North Georgia Concrete and Grading Contractors

Asphalt Driveway Removal and Replacement	New Concrete Buildings Slabs	Concrete Loading  Docks
Concrete  Driveway Replacement	Georgia  Driveway Repair	Concrete Walls / Retaining Walls Steep Driveways
Gravel Driveways and Concrete slabs	New Cement Driveways	Grading and more
Larger Jobs / Track Loader Work	Driveway pipe Installs	Landscaping and Sod

We specialize in concrete removal, driveway pipe installation, grading and building slab installation, and new driveways.

CONCRETE  DRIVEWAY TIPS

• In many cases driveways that fail are due to improper grading, thin concrete and tree root growth into the driveway.  It is important that the grading and water control across the concrete is correct.  Large roots should be removed and the driveway should be properly packed.  Footings can be placed at the entrance of the driveway to increase the strength.
   
• Older driveways are 9 to 10 feet wide.  Modern day driveways can be 11 to 12 feet wide for singles and 20 feet wide for doubles.
   
• Allow concrete to cure before driving on it.  We recommend waiting at least a week before driving on it.  Longer in cold weather.
   
• Expansion joints should be placed at least every 10 feet.  Concrete contracts (shrinks) when it dry's, about 1/16 inch every 10 to 15 feet.
  Expansion joints could be called contraction joints.  All concrete will crack.  The joints are man made controlled cracks.
  
  
  CONCRETE BUILDING SLAB TIPS
   
• Be sure to consider footings reinforced with rebar around your building slab.  It will add extra cost normally $500.00 to $1000.00 depending on slab size.
   
• Residential buildings slabs are normally 4" thick.
   
• Commercial slabs are normally 6" thick or more.  Consider using commercial specs if you intended to have large heavy items on your slab such as a dump truck.
   
• Concrete can be reinforced in several ways.
  It can be made thicker, 4" -> 6" thick.   It can have rebar added to it, if it is at least 5.5 inches thick, any thinner and rebar will cause it to crack.  The rebar controls cracking by controlling expansion.  When you put weight on a concrete slab it bows.  The top compresses which is good and is when concrete is the strongest.  The bottom of the slab expands which is bad and causes cracks.  The rebar helps prevent the expansion,  so it is placed on the bottom of the slab.  Normally #3 or 3/8" thick rebar is used and is placed 18" on center.  Welded wire fencing can also be added to the slab to help control cracking.  Pig wire fencing is one type used.  It costs $125.00 per 5' by 100' roll.  It goes on the bottom of the slab to control contraction..
   
• Concrete comes in different PSI strengths.  2500 psi, 3000 psi, 4000 psi.  Most builders use the cheapest which is 2500.  The greater the PSI the more expensive it is and the harder it is to finish.  As the PSI's go up the drying time goes down.
   
• Concrete can have fiber added to it while at the plant to help control cracking.  Fiber is about $5.00 per yard more in cost.  This is used in place of the PIG WIRE or can be used with the PIG wire.
   
• Don't allow concrete to be poured on to a wet soft area.  Plastic can be used to keep the ground dry and can serve as a vapor barrier between a building slab and the ground.
   
• County inspectors check several things when looking at a building slab.   They look for proper thickness.  They look for proper sized footings normally 12" x 12" this
  depends on the frost line and soil conditions at the build site.  They use a probe to check and make sure that the footings are packed and not loose dirt.  Rebar in
  footings is required.  We prepare slabs for inspection.  It is up to the customer to get a permit and call for inspection before we pour!
   
• Building slabs normally require a permit.  Along with checking slab items they also look at the following.
  Property line set backs.
  Septic field or not.
  Building size.
  Soil conditions.
   
• A building can be built on just a concrete footing.  Common footing size is 12" wide by 12" deep or 16" wide by 12" deep.   The size of the footing is determined by your soil type which is mostly clay in Georgia.  It is also depends on the frost line.  Normally a footing goes deeper than the frost/freeze line.  Footings would require a permit and inspection from the county.  Sometimes this is done when a gravel floor is desired such as for parking a tractor or something else you don't want parked on concrete due to metal tracks or such.
   
• Allow concrete to cure before building your building,  Wait at least a week. It can take up to 30 days for a full cure. 
   

CONCRETE WALL TIPS

• Poured Concrete walls are the best walls.  Any wall over two feet in height is normally required to have a permit from your county.  You will need engineered drawings to get this permit.   Engineering cost $600 to $1500 depending on the wall specs and how many trips he must come out.  We have an engineer that we work with that does a good job
  and is fair priced.
   

A block wall failure.  Geo mat was used and concrete driveway covered all area on top on the wall.
Blocks walls can fail.  This was a large wall and the cost of repair was quoted at $300k by another block wall company.
We do not install block walls, if you need one call someone else.

• Concrete walls need footings.  Normally a footing is half as wide as the wall is high.  Footing and walls are reinforced with rebar.  Good poured walls are expensive.  Key ways and rebar are used to lock walls to footings.  Walls and footings are poured and inspected separately by the county or engineer.
   
• The taller the wall, the wider it will be and the more rebar it will take.  2' to 6' walls are normally 8" thick.  8' to 10' walls are 10" thick with double rebar.  You need at least 6" to build on top of a wall.
   
• Drainage is normally put in with a wall.  The taller the wall the more important it is done.
   
• Allow concrete to cure before back filling around the wall.  It can take up to 30 days for a full cure.
   
• Don't rush a wall job it take times to get them properly installed.
   

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Never allow a concrete truck to drive on old concrete unless you are prepared for it to possibly sink, break or crack it.
   
•   Good trust worthy concrete men are hard to find.  Many have paid and lost their money and time, us included.  Know who you are using and make sure they are
  good standing.  Con-tractors will take your money and never complete the job.  When we first starting building buildings, we used outside concrete
  contractors to install the slabs.  After problems and a lien placed on one of our personal houses by a concrete plant,  a criminal complaint in Cobb County court against an unnamed CON-tractor by us.  This resulted in us paying for the lien and the work since contractor had already spent the money on drugs and could not pay.  This DOUBLED the job cost for us.   We no longer use other concrete finishing companies.   There are some good ones out there, just make sure you pay the concrete company for the mix if you don't know the contractor.  This will always cover you.  Make this part of your deal.
   
• All our grading work and finishing work is done in house.  If you have a very large dirt moving project we may have a larger grading company help us out.  We have a Cat 953 loader and have not as of yet had to do this.
   
• We have dump trucks, skid steers, excavators, track loaders, compactors, grapples, and all the necessary tools to complete the job. 
   
• Confirm that the removal company is dumping the concrete at a legal location.  Not in your neighbors back yard or at the abandoned house 2 streets over.
  It is expensive to take concrete to the dump and you want to make sure your contractor is disposing of it properly.  You could be held liable for concrete dumped somewhere not legal.
  
   
•  We have a No drugs. No alcohol. No excuses. PERIOD policy on our concrete men.
   

770-943-2265

We work in North Georgia primarily. 

Cities served - Marietta, Smyrna, Hiram, Lithia Springs, Powder Springs, Woodstock, Acworth, Canton, Kennesaw, Dallas etc.