Concrete Contractors in Kentwood, MI

Kentwood is one of the younger cities in Kent County, and most of the work we do as concrete contractors in Kentwood involves homes built after the city was formed. Kentwood incorporated in 1967 from what remained of Paris Township, after several tries driven partly by annexations into Grand Rapids. It had 20,310 residents in 1970 and 54,304 in 2020, and the 2020 census counted 22,269 housing units. That growth produced a lot of driveways, patios and walks in a few decades, and much of that concrete is now 30 to 50 years old.

What 30 to 50 years of Michigan winters do

The Grand Rapids area averages around 75 inches of snow a year, and Wikipedia's climate figures for the city show about 138 nights a year below freezing. Each freeze and thaw works on any water that has soaked into a slab. On Kentwood driveways from the 1970s and 1980s we often find:

• Scaled or flaking surfaces where de-icing salt sat on the concrete
• A cracked apron where snowplows and the street meet the drive
• A low panel by the garage where the base washed out
• Front walks with a lifted edge that catches a shoe

When the damage is spread across the slab, replacement beats patching. When it is limited to one or two panels and the base is sound, we can cut those out and replace them.

Plaster Creek and the gypsum ground

Plaster Creek is the largest creek in the Kentwood area, and the name was even considered for the city. The ground under part of the city was mined: Georgia-Pacific ran the Kentwood gypsum mine from 1971 to 2000. Most homeowners never see any sign of that, but the creek valleys do have softer, wetter soils than the higher ground. Kentwood sits at about 738 feet, higher than downtown Grand Rapids, and lots on rising ground drain more easily than lots near the creek. We look at where water goes on your lot before we set the grade of a new patio or drive.

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Subdivision lots and HOA rules

A lot of Kentwood neighborhoods were laid out as subdivisions with homeowners associations or deed restrictions. Some limit driveway width, parking pads or the color of decorative concrete. If you have HOA guidelines, send them before the estimate and we will design the patio, walk or drive to fit. Stamped concrete in a slate or ashlar pattern is a common request for backyard patios here, and a plain broom finish remains the most practical choice for driveways that see a lot of salt.

Trails, parks and walks

The Paul Henry Rail Trail runs from 44th Street and Kalamazoo to 60th Street and Wing Avenue, and the East-West Trail runs from Division to Breton. Many homeowners near them want a side-yard walk or a wider path to the back gate. Walks need the same care as a driveway, with a compacted base, control joints at the right spacing and a slight cross slope so water does not sit on them and freeze.

Repair or replace?

Kentwood owners often ask whether a mudjacking or foam lift will save a sunken panel. Lifting can work when a slab is still in one piece and simply dropped, for example a walk panel next to the garage. It does not fix scaling, wide cracks or a slab broken into several pieces. In those cases we quote replacement of the affected panels, and we tell you plainly if the rest of the slab is close behind.

Call (616) 727-8573 to book a visit anywhere in Kentwood. We check with the City of Kentwood whether your project needs a permit, especially for work that reaches the street, curb or public sidewalk.