Concrete Contractors in Elk Run Heights, IA

Elk Run Heights is a small Waterloo suburb of 1,069 people, and most homeowners who call concrete contractors in Elk Run Heights plan to stay put. Point2Homes puts owner occupancy at 93.2 percent. Wikipedia's 2020 census figures give a median age of 45.8, with 21.0 percent of residents 65 or older. People settled in for the long haul want walks and steps that are safe in January and slabs they will not have to think about again for decades.

A 1950s town

Wikipedia dates Elk Run Heights to 1951, and Point2Homes counts 212 of its 466 homes, 45.5 percent, as built in the 1950s. All but 18 of the units are single detached houses. That gives the town a fairly uniform set of concrete problems:

• Front stoops that have tilted or separated from the house.
• Walk panels with a raised edge where frost or a root pushed one side up.
• Thin driveways from decades ago, cracked into irregular pieces.
• Garage aprons that dropped below the garage floor, leaving a bump at the door.

Trip edges and icy steps

A half-inch lip on a walk is easy to ignore until someone catches a toe on it. On steps, uneven risers and a sloped tread are the usual culprits for falls. When we rebuild steps, we keep rise and run consistent, give each tread a slight pitch so water runs off instead of freezing in a sheet, and finish the surface with a broom texture for grip. If you want a rail, we leave room for it or set the posts while the concrete is fresh.

For sidewalks, the fix depends on the cause. A panel lifted by a root may need the root cut back and the panel replaced. A panel that sank because water washed out the base needs the base rebuilt first.

Get a Free Estimate

Driveways that last another fifty years

If your driveway is original to a 1950s house, it has done its job. New concrete gets a compacted granular base, a thickness suited to cars and the occasional heavier delivery, air entrainment for freeze-thaw resistance, and control joints cut on a layout that keeps cracks in straight lines. Many owners also use a replacement as the chance to widen the drive or add a parking pad.

A small patio, done right

A backyard patio does not need to be large to be useful. A level slab outside the back door, at the same height as the threshold where possible, makes it easier to carry things in and out and to use the yard without stepping over a lip. Stamped concrete is an option if you want a pattern, though a plain broom finish has the most grip when it is wet.

Steps that suit every age

With about one resident in five over 65, a lot of step and walk work here is about making the entry easier for years to come. Options worth weighing when steps are rebuilt:

• A deeper top landing, so you can stand clear of a swinging storm door.
• Fewer, lower risers where the grade allows, or a gently sloped walk in place of one or two steps.
• Handrail posts set in the fresh concrete, on one side or both.
• A broom texture across each tread, which grips better than a smooth trowel finish when wet.

Call (319) 481-5867 to set up a visit, or use the form to send photos of the steps or walk that worry you.