Concrete contractor in Gary, IN - slabs built on a solid base

La Porte Concrete Company is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, garage floors and foundations in Gary, IN. We tear out worn concrete, dig and pack the ground underneath, and pour new slabs on it.

Get an estimate (219) 258-7141

Garage with a light speckled concrete floor, storage cabinets, a ladder, and a bicycle.

A broad stamped concrete patio has a gray-brown rectangular stone pattern beside a lawn and pond.

How Gary's houses and ground shape the job

Gary sits at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, and most of what we pour here is flatwork, the driveways, walks, patios and garage slabs that lie flat on the ground. From the Miller neighborhood near the lake to the blocks farther south, a lot of the concrete we look at has been down for decades and shows it, with sunken driveway sections, walks lifted at the joints and back slabs that tip water toward the house. We also pour lots and slabs for property and business owners, and we drive in from La Porte for it, the same way we do for Portage and Lake Station nearby.

The ground changes from lot to lot. Yards closer to the lake and the dunes can run sandy, which drains well but shifts under a slab if it's only raked flat, and older lots often hide years of fill and old base, so on many Gary jobs the real work happens underground before any concrete shows up.

Concrete work we do for Gary homes and properties

Concrete driveway building
Most Gary driveways we replace have settled or broken up, so we tear out the old slab, dig to firm ground and pack the base before we pour.
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Concrete patio construction
Want a back patio that doesn't hold water? We set the slab to fall away from the house and size it to the furniture and grill you'll use.
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Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a stone, brick or wood pattern into the slab before it sets, so we bring enough hands to finish your pattern in time.
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Concrete sidewalk building
We replace front walks that have heaved or sunk into a trip hazard, setting the new sections to meet your steps and driveway without a lip.
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Garage floor concrete
A garage floor has to carry a car and drain toward the door, so we pitch the slab for that and thicken it where the weight sits.
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Decorative concrete
Decorative concrete covers color, exposed stone and custom borders, and we plan it with you up front, because the look is locked in once the slab sets.
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Concrete retaining walls
When a yard drops off or a slope is creeping onto the driveway, we build a poured wall on a footing with drainage behind it so it holds.
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Concrete floor installation
We pour interior floors for basements, shops and additions, and the plan starts with the base, the vapor barrier and how level the finished floor needs to be.
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Concrete pool decks
Around a pool you want a surface that isn't slick and water that runs off, so we choose the texture with you and slope the deck to drain.
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Concrete steps construction
Crumbling front steps are common on older houses, and we rebuild them with even risers and a footing underneath so they sit tight to the house.
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Slab foundation building
For a garage, addition or new home on a slab, we form to the plans, and the soil we find decides how much base goes under it.
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Foundation installation
We pour foundation walls and footings for new houses and additions, laid out to the drawings and checked for level and square before any concrete goes in.
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Concrete parking lot building
Business and property owners call us for lots that have to take daily traffic, so thickness, base depth and where the water drains drive the whole plan.
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Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions stand on footings, and we dig and pour them to the size the plans call for so the weight sits on firm ground.
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Foundation raising
If a slab or a corner of the house has sunk, we find out why first, then lift and support it instead of covering up the problem.
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Concrete cutting
We saw-cut concrete for new doorways, utility trenches and clean breaks between old and new slabs, setting depth and dust control by where the cut is.
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Working in Gary, from the permit to the pour

Concrete permits in Gary come from the city's Building Department, which issues permits for all new construction, alterations and some repairs, so a new driveway or a rebuilt slab may need one. Every contractor and subcontractor has to be licensed with the City of Gary to work in the city, and that license has to be in place before anyone can apply for a permit, so it's the first thing to ask a crew about. A business that sets up inside the city limits also has to file for a general business license, but we're based in La Porte, so for us it's the city contractor license that counts. We're licensed and insured, and before work starts I check with the department about your address. When the job needs a permit or the city's contractor registration, we take care of it.

The schedule usually turns on three things: the permit if your job needs one, the city inspections, and curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before it can take weight. The price turns on the size and thickness of the slab, how much digging and base the ground needs, how easy it is to get a truck to the spot on your street, and the finish, from a plain broom finish, the light swept texture that gives shoes and tires grip, up to stamped or colored work. I come out, look at the job and write the estimate myself, and it's the same visit whether you're in Gary or up the road in Chesterton.

We set the pour date only after any permit the job needs is issued, so the inspector can see what the city wants checked before it's buried.
City inspections have to be booked 24 to 72 hours before the date you want, so we plan the pour around the inspection, not the other way around.
We check where the water runs on your lot before the forms go in, so the new slab falls away from the house instead of toward it.
On hot days we pour early, because concrete finished in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top.
Tearing out the old concrete and hauling it away is part of the job, so you're not left with a broken pile in the yard.

Get a free on-site estimate for your Gary concrete job

Tell us what you've got, whether it's a sinking driveway, a cracked patio or a new slab, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out to Gary, look at the job and write the estimate myself, free and with no obligation. If you go ahead, I run the crew on site through the pour and cleanup, and the work is satisfaction guaranteed.

(219) 258-7141

Questions Gary homeowners ask about concrete

Can I pull my own permit for a concrete project in Gary?

Only for some work, and only on a house you live in unless the work is minor. Gary lets eligible homeowners do cosmetic interior and exterior work on their own home but keeps specific structural work off that list, and the city's homeowner permit form grants permits to owners who actually live in the home, covering a property that isn't your permanent residence only for minor or cosmetic work at the building commissioner's discretion. You'd apply in person with a tax statement or deed, a material list and a driver's license or state ID, and structural work also needs a site plan for zoning review.

How much does a city building inspection cost in Gary?

Each inspection costs $50.00, and the city requires several during construction. A failed or missed inspection brings a $100.00 re-inspection fee that has to be paid before any other inspection happens, so we have the work ready before the inspector arrives.

Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?

It's far less likely to, because most of the cracking and sinking we see in old slabs comes from a weak base or joints cut late or never, and those are the parts we don't skip. We dig down to the subgrade, the firm ground the slab sits on, pack a solid base, set rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it does crack, and cut control joints, grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack, while it's still fresh. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you go plain on the finish than cut corners on the base, because the base is hidden the day we pour and it's the part you can't fix later without tearing the slab out.

How long will I be without my driveway after a new concrete pour?

Usually a matter of days, and you can walk on it well before you can drive on it, because the slab has to cure longer before it can carry a car. We give you the dates for your slab when we set the pour and work out where you'll park in the meantime.

Service areas

We're based in La Porte and work across the cities around it, including the ones listed here. If your city isn't on the list, give us a call and ask.

I answer my own phone, so a call to (219) 258-7141 or a note through the form gets your estimate request or permit question straight to the person who'll be on your job.