La Porte Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in La Porte, Indiana. We pour driveways, patios, garage floors, steps, foundations and lots here, and I run the crew from the ground work through cleanup.
La Porte is home for us, and the jobs here run from the older blocks around downtown to newer houses at the edge of the city and out toward Westville. Near downtown we see a lot of narrow driveways, detached garages and front walks that have been patched more than once. Out on the bigger lots the driveways get longer and the ground work grows with them, and business owners call us about slabs and lots for their shops and buildings.
What ties it all together is winter. The ground freezes and thaws over and over, salt gets tracked onto every slab, and concrete poured on a thin base usually shows it first by sinking at a corner, cracking across the middle or holding water by the garage. That's why our estimates start with the ground, not the finish.
Most driveway calls start with a sunken, cracked slab. We dig to firm ground, pack the base and cut control joints, grooves that give cracks a line to follow.
Explore serviceYou want a patio that sheds water away from the back door. We set that slope before the forms go in, then pick a finish for the yard.
Explore serviceStamped concrete gives you the look of stone or brick in one pour. Color and sealer matter here, because salt and hard winters wear on them.
Explore serviceWe pour front walks and paths that meet the steps flush. A tipped or heaved section usually means a thin base or roots, so we fix that first.
Explore serviceGarage slabs here take salty meltwater off the cars every winter. We pour them with a slight fall toward the door so water runs out, not into puddles.
Explore serviceDecorative concrete covers color, exposed stone and custom borders. We plan it around where people walk, because a textured surface grips better on ice than a slick one.
Explore serviceWhen a yard slopes toward the house or drive, a poured wall can hold the grade. The footing and the drainage behind it decide whether it stays straight.
Explore serviceWe pour interior floors for basements, shops and additions. The plan turns on a packed base, a moisture barrier and a flat finish for whatever goes on top.
Explore serviceA pool deck needs to shed water away from the pool and stay safe under bare feet, so we plan the slope and a non-slip finish together.
Explore serviceFront steps take a beating from ice and salt. We form even rises and set them on solid footings, because steps that settle pull away from the door.
Explore serviceFor a garage, shed or addition on a slab, the ground work is the job, so we dig, pack and check the subgrade, the soil underneath, first.
Explore serviceNew homes and additions start here. We form and pour the walls with rebar, steel that holds the concrete together, and keep the top level for the framers.
Explore serviceBusiness owners call us for lots that carry delivery trucks and plow blades. We plan the thickness, base and drainage around that traffic.
Explore serviceDecks, porches, posts and additions all need footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight. We dig them deep enough for frost and pour them square and level.
Explore serviceWhen a slab or foundation has sunk, we find the cause before we lift it, because raising it over wet or soft soil usually means it drops again.
Explore serviceNeed a trench cut in a floor or one bad section out of a driveway? We saw clean lines so the concrete around it stays sound.
Explore serviceBuilding permits in La Porte go through City of La Porte Engineering, and the city only takes building permit applications online. Its permit list names jobs like roofing, HVAC and water heaters rather than driveways or patios, so whether your job needs one is a question for Engineering at (219) 362-2327, and you can call them yourself. I ask before we put your job on the calendar, and when a permit or contractor registration is needed, we take care of it, so that answer is the first thing your start date waits on. We're licensed and fully insured, and you're welcome to ask for proof before we start.
After that, price comes down to the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how much base the ground needs, thickness, rebar and the finish. A broom finish, a light brushed texture for grip, costs less than stamped or colored work. Weather and curing, the days concrete needs to harden before you use it, set the rest of the schedule, and I'll come out and write an estimate for your own job. It works the same way in Michigan City and the other cities around us, where I check with whichever office covers your address.
Tell us what's going on with your driveway, patio or slab, or what you want built, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out myself, look at the concrete and the ground around it, and write up the estimate, free and with no obligation. If you go ahead, I run the crew on site through the pour and cleanup.
(219) 258-7141No slab is crack-proof, but the sinking and cracking we tear out around La Porte usually comes from the ground work in the list above, not the concrete itself. I learned under a boss who made us tear out anything that wasn't right, so if your budget is tight, I'd keep the money in the base and go with a plain finish, because you can't fix what's under a slab once it's poured.
You can walk on new concrete well before you can park on it, because it keeps gaining strength for days as it cures. Cold weather slows curing, so a late-fall pour here usually means a longer wait, and before we leave we tell you when it's safe to walk on and when to drive on.
In La Porte, the permit fee is figured from the project's cost, rounded up to the nearest $1,000.00. The city's posted fee schedule starts with a $25.00 base fee for work costing $0.01 to $2,000.00, then charges per $1,000.00 of cost, $9.00 for $0.01 to $50,000.00, $5.00 for $50,000.01 to $100,000.00 and $3.00 from $100,000.01 up.
For houses, the state code currently in effect is the 2020 Indiana Residential Code. Commercial buildings and buildings with three or more tenants fall under the Indiana Building Code instead, which matters if you're planning a slab or lot for a shop or a rental. On foundation and footing work, I go over which one covers your building when I come out for the estimate.
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.
Call (219) 258-7141 or send the form, and you'll be talking with the person who looks at your job, writes the estimate and stands on site for the pour.
If you've got a sunken driveway or a new slab in mind, send us a note and tell us what you're seeing.
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