Concrete Removal & Demolition in Waukegan, IL

Sometimes the concrete just has to go, whether or not anything replaces it. A driveway coming out for landscaping, a shed pad nobody wants, a cracked patio being converted back to lawn, a slab in the way of an addition.

We break out and haul concrete across Lake County and Kenosha County. Breaking it is straightforward. Getting it off the site and disposed of properly is the part that costs money, and it is the part vague quotes leave out.

What comes out

Driveways, aprons, walks, patios, steps and stoops, garage and shed pads, small foundations and footings, and the failed base material underneath when a new pour is going in.

If a new slab is going in afterward, removing the old base is not optional. Pouring on top of failed base is how the new slab ends up cracking along the old lines.

Disposal is priced by weight

Concrete is heavy and tipping fees are charged by the ton. A four-inch residential driveway runs a lot heavier than most people expect once it is broken up.

An honest quote includes the haul and the tipping fee. A quote that does not is a quote with a change order built into it.

Clean concrete is recyclable, and we separate for recycling where the facility takes it, which keeps disposal cost down.

Protecting the site

Breaking concrete next to a lawn, a fence, a septic field or a neighbor's drive means protection goes down first and equipment routes get planned. Rutting a lawn with a loaded machine is avoidable and we plan around it.

Where access is tight, the work is hand-guided breaker and wheelbarrow rather than machine, which is slower and gets priced that way rather than discovered halfway through.

Restoration after removal

If nothing is replacing the concrete, the void has to be backfilled and graded so it does not become a low spot that collects water. We backfill with suitable material, compact, and grade to drain.

Topsoil and seed for a return to lawn is straightforward to include if you want the area finished rather than just cleared.

How we run a concrete removal job

1. Scope and accessWhat is coming out, what is staying, and how material leaves the site.
2. ProtectLawn, drives, fences and landscaping protected before anything is broken.
3. Break outMachine or hand-guided breaker depending on access and what is next to it.
4. Remove base where neededIf a new slab is going in, the failed base comes out too.
5. Load and haulLoaded and hauled, separated for recycling where the facility allows.
6. Backfill and gradeVoids backfilled, compacted and graded to drain. Site left clean.

What affects the price

• Square footage, thickness and whether the slab is reinforced
• Access: open yard versus a tight side lot
• Disposal weight and tipping fees
• Whether the base underneath also comes out
• Protection required for lawn, fences and neighboring property
• Backfill, grading and restoration

See the pricing page for how we quote, or send photos and a rough size for a real number.

Why concrete fails in Lake County

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.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Control joints cut late or shallow. Concrete is going to crack. Joints decide where. Cut at the wrong depth or a day late and the slab picks its own line across the middle.
• 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.
• Settled and heaved sections. Where the slab is sound but has dropped, lifting or a single section replacement costs a fraction of a full tear-out.

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

Concrete removal across the area

We do this work throughout Lake County and up into Kenosha County. A lot of it lands in Third Lake, Long Grove and Silver Lake, and we are regularly in Beach Park and Lincolnshire too.

Related work: Concrete driveways, Concrete patios and Stamped concrete. See all services or the full service area.

Concrete removal FAQ