Concrete Contractors in Gaines Township, MI

Gaines Charter Township lies directly south of Kentwood, and concrete contractors in Gaines Township see the same story on street after street: farmland turned into subdivisions, with homes that now need patios, wider drives and replacement concrete. The township had 25,146 residents in 2010 and 28,812 in 2020, across about 35.8 square miles. It borders Kentwood to the north, Byron Township to the west, Caledonia to the east and Allegan County's Leighton Township to the south, and its elevation is about 817 feet.

Named for a New York town

Alexander Clark and Alexander L. Bouck first settled the area in 1837. The township was named in 1846 after Gaines, New York, the birthplace of many early settlers, and was officially established in 1848. In the southwest, Cody's Mills, a steam-powered grist mill and sawmill, went up in 1866, and Corinth was platted in 1871. Dutton, centered at Dutton Avenue and 68th Street, was first settled in 1870. Gainesville, a station on the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, had a post office from 1856 to 1871.

Today, most of the township's homes are much newer than those early settlements, built on subdivision lots or on larger parcels carved out of old farms.

Higher, rolling ground

At around 817 feet, Gaines is well above the Grand River towns, and its land is generally better drained. That helps, but it does not replace good preparation. New-construction lots often have loose backfill around the foundation, and a patio poured on that fill can settle and pull away from the house. We dig through loose material to firm soil, compact crushed gravel in lifts and slope every slab away from the house.

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What Gaines homeowners ask for

• Patios: first patios and patio expansions behind newer homes, broom-finish or stamped
• Driveways: replacing worn drives on older homes and widening newer ones for extra vehicles
• Side pads: parking for trailers, boats and campers next to the garage
• Walks and steps: paths to side doors and back gates, steps and landings at patio doors
• Outbuildings: pole barn floors, detached garage slabs and shed pads on larger lots
• Repairs: single sunken or lifted panels replaced to match

Three school districts, many neighborhoods

Caledonia Community Schools serves most of the township, Byron Center Public Schools covers the west side and Kentwood Public Schools the northwest corner. Part of the Cutlerville census area also reaches into the northwest. Those lines roughly match how the township grew, with older homes near the Kentwood and Cutlerville edges and newer subdivisions farther south and east.

Ready for West Michigan winters

The Grand Rapids area averages about 75 inches of snow a year with around 138 nights below freezing. Each exterior slab we pour uses air-entrained concrete, control joints at sensible spacing and a finish that grips in the snow. We recommend a penetrating sealer once the concrete has cured, and sand rather than rock salt the first winter.

Old roads, new streets

Gaines is a survey township, and its older roads follow the straight mile grid common to Michigan townships, while newer streets curve through subdivisions between them. Homes on the old roads often have long drives and detached outbuildings; homes in the subdivisions have shorter, wider drives and small rear slabs. We plan each job around which of those two worlds your house belongs to.

Call (616) 727-8573 to set up a visit. Gaines Charter Township handles building and zoning questions, and we check what your project needs before we schedule the pour.