Concrete contractor in Schuyler, NE - ground work done right before the pour

Check with the city before the pour, because Schuyler's Building Inspector issues building permits for work in the city and in the area it zones out to two miles past city limits. The city doesn't require a permit for improvements estimated at $2,000 or less unless they change the structure of an existing building, but that rule doesn't settle every concrete job, so ask the Building Inspector at (402) 352-3101. Before we start, we check with the city about your job, and if a permit is needed, we help you get it lined up so the paperwork doesn't hold up the pour.

Plan on at least five business days, because the city won't issue a permit for new construction or a major remodel until your completed application has been on file with the Municipal Clerk for five days, not counting weekends and holidays. Each building needs its own permit, and the application comes with a set of plans unless the Building Inspector lets minor work go without them. If your land falls under Colfax County zoning instead, the county asks for a residential zoning permit application before construction, and that permit expires in six months if the work hasn't begun.

Yes, the Nebraska Department of Labor requires every contractor to register before doing work in the state, and that covers anyone working on property that isn't their own. Registration doesn't vouch for the quality of the work or protect you from fraud, so look the contractor up on the state's contractor search and still ask your questions. A contractor with employees also has to keep a current workers' comp certificate on file, or they come off the registered list until it's updated.

Schuyler's city code adopts the 2012 International Building Code and the 2012 International Residential Building Code, and it uses the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code for the upkeep of property, buildings and structures. If you want to read them yourself, copies of the 2012 codes are open to the public at the City Clerk's office during normal business hours.

There's no flat price, because it comes down to the size, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base the ground needs, and the thickness, steel and finish you pick. A plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and a long run out on acreage costs more than a short driveway on a city lot. The base is the first thing people want to cut because nobody sees it on day one, and it's the last thing I'd cut, because it's what keeps the slab from settling. I write the estimate on site, so you know what you're paying for before we start.

Most of the time it's the ground under the slab, because the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or water ran under it toward the house. Cracks in random places usually mean the control joints were cut late or skipped. No slab is crack-proof, so we pack the base, check where the water runs, cut the joints on time and give the slab its curing time, the wait before you walk or drive on it while it gains strength.