Concrete contractor in Chalco, NE - driveways and patios on a solid base
Fremont Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Fremont. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and garage floors for homes in Chalco, and every job starts with a dug-out, packed base and a check of where the water runs.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Chalco homes and the concrete around them
Chalco sits in northern Sarpy County, right up against Omaha, and most of our calls here come from single-family homes. A typical lot has a driveway running up to an attached garage, a front walk and steps, and a patio out back, so the calls are much like the ones we get from La Vista and Gretna.
On homes like these, the concrete runs close to the house on every side, so the first thing I look at is where the water goes. A driveway or patio that has settled toward the foundation is usually why someone calls, and the fix starts underneath, with the dirt and the slope, before anything is poured.
Concrete services for Chalco homes and lots
Concrete driveway building
Chalco driveways take daily traffic and a winter of salt, so we dig out soft dirt, pack the base and slope the slab away from your garage.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio here usually sits right against the house, so we set the slope to run away from your foundation before we talk about size or finish.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a Chalco patio or walk the look of stone or brick, and we seal it so winter weather and deicer don't wear the pattern early.
Concrete sidewalk building
When a front walk has heaved or sunk and catches a toe, we replace the bad sections on a packed base so the new walk sits even.
Garage floor concrete
If your garage slab is pitted from salty meltwater or has sunk at the door, we break it out and pour a new floor that drains out the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored or exposed-stone finishes suit a patio or entry where you want more than plain gray, and I'll tell you plainly which ones hold up to our winters.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped lot, a concrete retaining wall holds the yard back from a patio or driveway, and we drain behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
For a shop, shed or basement floor, we size the base and thickness to the load, then let the slab harden before anything moves in.
Concrete pool decks
Around a backyard pool, we pour a deck with a textured top that isn't slick underfoot and a slope that sends splash water away from the house.
Concrete steps construction
Front and back steps take the worst of the ice and salt, so we set them on footings below the frost and pitch each tread to shed water.
Slab foundation building
For a detached garage, addition or outbuilding on your lot, we pour a slab foundation on a packed base with thickened edges where the walls will sit.
Foundation installation
When you're adding on or building a garage, we form and pour the foundation walls and footings, then fill in around them and slope the dirt away.
Concrete parking lot building
For a small business lot, we pour paving thick enough for delivery trucks and plan the drainage and joints before the first load of concrete arrives.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions need footings dug below the frost, and we pour them to the depth and size your plans or the permit office call for.
Foundation raising
If part of your house or a slab has settled, we find out why before raising it, and I'll tell you plainly if replacement is the better answer.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut out a cracked or sunken section so you can replace one bad spot without tearing out the whole driveway, and we cut openings for doors or drains.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Chalco home
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out to your Chalco property, look at the job and write up the estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure to book.
(402) 512-8158- Based in
- Fremont, NE 68025
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Permits, paperwork and price for Chalco jobs
Before we pour in Chalco, I find out who issues the permit, because that sets how early we can start. Work on a property outside any city's reach goes to the Sarpy County Building Department, and a property inside a city's zoning and building area goes to that city instead, so I confirm which office has your address before I give you a start date. You're welcome to check on any contractor, because the state requires every contractor doing business in Nebraska to register with the Department of Labor, and one with employees has to show a current workers' compensation certificate. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to show you the paperwork.
The permit review is one of the things that sets your schedule, along with the weather on pour day and the days the slab needs before you use it. If I'm not sure what an office wants for your job, I check with it before we start rather than guess. Price comes down mostly to the size of the slab and how much base work your ground needs, and the written estimate gives you the figure for your job. We come down from Fremont for Chalco work the same way we do for jobs in Ralston.
Ground and winters that work against Chalco slabs
Parts of the Omaha metro sit on light soils that can collapse when they get soaked, so a driveway or patio poured over dirt that was only raked level can drop once a few wet springs and some roof runoff have worked into the ground under it. We dig out soft dirt down to firm ground, pack the subgrade, the bed of dirt the slab rests on, and slope the finished surface away from your house. If the budget has to give somewhere, I'd rather you choose a plainer finish than a thinner base, because nobody sees the base on the day we pour, but it's what decides whether the slab stays level for years.
Winters here freeze and thaw the ground over and over, and concrete shrinks a little as it hardens, so some cracking is normal. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, as soon as the concrete can take the saw, and in summer we pour early in the day so the heat doesn't leave a weak, dusty top.
What to expect when you hire us for concrete in Chalco
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and when you'll want to be home for it.
Call and set a visit
I answer my own phone, and when you call, I set a time to come out. I'd like you there if you can be, so I can hear what you have in mind.
Look at the job together
I check the ground, the slope and where the roof water runs, then write up an estimate. You'll have the full price in writing before you decide anything.
Permit, pour date, pour
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit, and when the county reviews it, plan on at least 10 business days for a residential application. Then we pick a pour date with the weather in mind, and our own crew does the work while I'm on site checking it.
Walk the finished job
When we finish, I walk the job with you and go over how to look after it, including when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for cars. Thank you for trusting us with your house.
Questions about concrete work in Chalco
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway in Chalco, NE?
Likely, if Sarpy County is the permit office for your address, because the county's code took driveways and sidewalks off its list of work that can skip a permit. The county's permit FAQ points you to an online map to check whether your property is in its jurisdiction. When the job needs a permit, we handle the application and book the inspections for our part of the work.
How long is a Sarpy County building permit good for?
A county permit becomes void if work doesn't start within 180 days of when it's issued, or if work stops for more than 180 days. A building permit also expires if construction isn't finished within a year unless the permit says otherwise, and the county's Planning and Building Department can grant a 90-day extension on a written request. That's one reason I'd rather apply close to the pour date than months ahead.
How deep do footings for concrete steps need to go in Sarpy County?
The county's building code sets the frost line at 42 inches, so footings for steps, porches and additions usually go below that to keep frost from lifting them. I set the depth on your job by what your plans and the permit office call for.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Chalco?
There's no single price, because a driveway's cost turns mostly on its size, its thickness and how much soft dirt has to come out and be replaced with a packed base. Breaking out and hauling off an old slab adds to it, and a stamped or colored finish costs more than a broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps a driveway from getting slick. I'll come out and put the figure for your driveway in writing.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
Usually several days, and longer when the weather is cool, because the slab is still curing, slowly gaining strength, well after it looks dry. You can walk on it sooner, and at the walk-through I'll tell you the days for your slab so you can plan where the cars go.
What is the best way to keep water from pooling on a patio next to my house?
Slope the patio away from the house and keep roof water from landing on it near the foundation. The county's code requires rainwater that drains over a roof edge to come down at least three feet from the foundation, so we look at your gutters and downspouts before we set the slope and plan where that water goes.
Other areas we serve
Fremont, NE
Ask about your Chalco concrete project
Call (402) 512-8158 or use the form, because if your job needs a county permit, starting early leaves room for the review before the weather turns.