Concrete contractor in Columbus, NE - slabs built on a base that holds

The cost comes down to the size, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, how thick the slab is, how much rebar goes in and the finish you pick. Rebar is the steel that holds a slab together. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you save on the finish than on the base, because nobody can fix a bad base from the top. I'll come out, measure the job and write down what your price covers.

Most of the time the problem is the ground underneath, not the concrete. A slab poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed settles as that dirt does. Water running under it from the roof or the yard makes it worse. Control joints are the grooves cut across a slab, and they give it a planned place to crack. When they're cut late or skipped, the slab cracks wherever it wants, so we pack the base, check where your water goes and cut the joints on time.

You might, so check before the pour. The city lists a sidewalk, driveway or parking area paving permit under Engineering, and Community Development issues building permits for new construction like a garage or an addition. Those rules also cover the land within two miles outside the city limits. A permit is good for two years from the day it's issued, and whoever applies schedules the inspections with the Building Department at 402-562-4236. Before we start, we check with the right city office about your job. If you need a permit, we help you get it lined up so the paperwork doesn't hold up the pour.

Yes. Nebraska law says a contractor has to register with the Department of Labor before doing any construction work in the state. In Columbus, a contractor also registers with the city before submitting permits. The law doesn't count people working on their own property or very small operators under a yearly earnings cutoff. The department says registration doesn't vouch for anyone's quality of work, so also ask a contractor how they handle the base and drainage. We're licensed and fully insured.

Dig them below the frost line, which the city's residential code puts at 36 inches as a design depth. Ground above that line can freeze and lift whatever sits on it, which is why shallow footings under steps, garages and additions heave and crack. We dig footings to the depth your plans and the city call for, and we set the rebar where the plans show it.

If the basement is living space, yes, unless you get a waiver. A city ordinance requires a system to remove groundwater from under living space below ground level. It applies to homes in the city limits and in the area just outside them that falls under city rules. The sump has to drain to a storm sewer, the street or a drainage way the Building Official approves, not the sanitary sewer. We talk that through with you and your builder while we lay out the foundation.