Concrete Contractor in East Lansing, MI - Slabs Built on a Firm Base
Benchmark Lansing Concrete Company is a concrete contractor building and replacing driveways, patios, walks, steps and garage floors in East Lansing, MI, from the base under the slab to the finish on top.
Older homes and rentals across East Lansing
In East Lansing we mostly work on homes. Many of them are older houses on close-set lots in the neighborhoods around Michigan State, and plenty of those are rentals. Farther from campus the streets open up into newer subdivisions, and the same kinds of yards carry on past the city line into Okemos and Haslett, where we work too.
On the older streets, the front steps, walks and driveways were poured decades ago and have worn, settled or cracked through. So most of what we do here is tearing out tired concrete and rebuilding what's underneath it before anything new goes on top.
Working in East Lansing: permits, prices and timing
Building permits in East Lansing come from the city's Planning, Building & Housing Department, which also does the inspections. Its permit list names work like additions, alterations and roofs, so for flatwork, meaning driveways, patios and walks, we ask the department about your address before we plan anything. If your job needs a permit, we file the application, handle the inspections, keep you posted and build that review into the schedule. The city also says that when work needs a permit and you aren't doing it yourself, a licensed contractor has to do it. It's fair to ask anyone who bids your job, and we're fully licensed and insured.
The price of a slab here moves with its size and thickness, how much old concrete and soft ground has to come out, the finish you pick, and whether it needs rebar, steel bars set inside to keep a crack from spreading apart. The schedule turns on any permit review, the season and curing. Curing is the stretch while new concrete gains strength, and it comes before you walk on it, with a longer wait before you park on it. Street parking near campus is tight, so we work out where the mixer will stand well before pour day. Your own figure comes in the written estimate after I've seen the site, the same way we do it across Lansing and down in Holt.
Services in East Lansing, MI
Concrete driveway building
Older single-car driveways here are often narrow and cracked through after decades of use. We break them out and pour one sized for the cars you park.
Concrete patio construction
Many lots near campus have small backyards, so a patio usually butts up to the house. We size it to the yard and set it at the back door.
Stamped concrete services
On older brick homes, plain gray can look out of place beside the house. Our stamped concrete adds pattern and color over the same solid base.
Concrete sidewalk building
Mature trees along older East Lansing streets lift and crack front walks over time. We take out heaved sections and pour a level walk on fresh base.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older homes here often pull away from the porch and tip. We pour new steps on footings set below the loose fill by the house.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages here often have floors that cracked, sank and now hold water. We break it out and pour a new floor pitched toward the door.
What older East Lansing lots ask of concrete
A lot of the concrete we tear out in East Lansing failed from underneath. It was poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, and when that dirt settled, the slab sank and cracked with it. So we dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, and pack a stone base over it before any forms go in. You'll never see that part once it's poured, and it's the first thing people want to cut. If the budget's tight, I'd rather go plainer on the finish than thinner on the base. Concrete can still crack. So we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give it a straight place to crack, while it's young, and that way any cracks follow lines we picked.
Water is the other thing. An old patio or walk that's settled often tips back toward the house, which sends rain against your foundation. So we set the new slab to fall away from your walls and check where that water ends up.
Get a free on-site estimate in East Lansing
We reply to every call and message within one business day. I'll come out to your East Lansing property myself, look at the job and send you a written estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure to book.
How an East Lansing job runs
Call or send the form
Call (517) 246-3566 or send the form with a few lines about your project. We get back to you to set a time for me to come see it.
I come out and look
I walk the site myself, ask how you'll use the concrete and answer your questions, so it helps if you can be there. Then you get a written estimate that spells out the price before you decide anything.
We check permits and set a date
We find out which office covers your address, and if your job needs a permit, we handle the application and inspections and keep you posted. Then we pick a date that suits the job and the season.
We pour, finish and clean up
I work the job alongside our crew from digging out through the pour and the cleanup. Before we leave, I go over how long the new concrete needs to cure before you use it.
East Lansing concrete questions
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway in East Lansing?
Ask the city's building department, at (517) 319-6810, because it's the office that decides for your address. Questions about the driveway approach, the apron between the street and the sidewalk, or about the public sidewalk itself go to the city's DPW at (517) 337-9459. When you hire us, we make those checks and handle any permit the job needs.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in East Lansing?
A wall up to four feet tall is on the city's list of projects that don't need a permit, unless it holds up a surcharge, extra weight pressing from above such as a driveway or a slope. The city measures from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, so the buried part counts too. A taller wall, or one with a load behind it, isn't on that list, so we ask the city and handle the permit if it needs one.
Do I need a permit for a shed on a concrete slab in East Lansing?
A one-story detached shed of 200 square feet or less needs no building permit, but the city requires zoning approval for every structure. So settle where the shed is allowed to sit before anything gets formed. Once the spot is approved, we pour the slab on a packed base sized to the shed.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in East Lansing?
Your driveway's price is set mostly by its size and thickness, how much old concrete comes out and how much base it needs underneath. On older East Lansing lots, breaking out the old driveway and rebuilding the base can be a bigger share than people expect. A stamped or colored finish also costs more than a broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip. I'll put your figure in a written estimate after I've seen the site.
How do I know if my concrete project needs a soil erosion permit in East Lansing?
The city requires one for any earth change, meaning digging, filling or regrading, over 6,000 square feet, or for a structure over 1,000 square feet. If your lot is within 500 feet of a lake, stream or drainage course, any change over 225 square feet needs one. East Lansing's rules here are stricter than the state's, and the city lists a few minor exceptions in its construction permit rules. We measure the dig-out at the estimate and check it against those numbers.
What is the best way to replace front steps in an East Lansing historic district?
Start by asking the city whether your house is in a historic district, because it lists a separate approval, a Certificate of Appropriateness, for exterior work there. New steps, a walk or a driveway may count as exterior work, so we raise it when we check your address. I'll also talk with you about a finish that suits the house.
Tell us about your East Lansing project
We're open seven days a week from 8 AM to 9 PM, so call (517) 246-3566 when it suits you, or send the form with a few lines about the job.
