Concrete contractor in Elko, NV - driveways and patios that hold up to winter
Elko Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Elko, NV. We build driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors and slab foundations for homes, rentals and businesses here, starting with what's under the slab and where the water goes.
Homes, rentals and shops around Elko
Elko keeps us busy with a real mix of work. Near downtown there are older houses with original walks, steps and narrow driveways that have been heaving and getting patched for years. Out in the newer subdivisions it's wider driveways built for work trucks and trailers. A good share of our calls come from landlords and property managers keeping rentals safe between tenants, which is the same work I did for years before I started this business. Then there are shops and lots that need slabs and parking that can stand up to traffic.
We're based in Elko and work in Spring Creek and the other cities around it too. The ground freezes hard all over this area, and plenty of the old concrete went down on loose dirt, so most of our jobs here start below the surface.
Permits, licenses and pricing in Elko
Permits for concrete work inside the city come from the City of Elko Building Department. The building official there issues them before work starts on anything that builds, alters or repairs a structure. The city's no-permit list covers finish work like painting, tile and countertops, and it doesn't name concrete. So I check your job with the department during the estimate, and we pull the permit ourselves when one's needed. When there is a permit, it sets the earliest day we can start. The city can issue those permits to a contractor who holds a Nevada contractor's license in the right classification and an Elko city business license, so ask anyone you're considering for both. The state also wants the person who qualifies for that license to have at least four years in the trade within the past fifteen. We're fully licensed and insured.
Around Elko we mostly pour driveways, walks, steps and patios for homes and rentals, along with some slabs and lots for businesses. On the older streets near downtown, a tight lot or an alley can decide how the concrete truck reaches the pour, which is rarely a problem in the newer subdivisions. Your price moves with the size of the slab and with how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out first. It also moves with the thickness, the amount of rebar, which is the steel that holds a slab together if it cracks, the finish and that truck access. The schedule turns on the permit and the weather, and I write up your own figure when I come out to look.
Services in Elko, NV
Concrete driveway building
Work trucks and long winters are hard on a driveway sitting on loose dirt. For concrete driveway building we dig out and pack the base first.
Concrete patio construction
Older patios here often tip toward the house and send snowmelt at the foundation. We slope ours away, so water runs off into the yard.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walks at Elko rentals take shovels and ice melt all winter, and heaved sections trip tenants. We rebuild them on packed base with joints cut to steer cracks.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older Elko houses often settle away from the porch and crack at the corners. We tear them out and form new steps on solid footings.
Garage floor concrete
Elko garage floors take trucks, dripping snowmelt and road salt, which pit and chip an old slab. We pour floors sloped to the door so water runs out.
Concrete footings
Additions, sheds and detached garages on Elko lots need footings deep enough that frost can't lift them. We dig and pour footings sized for the load above.
What Elko's cold ground asks of your concrete
Water that gets under a slab here freezes, swells and lifts the concrete, then lets it drop again in spring. That's how a lot of driveways around Elko end up cracked and uneven. For footings, steps and anything else that has to stay put, the city's residential code treats the frost line as at least 30 inches below finished grade. That's a code minimum, not a depth anyone measured on your lot, so we dig to it and then see what your ground shows us.
On older houses, the slab we're replacing usually sat on dirt that was raked level and never packed, so it settled right along with the dirt. We dig down to the subgrade, which is the ground the slab actually sits on, then bring in base, pack it and check where the water runs before anything gets formed. Nobody sees the base on pour day, and it's the first thing people want to cut when the budget's tight. I'd still rather give up a fancy finish than a good base, because I spent years patching slabs that failed from underneath.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Elko concrete
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Elko property. I'll look at the site and write up a free estimate myself, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
How an Elko job goes with us
Call or send us the form
Call (775) 510-0139 or use the form and tell us what's going on, whether it's a sinking walk or a new patio. We'll find a time that suits you for me to come out to your Elko property.
I look at your site
I come out myself, ask how you'll use the slab and check the ground, the old concrete and where the water runs. Then I write up the estimate, so you can see what's driving the price before you decide anything.
We line up the permit
If your job needs a permit, we pull it with the city and keep you posted, and the city asks applicants to allow 3 to 6 business days while a request shows "Pending Review." Once it's clear, we set a pour date that suits the weather.
We pour and explain the care
I'm on site with our crew from the base work through the finish. Before we leave, I'll tell you how to care for the new concrete and when it's ready to use.
Questions we hear around Elko
If I bought an Elko house with concrete work done without a permit, who has to fix it?
Under the city code's permit rules, you do, because the present owner corrects noncompliant work. That holds even if the problem was already there when you bought the house, or if a contractor did the work. If work starts without a required permit and the city orders it stopped, the applicant pays twice the permit fee before the permit is issued, which is one reason we settle permits before we pour.
Can I look up past permits for my address in Elko?
Yes. The city's permit portal lets you search the permits issued for any address in Elko. If you're a homeowner and not a licensed contractor, you get in through Residential Access with your address and parcel number. It's worth a look before you buy, given who ends up fixing unpermitted work.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Elko?
Your driveway's cost depends on your site, so the number to trust is the one I write up after walking it. Tearing out an old slab and digging out the soft ground under it add the most on a lot of Elko jobs. A plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and boots some grip on ice, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If something has to give, keep the money in the base and trim the finish, for the reasons I gave above.
What causes concrete driveways to crack and sink in Elko?
Most cracked and sunken driveways here trace back to the base. Dirt that was raked level, instead of dug out and packed, settles, and water that gets under the slab freezes and lifts it. The rest usually come from control joints that were cut late or skipped. Those are grooves cut into the slab to give it a planned place to crack. A pour in midday summer heat can also leave a weak, dusty top. We plan the joints and pour early on hot days, so your cracks land where we chose.
What is the best way to keep water away from my foundation in Elko?
Slope your patio, walk or driveway away from the house, so snowmelt runs into the yard instead of along your foundation. During the estimate I check where water goes now, where the downspouts empty and how the yard drains. Then we set the forms to send the water the right way.
How long will I be without my driveway after a pour in Elko?
You stay off a new driveway until it has cured, meaning the concrete has hardened enough to carry the load. I'll tell you the day for foot traffic and the day for your car when we set the pour date. Cold weather slows curing, so a fall pour takes longer to be ready than a summer one, and we plan for that.
Service areas
Get your Elko concrete looked at
We answer seven days a week, early mornings and evenings included, so call (775) 510-0139 or send the form whenever it suits you.
