Concrete Contractor in Owosso, MI - Driveways, Steps and Slabs Built on a Solid Base
Benchmark Lansing Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Owosso, MI. We replace sunken driveways, cracked walks and tired front steps, and we pour new garage floors and slab foundations on a base that's dug out and packed.
Older homes and newer lots in Owosso
Owosso is a city with its own downtown, and the streets around it are lined with older houses. Many have a detached garage out back, a single driveway running alongside the house and front steps that have been patched more than once. Farther from the center the houses get newer and the yards get bigger, and that's where we hear more about new garage slabs, patios and walks.
We're based in Lansing and come up to Owosso the same way we head over to Saint Johns. On the older streets, most jobs start with breaking out tired concrete and finding out what the last crew left underneath, because that tells me how much base we'll rebuild before the pour.
What we check first on Owosso jobs
In the city, residential building permits come from the Owosso Building Department, at 989-725-0535. It issues them for building, changing, repairing, moving or tearing down a building or structure, and work can't start until the application is filed. Its list names buildings and structures rather than driveways or patios, so before I plan your job we check which office covers your address and ask whether your pour needs a permit. When a job needs one, we file it and handle the inspections, and the date waits on that. When a contractor is the applicant, the city's form asks for a copy of the contractor's state license, so it's fair to ask us for ours. We're fully licensed and insured.
Price here turns on the same things it does in Lansing or down in Jackson: how big the slab is, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how much base needs digging out and packing, and how close the truck can get. The schedule turns on the permit, the season and curing, the days the concrete needs to gain strength before you walk or drive on it. The written estimate I send after the visit gives you the figure for your own job.
Services in Owosso, MI
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here often sink where the base settled with the dirt. We dig out, pack a new base and slope the slab away from the house.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages often have floors that are pitted or cracked through. We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour a new floor.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses tend to pull away from the porch as the ground shifts. We tear them out and build new steps on a solid base.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks lift and trip people once tree roots get under them. We replace the raised sections and cut joints so new cracks follow the grooves.
Slab foundation building
A new garage or addition is only as good as the ground under it. Our slab foundation building starts with digging to firm soil and packing the base.
Foundation raising
When a corner of an older house has dropped, the doors and floors show it first. We find out why it settled before we raise anything.
What older Owosso homes need from new concrete
A lot of the concrete we replace here was poured long ago on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. So it has settled unevenly, cracked where nobody planned and, in some spots, tipped back toward the house. Water then pools against the foundation or the garage door, and that's usually what gets people to call. We dig down to the subgrade, the firm ground the slab sits on, pack a new base on top and set the grade so water runs away from the house before anything gets poured.
When a budget gets tight, the base is the first thing people want to cut, because nobody sees it once the slab is down. My dad taught me a slab is only as good as what's under it. So I'd rather you pick a plain broom finish, the brushed texture that gives your feet some grip, than skimp underneath, since you can dress up a surface later but a bad base means tearing the slab out.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Owosso concrete
Tell us about your Owosso job and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. I look at the site myself, answer your questions and then send a written estimate that's free and comes with no pressure to book.
How an Owosso job goes
Tell us what you're seeing
Call or send the form with what's going on, whether it's a sunken drive, a cracked garage floor or a new slab you're planning. We set a time for me to come up from Lansing and look.
Walk the site with me
I look at the old concrete, where the water runs and what the ground is doing, and I ask how you'll use the new slab. Then I send a written estimate, so you see the price before anything is scheduled.
Line up the permit and date
We check which office covers your address, file any permit the job needs and pick a date that suits the work and the season, keeping in mind that a city residential permit is good for 6 months and closes if no inspections are done. I work the job with our crew from the dig-out through the pour.
Clean up and let it cure
We clean up when the pour is done and tell you when the slab is ready for feet and when it's ready for the car. You don't need to be home on pour day as long as we can reach the forms.
Owosso concrete questions answered
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Owosso?
Your own figure comes from the written estimate I send after looking at the site, because on older Owosso homes much of the cost sits in breaking out the old drive and rebuilding the base under it. A long drive back to a detached garage, a thicker slab with rebar, the steel inside that helps hold it together, or a stamped or colored finish all raise the price, while a plain broom finish and an easy reach for the truck keep it down.
Does a shed or deck need a permit in Owosso?
Under the city's list of work that needs no permit, a one-story detached shed with up to 200 square feet of floor needs no building permit, and a deck skips the permit only when it meets every condition on that list. The deck has to be up to 200 square feet, no more than 30 inches above the ground at any point, unattached, more than 36 inches from the house or a garage or shed, and not serving a door you go in or out of. That list covers the shed or deck itself, not a concrete pad under it, so if you want a slab poured we'll ask the city about that part before we plan it.
What permits do I need to pour a slab for a new garage in Owosso?
A new garage is the kind of building the city's Building Department issues permits for, and for house and garage permits the city's site plan checklist also lists a soil erosion permit from Shiawassee County. If the lot sits in a flood zone, the low ground the river can flood, the checklist says a state floodplain permit is required for the work too. We sort out which of these apply to your lot at the visit and take care of the applications and inspections.
How do I keep a new driveway from cracking like my old one?
You keep it from sinking and splitting the way the old one did by starting under the slab, with a base that's dug out and packed and a grade that sends water away from the house. I won't tell you concrete doesn't crack, since it shrinks a little as it dries. So we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give it a place to crack in a straight line instead of across the middle, and we cut them as soon as the slab can take it rather than days later.
How long will I be without my driveway in Owosso during a replacement?
You're off the driveway from the day we break out the old concrete until the new slab has cured enough to carry a car, and you can walk on it days before you can drive on it. We pour early or in mild weather rather than in midday heat, because a slab that dries too fast ends up with a weak, dusty top, and I'll give you the dates for your pour before we start.
What causes front steps to pull away from an older house in Owosso?
Usually it's the ground under the steps, which on older houses was often loose fill that settled over the years while the house stayed put on its foundation. Water running off the roof or a walk that tips toward the steps speeds it up. We tear out the old steps, dig to firm ground and pack a base before we form and pour new ones.
Call about your Owosso concrete job
We pick up seven days a week, 8 AM to 9 PM, at (517) 246-3566, or you can send the form whenever it suits you.
