Concrete Contractors in Sheboygan, WI

Concrete Contractors Sheboygan builds and repairs driveways, patios, stamped concrete, walks, steps and garage floors for homeowners in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and the towns around it. The city sits on the western shore of Lake Michigan where the Sheboygan River meets the lake, about 50 miles north of Milwaukee. Wikipedia's 1991 to 2020 climate table for Sheboygan lists a January average high of 30.3 degrees and an average low of 14.7, and the NOAA normals for the local weather station put snowfall at about 46 inches a year. For concrete contractors in Sheboygan, every outdoor slab starts with that winter in mind.

What a Sheboygan winter does to concrete

The lake takes the edge off the extremes compared with towns farther inland, but it does not stop the freezing. Concrete holds a small amount of water in its pores. When that water freezes it expands, and each freeze pushes a little harder on the surface. Over a season of thaws and refreezes, the top layer starts to flake and pop. Road salt makes it worse, because it keeps the surface wet and adds more freeze-and-melt cycles.

Underneath, wet soil can freeze and lift a slab, then let it drop as it softens in spring. That is why so many driveways and walks in town show tilted panels and lips at the joints.

We build against all of that the same way on every exterior job:

• Air-entrained concrete, with tiny bubbles that give freezing water room to expand
• A crushed-stone base compacted in layers, so water drains out from under the slab
• Thickness set by the load, about 4 inches for walks and patios and more where vehicles park
• Planned control joints, so shrinkage cracks land in straight lines
• A proper cure, and no rock salt on new concrete its first winter

Old houses, old concrete

Sheboygan is an older city than most people guess. Point2Homes, summarizing Census survey data, puts the median year built for housing here at 1959, and 35 percent of homes went up in 1939 or earlier. Another 20 percent or so date from the 1950s and 1960s. Only about one home in ten has been built since 2000.

That shows up in the concrete. On the older blocks, front steps and stoops have often settled or pulled away from the house, walks have been lifted by tree roots, and narrow driveways were poured long before air-entrained mixes were common. In the postwar neighborhoods, the original driveways and garage floors are now well past the age when replacement makes more sense than patching. We see a lot of both.

Permits in the City of Sheboygan

The city is clear on this. Its Building Inspection FAQ says all concrete work, along with steps, railings, porches and decks, needs a permit no matter what it costs. Building Inspection is at 828 Center Avenue and can be reached at (920) 459-3477. Work that reaches into the street right-of-way, such as a driveway apron, a curb cut or a public sidewalk, also needs a Permit to Excavate from the Department of Public Works. The city's Right-of-Way page says no work is allowed there until that permit is approved and returned, and working without one can bring fees of up to twice the standard amount.

We put both permits on the schedule, so the job does not stall halfway. Outside the city, villages like Kohler and Howards Grove and the surrounding towns set their own rules, and we check them for each address.

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The city sidewalk program

If the walk in front of your house is cracked, raised or sunken, the city may already be on it. Each spring the City Sidewalk Inspector looks over one of ten target areas, and owners of walks that need work get a notice. Owners choose how the work is done. The city hires a contractor through bidding, and that work usually runs from May through October.

One detail is worth knowing before you hire anyone. When the roots of a City tree caused the damage, the city gives a credit of up to 75 square feet per tree, but only when the city's contractor does the work. If we are pouring your driveway and the public walk crossing it is on the city list, we will point that out so you can decide which route saves you more. Questions about the program go to 920-459-3440, option 7.

Six kinds of work

• Driveways: tear-outs, new pours, wider entries and aprons.
• Patios: broom, colored and exposed-aggregate slabs, with paths and steps to the yard.
• Stamped concrete: slate, cobble, brick and wood-plank patterns, sealed for winter.
• Sidewalks and steps: front walks, side paths, stoops and poured steps.
• Garage floors and slabs: attached and detached garage floors, shed pads and equipment pads.
• Repair and leveling: lifting sunken panels, resurfacing, crack sealing and partial replacement.

The pouring season

Most outdoor concrete in Sheboygan County goes in between late April and late October. The NOAA normals give the station a freeze-free stretch of about 180 days, running from roughly April 22 to October 20. Concrete that freezes before it gains strength can be ruined, so late-season pours need a forecast with nights above freezing and sometimes insulated blankets. A slab poured in October also faces salt sooner, so plan on sand that first winter. Call (920) 635-2280 and we will tell you honestly whether your job fits this year or is better booked for spring.

Most of our jobs are in Sheboygan itself, from the blocks around downtown and the river to the newer streets on the west and south sides. We also work in the towns nearby: Kohler and Sheboygan Falls just to the west, Howards Grove to the northwest, Plymouth and Elkhart Lake farther inland, and Oostburg, Cedar Grove and Random Lake to the south. Each place has its own permit office and its own mix of old and new homes, and each town page covers what we found about local housing and rules. Inland towns sit farther from the lake, so they can see colder nights than the shoreline. Wherever you are, we confirm the permits for your address before the job is scheduled.