Concrete Contractor in Highwood, IL

Concrete work in Highwood

Highwood has compact lots and older homes near Fort Sheridan. What that means for concrete here is lake-effect wind and sun that dry slabs out fast, plus salt-heavy winters near the lakefront. We work out of Waukegan, which puts Highwood well inside our normal radius, and because we handle tear-out and the new pour with one crew there is no gap between trades.

What concrete is up against in Highwood

Lake County sits on clay that holds water instead of draining it, and the freeze-thaw cycle here runs from November into March. Add the salt that goes down after every storm and you have the three things that kill concrete. Slabs that survive are air-entrained, poured on a compacted stone base, pitched so water leaves, jointed on a proper grid, and kept off salt through their first winter.

What we see repeatedly in Highwood is salt damage. Driveways and walks that get de-iced every storm and were never sealed, with the top layer flaking off a quarter inch at a time.

• Slabs poured on clay. Most cracked driveways in this county went down on disturbed clay with no compacted stone under them. Clay holds water, water freezes, the slab lifts.
• Road salt damage. De-icing salt accelerates surface scaling badly. New concrete should not see salt through its first winter and should be sealed before the second.
• Freeze-thaw scaling. Water gets into the surface, freezes and lifts the top layer off in flakes. It comes from too much water in the mix, finishing while bleed water is still on the slab, or skipping the air entrainment exterior concrete needs here.
• Water pitched toward the house. A patio or walk sloping the wrong way puts water against the foundation every time it rains and freezes there in January.

Services we offer in Highwood

Every one of these has a page specific to Highwood.

How a Highwood job runs

1. Walk the drive and quoteWe look at how the old slab failed, where water goes, and what the driveway carries, then confirm thickness, reinforcement and finish.
2. Tear out and haulThe old slab is broken out and hauled off, along with the failed base underneath it.
3. Excavate and compactDown past disturbed material, graded stone in, compacted in lifts.
4. Form and reinforceForms set to the drainage slope. Rebar or mesh on chairs, not on the ground.
5. Pour, finish, jointPlaced, screeded, floated and finished. Control joints cut the same day.
6. Cure and cleanCured to the weather, edges cleaned, debris gone. We tell you when to walk it and when to drive it.

What we check before quoting in Highwood

• Access. Whether a truck can back up to the work or everything moves by buggy and wheelbarrow. On the tighter lots around Highwood that is half the labor.
• What is under the slab. If the base was never compacted it has to come out, not get covered over.
• Where the water goes. Grade, downspouts and yard drainage.
• Public way. Aprons and walk sections usually need a permit and have to meet village spec.
• What it carries. A work truck, boat trailer or RV means thicker concrete and more steel.
• Disposal. Concrete is priced out by weight, and an honest quote includes the haul.

Before we arrive

• Clear vehicles, trailers and anything stored on the slab the night before
• Leave an outside spigot reachable
• Mark any private irrigation, invisible fence or low-voltage lighting lines in the work area
• Plan for no vehicle access across the work for about a week after the pour
• Keep pets and kids off fresh concrete until we say it is ready
• If a village permit is involved, allow time for it before the pour date

Nearby towns

We are also regularly in Highland Park, Deerfield, Bannockburn, Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. Highwood is inside Lake County and we cover the whole county from Waukegan. No trip charge. The full list is on the areas page.

Highwood FAQ