Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM(219) 258-7141
La Porte Concrete CompanyLa Porte Concrete Company

Concrete contractor in Notre Dame, IN - driveways and slabs built on a packed base

La Porte Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Notre Dame, IN, from our base in La Porte. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors and foundations, and we dig out and pack the ground under each one.

Get an estimate (219) 258-7141
Concrete driveway extends to a double garage, with a broad light gray slab divided by control joints.
Curved stamped concrete patio with a stone-like pattern surrounds a small gravel-filled fire pit in a fenced lawn.

What we find under the slabs around Notre Dame

Most of the calls we get around Notre Dame come from the houses near the campus, not the campus itself. We pour driveways out to the street, walks up to the porch, back patios and garage floors on lots that have been lived on for a long time. The area runs right into South Bend, and the jobs look a lot alike in both.

On older lots like these, the slab coming out usually tells us what went wrong. If it sank or split across the middle, the dirt under it was most likely raked flat and poured on, so we plan to dig out and pack a new base before anything else.

Concrete work we do in Notre Dame

What to know before we pour in Notre Dame

Before anything gets torn out, I find out which office covers your address. The St. Joseph County/South Bend Building Department covers the City of South Bend and the unincorporated parts of St. Joseph County, and as a rule a five-digit address falls in that county area. Where it covers you, the department wants a permit in hand before any work begins, so the tear-out waits on it. Every contractor on the job, subcontractors too, has to be registered or licensed with it, and that's the first thing to ask anyone bidding your job.

When your job needs a permit or registration, we take care of it, and we're licensed and fully insured. We come over from La Porte, where we're based, and the drive doesn't change how we build. Price comes down to the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, the finish you pick and how close the truck can get to the forms. Beyond the permit, the schedule turns on the tear-out and on giving the new slab time to cure, the days it spends hardening before it can take weight. I write the estimate after I've looked at your job, so the figure you get is for your slab and your ground.

  • If your house sits in a Historic District or is a designated Historic Landmark, the owner contacts the Historical Preservation Commission before any permit is applied for.
  • A property in a Flood Plain or Wetland may need prior approval, which is one more step to clear before a pour date.
  • City Engineering, County Engineering and the Health Department may require their own licenses or registrations, so I ask about those when I check your address.
  • We look at what's under the old slab when it comes out, because a sunken or split driveway usually means the base was never packed.
  • We walk your lot to see where the water runs before we set forms, so the new slab sheds rain away from the house.

Get a free on-site estimate for your Notre Dame concrete job

Send the form or call (219) 258-7141 about your driveway, patio or slab, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out myself, look at the old concrete and the ground under it, and write you an estimate, free and with no obligation.

(219) 258-7141

Questions about concrete work in Notre Dame

Do I need a permit to replace my concrete driveway in Notre Dame, IN?

If your address is in the Building Department's area, plan on getting one before the old driveway comes out, because the department's renovation permit covers masonry and its fees apply to repairs as well as new work. Work done without a required permit pays triple the permit fees as a penalty, and paying that doesn't clear any other penalty. The department's permit and contractor registration page lists its applications, and we sort out which one fits your job before we start.

Can I pour my own concrete patio in Notre Dame without hiring a contractor?

Yes, if you own and live in a single-family home, you can do your own work there after signing the Building Department's affidavit with the proof it asks for. The permit rule still applies, and the hard part is usually the base, not the pour, so call us if you want the ground looked at before you start.

Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?

Concrete can still crack, but a new slab is far less likely to fail the way the old one did when the base, the joints and the cure are done right. Most of what we tear out was poured on dirt raked flat, so we dig out and pack the base, cut control joints on time and let the slab cure before it takes weight. The base is the first thing people want to cut from a budget, and it's the part I won't skimp on, because nobody can fix it once the concrete is on top.

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

You're off it from the tear-out until the new slab has cured enough to carry a car. Walking on it comes back before driving does, and I'll tell you when to expect each for your slab at the estimate, because thickness and the weather that week change both.

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.

Call before the old slab comes out

I answer my own phone at (219) 258-7141, so you're talking to the person who'll run the crew on your pour, or you can reach us through the contact form.

Get an estimate (219) 258-7141

If you're weighing a new driveway, patio or slab in Notre Dame, tell us what you're seeing and we'll take it from there.

Tell us about your project
(219) 258-7141Get an estimate