La Porte Concrete Company is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, garage floors, steps and foundations across South Bend, and we start with the ground under the slab, the part nobody sees once it's poured.
South Bend has a lot of older housing, from two-story homes on narrow lots to blocks of smaller houses with a detached garage out back, and plenty of the concrete around them has been patched more than once. We drive over from La Porte, where we're based, and the calls here look a lot like the ones we get around Notre Dame: a driveway that's cracked through, a walk that's sunk, a garage floor that holds water.
Older concrete was often poured on whatever dirt was there, so on these jobs we usually tear out more than the cracked part and rebuild the base before anything new goes down. Tight lots and narrow drives also mean we plan how the truck reaches the pour before we break anything.
Most driveway calls here start with a cracked or sunken old slab, so we break it out, dig to firm ground and pack a new base before pouring.
Explore serviceWant a patio off the back door? We set the size around how you'll use it and slope it away from the house so water runs off.
Explore serviceStamped concrete presses a stone or brick pattern into the fresh surface, and when we stamp it and how we seal it decide how well the look lasts.
Explore serviceOlder walks tend to heave or drop at the joints, so we replace the bad sections on a packed base and set them flush with the rest.
Explore serviceA cracked, stained garage floor usually comes out completely, and the new slab gets steel inside and a slight slope toward the door so water drains out.
Explore serviceIf you want color or texture instead of plain gray, we pick the method by where the slab sits and how much foot traffic it gets.
Explore serviceWe pour retaining walls where a yard drops off or a driveway cuts into a slope, and the footing and drainage behind the wall matter most.
Explore serviceFor a basement, shop or addition floor, we set the base and grade so the slab comes out flat and level for whatever goes on top.
Explore serviceAround a pool you want a surface that isn't slick when wet, so we finish the deck for grip and slope it so water drains off.
Explore serviceFront steps on older houses often pull away from the porch or settle, so we pour new ones on proper footings with every step the same height.
Explore serviceA slab foundation for a garage or addition starts with a dug-out, packed base, because the slab is only as steady as what it sits on.
Explore serviceWe form and pour foundation walls for new homes and additions, setting them square and level to the plans so the framing goes up without fighting the concrete.
Explore serviceBusiness owners need a lot that drains and holds up to daily traffic, so we plan thickness, steel and slope for the vehicles that will actually use it.
Explore serviceFootings carry the weight of a wall, porch, deck or addition into firm ground, so we dig them to the size and depth the plan calls for.
Explore serviceWhen a slab or part of a foundation has dropped, we find out why it settled first, because lifting it without fixing the cause just buys time.
Explore serviceNeed a doorway cut in a basement wall or a bad section of slab removed? We saw-cut a straight, clean edge so the new work ties in neatly.
Explore servicePermits here come from the city's building department, which covers every property inside South Bend and properties with a 5-digit address in St. Joseph County. Whether your driveway, patio or slab needs one is the department's call, so we check with it for your address before work starts, and when a permit or contractor registration is needed we take care of it and the pour waits until it's in hand. You can check on any contractor with the department too, because every contractor and subcontractor working in the city or the county has to be registered or licensed there. We're licensed and fully insured.
Price here mostly comes down to what's already on the ground and what's under it: how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how much soft base we dig out and replace, the size and thickness of the new slab, and whether you want a broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, or something stamped. The schedule turns on the permit, a dry day for the pour, and curing, the wait while the concrete gains strength before you walk or drive on it. I'll give you your own number when I come out and look. We do the same work in Gary and the other cities around La Porte, and each has its own office, which is why the first thing I ask is your address.
Send us a few lines about the driveway, patio or slab you're thinking about, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, which is free and comes with no obligation. If you go ahead, I run the crew on site through the pour and cleanup.
(219) 258-7141The city's residential permit list names new homes, additions, renovations, accessory structures and demolitions, plus electric, plumbing and HVAC work, and it doesn't name driveways or patios. That leaves it to the building department, so we ask about your address before we start. When a contractor is hired for construction work, the contractor buys the permit.
Yes, all contractors, subcontractors included, must be registered or licensed with the building department to work in South Bend and St. Joseph County. The city explains it on its permits and contractor registration page, and when your job calls for registration, we take care of it.
Since January 1, 2026, the city's minimum permit fee is $60.00. That's the least a permit costs, so the fee on your job may be higher.
A new slab can still crack, but a solid base and joints cut on time usually keep cracks small and in places we chose. We pack the subgrade before the pour and cut control joints, grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, while the concrete is still fresh. We also pour early in the day instead of in midday heat, which keeps the top from turning weak and dusty later.
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 when you call (219) 258-7141 or send a message, you're talking to the one who'll look at your job and be there on pour day.
If something at your South Bend place is cracked, sinking or holding water, tell us what you're looking at and we'll take it from there.
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