Concrete Contractor in Taylorville, IL - Driveways and Walks Built on a Solid Base
Allied Springfield Concrete Construction pours driveways, sidewalks, patios, garage floors and steps for Taylorville homeowners and small property owners, digging out and packing the ground first so the new slab drains away from your house and stays level.
Taylorville homes and the concrete around them
Taylorville is a short drive southeast of us in Springfield, and the calls we get there mostly come from homeowners and small property owners whose concrete has been through a good many winters. The older blocks near downtown have frame houses with narrow front walks and long driveways running back to detached garages. The newer streets toward the edge of the city have ranch homes with wider drives and attached garages, much like the ones we pour in Chatham.
That mix shapes the job. A long back drive is a lot of flatwork, which means the driveways, walks and patios that lie flat on the ground, and it usually has to carry rainwater past the house without sending it toward the foundation, so I settle where the water goes before anything else.
Permits, licenses and what sets the price in Taylorville
The City Clerk issues Taylorville's city permits and licenses, so the Clerk's office decides what your concrete project needs at your address. I check what the office asks for before a job goes on our calendar and take care of the permit paperwork for our work when a permit applies, which means the paperwork comes first and the pour date follows it. If the office needs anything from you as the owner, I'll let you know early so it doesn't hold anything up. If you'd like to confirm a contractor's city license, the Clerk's office is the place to ask, and we're licensed and fully insured.
Your price turns on the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much soft ground has to be dug out and replaced with packed stone, and how close the mixer truck can get. On the older blocks, a garage set well back or a tight alley often means we bring the concrete in by pump or wheelbarrow, which adds labor, and from there the schedule turns on the paperwork and the weather. Your written estimate spells all of that out. We do the same driveway and walk work in Lincoln and Decatur, so you get the same careful approach here that we use in every city we work in.
Why slabs here sink, heave and hold water
Central Illinois winters are hard on concrete, because water that slips under a slab's edges freezes, swells and lifts it, then lets it drop again in a thaw. Many older drives and walks in Taylorville were poured on dirt that was only raked level, so they've settled unevenly and now tip water back toward the house or hold it in low spots. We dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab actually sits on, pack a stone base over it and set the slope so water runs away from your foundation. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you choose a plain broom finish, a lightly brushed texture that gives your shoes grip on a wet morning, than cut back on the base, because the base is the part nobody sees on pour day and the part that decides whether the slab stays put.
Front walks are the other steady call, especially on older streets where tree roots have pushed sections up into trip edges. Our concrete sidewalk building work starts the same way, with the old pieces out and the ground under them dug and packed before the new walk goes in.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Taylorville
Send the form and I'll reply within one business day to set a time to come out to your Taylorville property. I look at the site myself and give you a written estimate that spells out what's included. The estimate is free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
(217) 210-0810How a concrete job runs when you call us in Taylorville
Call or send the form
Call (217) 210-0810 or use the form, and I'll set a time to come out to your Taylorville property. It helps to have a rough idea of what you want, whether that's a new driveway, a wider walk or a patio out back.
Walk the site with me
I look at the old concrete, the ground under it and where rainwater runs, and I listen to what you have in mind. If you've noticed puddles that sit after a storm, please show me where.
Review your written estimate
You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, from tear-out and base work to the finish. That way you know exactly what you're paying for before we start.
Clear paperwork and set dates
We sort out any permit paperwork the city asks for before the job goes on our schedule. Then we pick a pour day with the weather in mind, so the concrete cures properly.
Pour, finish and walk through
I'm on site working with our crew when the concrete goes in. Before we leave, we walk the finished job with you and go over how to care for it in its first months.
Finished driveways, patios and walks
Taylorville concrete questions we hear most
How do I find out if my concrete project needs a permit in Taylorville?
Ask the city before anything is poured, because Taylorville's permit forms are posted on the city's Building and Zoning page, and the city lists (217) 824-8713 and hbo@taylorville.net there for questions. The forms name building, remodeling, demolition, solar and storage container work, so it's worth confirming how your driveway or patio is treated. When a permit applies, we take care of the paperwork for our part of the job.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Taylorville?
Your price comes from the size of the driveway, the tear-out of the old slab, the base work under it and how close the truck can get, and I give you that figure in a written estimate after I've seen the site. If the city requires a permit for your job, its fee is part of the cost, and Taylorville posts its building permit fees alongside its permit forms. The estimate lists each part of the work, so you can see where the money goes before we start.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Taylorville?
You'll be walking on it well before you can park on it, because concrete keeps curing, slowly gaining strength as it holds its moisture, for days after it looks dry. Before we leave, I tell you the day for foot traffic and the day for cars, based on the mix and that week's weather. Cold nights slow curing down, so a late-fall pour usually means a longer wait.
Will a new concrete slab crack like my old one?
A new slab can still show fine hairline cracks, but we plan for them so they don't turn into the broken, sunken sections you may have now. We cut control joints, shallow grooves across the slab, so any crack follows a straight line where you won't notice it, and where the job calls for it we add rebar, steel bars inside the concrete that hold it together if it does crack. Most of the difference still comes from the base work and drainage described above.
What is the best time of year to pour concrete in Taylorville?
Spring and fall are usually the easiest, because mild days let the concrete cure evenly without baking or freezing. In midsummer we pour early in the morning, since concrete placed in midday heat can dry too fast and leave a weak, dusty top, and in winter we wait for a stretch of weather that stays above freezing. I'll tell you at the estimate which part of the season suits your job.
Do you come out to Taylorville from Springfield for estimates?
Yes, I come out to Taylorville myself to look at the job and write the estimate. We're based in Springfield and work across the cities around it, so if your address sits outside Taylorville proper, please ask about it.
Call us about your Taylorville driveway or patio
A crack or low spot you can see now usually means water is already getting under the slab, so call (217) 210-0810 or send the form and I'll come look before another winter works on it.