Concrete Contractors in Lake Villa, IL

Lake Villa sits in rolling moraine country, and concrete contractors here deal with slopes, lakes and a lot of newer homes. The village grew from 2,857 residents in 1990 to 5,864 in 2000 and 8,741 in 2010, a 49.1 percent jump in that last decade. It has about 3,254 housing units on 7.3 square miles, and about a tenth of the village's area is water.

The landscape

The village sits in a gently rolling landscape dominated by glacial lakes known as the Chain O'Lakes. Cedar Lake lies north of the village center and Deep Lake to the east, with smaller lakes, ponds and wetlands around them. Drainage flows to the Des Plaines and Fox rivers. Those lakes once supported a tourist industry and a small ice industry.

Rolling ground changes concrete work in several ways:

• Driveways on a grade need careful slope and a good base so they do not crack where the grade changes
• Patios may need to be stepped or built up on one side
• Steps and walks are common where the house sits above or below the street
• Drainage has to go around the house, not toward it

Growth-era homes

Lake Villa's population roughly tripled between 1990 and 2010, so a large share of its homes were built in those two decades. Driveways and patios from that period are now 15 to 35 years old. At that age, settled aprons, cracked corners and patios tipped toward the house are common. Where the base was thin, replacing the slab with a proper stone base is the lasting fix.

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Our services in Lake Villa

Concrete driveways, including sloped drives. Concrete patios and stamped concrete, sized to the yard and the grade. Sidewalks and steps on slopes. Garage and shed slabs. Concrete repair and replacement.

Patios on a slope

On Lake Villa's rolling lots, a flat patio often means building up one side or cutting into the other. A few ways to handle it:

• Raised patio. Fill and compact the low side, sometimes with a retaining edge, to create a level surface. The fill must be compacted in layers or it will settle.
• Stepped patio. Two or more levels joined by wide steps. This follows the grade and can look more natural.
• Cut-in patio. Dig into the high side and level the area. This needs a plan for water coming down the slope.

Whichever you choose, drainage has to be part of the design. Water coming down a hill will find the patio, so we plan where it goes, around the patio or through a drain, and keep it away from your foundation. We sketch the options and talk through the trade-offs before anything is formed.

Questions to ask before a pour

Before you sign with anyone, ask how deep the base will be, how thick the slab is, what reinforcement goes in, whether the concrete is air-entrained, and how joints will be laid out. On rolling Lake Villa lots, also ask where water will go once the slab is in. A clear answer to each question is a good sign that the slab will be built to last.

Garage and shed slabs

On sloped Lake Villa lots, a level garage or shed slab often means building up one side with compacted fill. We place fill in layers, compact each one, and thicken the slab edges so the building stays level for years. Anchor bolts go where your builder needs them.

Getting started

Lake Villa sits at about 791 feet. We visit, measure the grade, and explain what we would do and why. We check whether the Village of Lake Villa requires a permit for your project before we schedule.