Concrete contractor in Clear Lake, IA - Slabs that drain away from your house
Mason City Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Mason City that pours driveways, patios, garage floors, sidewalks, steps and foundations for homeowners in Clear Lake, with the owner on every estimate and our own crew on every pour.
Concrete work in Clear Lake
Clear Lake is a short drive west of us, and the calls we get there look a lot like the ones at home. Some are houses in town with a driveway that's sunk at the garage or a garage floor that's had enough. Some are homes near the shore where the patio or pool deck gets used hard all season. Some are new builds that need footings and a foundation before anything else goes up. Our crew does the same work in Charles City and back around Mason City.
What shapes most jobs here is where the water goes. On lots close to the lake or sitting low, that decides how deep we dig out the base and which way we slope the slab, so it drains away from the house and not toward it. That base work, the size of the slab and whether an old one comes out first are what move the price and how long you're without the driveway, and your written estimate spells all of it out.
What we pour in Clear Lake
Concrete driveway building
Most Clear Lake calls start with a driveway that's sunk at the garage or cracked through, so we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour new.
Concrete patio construction
Houses here get a lot of use out back, so we pour patios on a dug-out, packed base and slope them so water runs away from the foundation.
Stamped concrete services
For a patio or front walk that should look like stone or brick, we press the pattern into fresh concrete after the same base work as a plain slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
Got a notice about a lifted or broken section of sidewalk? We cut it out and pour a new one that lines up with the sections beside it.
Garage floor concrete
Older garages around town often have floors that are pitted, cracked or sloping the wrong way, and we break them out and pour new over a proper base.
Decorative concrete
Color, scoring and textured finishes suit front entries and lakeside patios where plain gray looks too plain, and every one sits on a packed base.
Concrete retaining walls
Yards that fall off toward the water or the street sometimes need a concrete wall to hold the ground back, so a patio or driveway has level ground to sit on.
Concrete floor installation
Basements, workshops and outbuildings get a flat interior slab poured over a compacted base, with steel inside where the load calls for it.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck has to drain away from both the water and the house, so we slope it carefully and give the top enough texture for wet feet.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have settled or crumbled at the edges are common on older houses here, and we form and pour new ones sized to fit the doorway.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, addition or house on a slab, we pour the foundation in one piece over a dug-out, packed base with rebar tied inside.
Foundation installation
New builds around Clear Lake need footings and walls poured right the first time, so we work from your plans and line up the pour with your builder.
Concrete parking lot building
Small businesses and shared lots get the same base work we put under a driveway, scaled up for heavier traffic and more water to move off the surface.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches, additions and garages all start with footings, the concrete pads or strips that carry the weight down into firm ground.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation has dropped, we find out why it settled first, then lift and support it instead of pouring around the problem.
Concrete cutting
Need a new doorway, a trench for a drain line or a damaged section taken out? We saw-cut concrete cleanly so the rest of the slab stays put.
Talk to us about your concrete
Call or send the form, and I'll come out to Clear Lake, look at the slab and the ground under it, and write it up.
Why Clear Lake homeowners call us
From the first look to the last pour, you deal with me and our own crew, and you know what the job costs before we start.
The owner writes the estimate
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, so whoever quotes it also does the work.
Our own crew on your pour
The work is done by me and our own crew, not handed off to whoever is free that week.
Base work before the finish
If the budget gets tight, I'd cut a fancy finish before the base, because nobody sees the base until it fails.
A quote that lists what's left out
Your estimate comes in writing with what's included and what isn't, so nothing turns up later as a surprise.
Licensed, insured and guaranteed
We're fully licensed and insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Clear Lake concrete questions
Do I need a permit to pour a new driveway in Clear Lake, Iowa?
Clear Lake's building permit rule leaves driveways and sidewalks off its list, but they still have to meet other parts of the city code, so we check with the city's Building Official on each job instead of guessing. New foundations and other work that builds, enlarges or alters a building go through the Building Official for a permit. We handle the paperwork for our work and tell you up front which office it goes through.
Does a concrete contractor need to be registered in Iowa?
Yes, Iowa requires anyone earning at least $2,000 a year from construction to register with the state's Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing before doing construction work. The only people left out are those earning less than that from construction or working only on their own property. If a crew knocks on your door offering a driveway, Clear Lake also requires a city license for soliciting or working as a transient merchant, and doing it without one breaks the city code.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Clear Lake?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen the job, because the size, the thickness and how much digging the base needs move the price more than anything. Rebar, the steel inside that helps hold a slab together if it cracks, adds to it, and so does stamped or colored concrete over a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives you grip. A tight lot the truck can't back up to adds labor too, and all of it shows on your written estimate.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength while it cures, the slow hardening it needs before it takes weight. Driving on it early is how a good slab gets cracked at the edges. We give you the walking and driving dates when we pour, and the start date mostly turns on tear-out, base work and any permit the job needs.
How do I find out if my house in Clear Lake is in a flood zone?
Check the current official flood map through FEMA's flood map pages or ask local officials, because the University of Iowa flood map site is for information only and its draft maps aren't the official ones. FEMA counts any spot with a 1% or higher chance of flooding each year as high risk, which works out to at least a one-in-four chance over a 30-year mortgage. It's worth knowing before you plan a new foundation or garage, and I'll ask about it at the estimate.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack and sink?
Most of the time it's the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, which got raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled right along with the dirt. Water running toward the house and control joints cut late or skipped make it worse, since those cut lines give the slab a place to crack straight where nobody minds. We dig out and pack the base, check where the water runs and cut the joints on time, because those are the steps a cheap bid skips.
Not in Clear Lake? Just ask
Pick another city below, or call (641) 548-3348 if yours isn't listed, because we take work in plenty of cities around Mason City.
Get a written concrete quote in Clear Lake
Call (641) 548-3348 any day of the week, early morning to evening, or send the form and tell us what your slab is doing.