those cracks into straight lines, so they land where we chose. Old slabs often cracked because the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed. We pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and add rebar, steel that holds the pieces together, where the job calls for it.

Water is usually the cause, because ground that stays wet under a slab lifts with frost in winter and softens in spring, and the slab moves with it. That's why we check where water runs and slope new concrete away from your house. If you want to see whether your lot sits in a mapped flood area, the state floodplain map shows FEMA flood hazard data.