Concrete Contractors in Madison, WI

Madison is our home market, and concrete contractors here deal with more variety than almost anywhere in Wisconsin. The city counted 269,840 people and 126,070 housing units in the 2020 census. Its population grew from 96,056 in 1950 to 171,809 in 1970, and it has grown every decade since 1980. That means a single estimate day can take us from a tight older lot near the isthmus to a 1960s ranch on the west side to a house finished in the last few years at the edge of the city. We pour new driveways, patios, stamped concrete, sidewalks and steps, garage and shed slabs, and we repair or replace concrete that has failed.

An isthmus, four lakes and a moraine

Downtown sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, and the "City of Four Lakes" name also counts Waubesa and Kegonsa just to the south, with Lake Wingra inside the city. The ground changes a lot across that landscape. The city's elevation is listed at 873 feet, the lowest point is about 837 feet near Regas Road, and the highest is 1,190 feet along Pleasant View Road, on top of a terminal moraine left by the Green Bay Lobe of the last glaciation. Low ground near the lakes and marshes tends to stay wet, while lots on the moraine can have mixed glacial soil and stone. Both affect how deep we dig and how much gravel base we put under a slab.

A hard climate for concrete

Wikipedia's climate table for Madison shows about 51.8 inches of snow and 37.13 inches of precipitation a year. The January mean temperature is 19.4 degrees, the temperature drops to zero or below on about 17 mornings a year, and the record low is -37 degrees. Concrete fails here mostly through water: meltwater gets into the surface or under a slab, freezes, and expands. De-icing salt speeds that up. That is why every exterior pour we do in Madison uses air-entrained concrete, a compacted base, a slope that sheds water, and control joints at the right spacing. We also recommend sealing driveways and walks, and keeping rock salt off new concrete through its first winter.

Water from above, too

On August 20, 2018, storms dropped 3.92 inches on Madison and much more on the west side of the county. A Madison resident died when floodwater swept his car into a drainage ditch, and Dane County was put under a state of emergency. Storms like that are a reminder to plan where water goes. A patio that pitches toward the house, a driveway that drains into the garage, or a walk that dams water against the foundation can all turn a heavy storm into a wet basement. We set grade first on every Madison job and look at downspouts and yard drainage before we form anything.

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Public sidewalks and the city's criteria

The City of Madison Engineering Division runs a sidewalk replacement program for public walks. Its written criteria mark public sidewalk sections for replacement when they have offsets of three-quarters of an inch or more, are smashed with radial cracks, have voids and erosion at the joints, or are settled or tilted so that more than half the width can pond water and ice. An inspector marks those sections with a white X. Work in the public right-of-way, including the terrace and the drive apron, involves city permits and standards, so if your project reaches the street we sort out what is required before we schedule. Private walks, patios and driveways on your own lot we can quote directly.

Older neighborhoods and newer edges

Madison has historic districts such as the Marquette Bungalows, Orton Park and Langdon Street districts, and plenty of older neighborhoods around the isthmus with narrow lots, detached garages and alley approaches. Front steps and walks on those homes are part of the streetscape, so we match finish and joint layout to what is staying. On the edges, the city keeps growing; on October 31, 2022, it annexed most of the remaining Town of Madison. Newer homes there often need a larger patio, a wider driveway or a side walk to the back yard.

What we do in Madison

• Driveways: tear-out and replacement, widening, aprons and parking pads
• Patios: plain and decorative backyard slabs and extensions
• Stamped concrete: stone, slate and wood-plank patterns with color
• Sidewalks and steps: front walks, side paths, stoops and porch steps
• Garage and shed slabs: detached garage floors and shed pads
• Repair and replacement: settled panels, trip edges, scaled surfaces and failed steps

Call (608) 597-6094 to set up a visit anywhere in Madison.