How We Build and Price Concrete Work

Elite Concrete Contractors Grand Rapids pours and repairs residential concrete around Grand Rapids and the Kent County suburbs: driveways, patios, stamped surfaces, walks and stoops, garage and shed slabs, and leveling or resurfacing for slabs that have sunk or flaked.

Everything we do starts with the winter. Grand Rapids sits about 25 miles inland from Lake Michigan and gets lake-effect snow, and Wikipedia's climate data for the city puts average snowfall in the mid-to-upper 70-inch range with January lows averaging 18.6 degrees. That means months of plowing, shoveling, salting and freeze-thaw. The parts of a slab that decide whether it survives (the stone base, the thickness, the air in the mix and the joint layout) are hidden once the concrete is poured, so we put them in writing on the quote.

What working with us looks like

• We measure first. Prices come after a visit, not over the phone, because removal, slope, access for the ready-mix truck and the condition of the ground all move the number.
• Every line is priced. Tear-out, base, thickness, reinforcement, finish and sealing each appear on their own line, so you can compare bids fairly.
• We tell you when a repair will do. If a sunken panel can be lifted or a scaled surface resurfaced, that option goes on the quote beside replacement.
• We sort out the public part. In the City of Grand Rapids, work on a sidewalk or driveway approach in the right-of-way needs a Sidewalk/Drive Approach Permit pulled under a City Sidewalk Builder's License. Before you sign, we explain how that permit is handled for your address. In the townships and suburbs, we check with the city, township or road commission that has jurisdiction.
• You get a care sheet. Dates for walking, parking and sealing, plus what to use instead of rock salt the first winter.