Concrete Contractors in Colorado Springs, CO

Elite Concrete Contractors Colorado Springs builds and repairs driveways, patios, stamped concrete, walks and steps, garage floors and RV pads for homeowners in Colorado Springs and the towns around it. Good concrete contractors in Colorado Springs plan for two things most other places can ignore. The ground under many Front Range lots contains clay that swells when it gets wet and shrinks when it dries, and the city sits at the foot of Pikes Peak at about 6,000 feet, where winter nights are cold and the sun is strong. A slab that is not built for both tends to crack, lift or flake within a few seasons.

What makes concrete fail here

Swelling soil. The Colorado Geological Survey describes expansive soil as Colorado's most significant geologic hazard, says some clays can expand up to 20 percent by volume when wet, and estimates the damage it causes at billions of dollars a year. Its list of the most common warning signs reads like a concrete repair list: cracked and heaved sidewalks, patios, driveways and garage floor slabs. The survey also names the usual accelerants: poor surface drainage, irrigation water reaching the soil near slabs and foundations, and letting clay dry out too much before pouring.

Freeze-thaw. On Wikipedia's 1991 to 2020 climate table for Colorado Springs, January averages a high of 45 degrees and a low of 18.5, and snowfall averages 32.5 inches a year. That means many days that thaw in the afternoon and freeze again at night. Water that soaks into a concrete surface expands when it freezes, and over many cycles the top layer flakes off.

Strong sun. Wikipedia's article also counts about 243 sunny days a year. Bright sun and dry air pull water out of fresh concrete quickly, so curing has to be managed, not left to chance.

How we build against it

• Soft or organic soil removed and a base compacted beneath every slab
• Grade set so water leaves the slab and moves away from the house
• Downspouts and sprinkler spray kept off slab edges
• Thickness matched to load, from 4 inches for foot traffic to 5 or 6 inches where RVs and heavy vehicles park
• Air-entrained concrete on exterior work, with joints cut on a planned grid
• Curing protected from sun, wind and early freezes

For a large new slab on a lot with known swelling soil, a soils report or engineered design can be the right first step, and we will tell you when we think it is.

A city of 1970s to 2000s homes

Point2Homes, summarizing 2019 to 2023 Census survey data, puts the median build year for Colorado Springs housing at 1986. About a third of the city's homes went up in the 1970s and 1980s, another 28 percent in the 1990s and 2000s, and about 16 percent since 2010. Only about 5 percent date to 1939 or earlier. The city's history runs deepest in its historic districts, including the Old North End, Weber-Wahsatch and Boulder Crescent Place, and in Old Colorado City, which was organized as its own town in 1859.

For concrete, that age mix matters. Original driveways and patios on 1970s and 1980s houses have been through 35 to 50 winters, and many have heaved, settled or flaked. Slabs at 1990s and 2000s homes are now reaching the age when aprons crack, panels near the garage drop and surfaces start to wear. Newer homes tend to need additions rather than replacements: a wider driveway, an RV pad or a bigger patio.

The public right-of-way has its own rules

The concrete between your property and the street is not entirely yours. According to the City of Colorado Springs' permit types page, a concrete permit is required for new or repaired sidewalk, curb, gutter and other concrete in the city right-of-way, the contractor must be licensed, bonded and insured, and a general contractor license does not cover right-of-way work. A new second driveway or a modified curb cut also goes through the city's Driveway Cut Application, which is reviewed by City Engineering and Traffic before the concrete permit is issued. The city's application lists a 24-foot maximum width for low-density residential driveways and asks for a scaled drawing. Outside city limits, El Paso County Development Services handles access. On every quote we mark where your private slab ends and the right-of-way begins.

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Our six services

• Concrete driveways: replacements, widening, aprons and parking pads.
• Concrete patios: broom, colored and exposed-aggregate patios with connecting paths.
• Stamped concrete: flagstone, slate, brick and plank patterns for patios, entries and borders.
• Sidewalks and steps: entry walks, side paths, stoops and formed steps.
• Garage floors and RV pads: garage slab replacement, camper and trailer pads, shed and shop slabs.
• Concrete repair and leveling: lifting, crack sealing, resurfacing and panel replacement.

How a project moves

Site visit. We measure and note everything that moves the price: what has to come out, slope, soil, drainage, access for the ready-mix truck and any HOA rules.

The quote. Written and itemized. When a repair is a real option, it is priced beside the replacement.

Prep. Removal, digging out soft soil, base compaction and forms set to grade.

Pour day. Reinforcement, placing, finishing and joints, with the cure protected from sun and wind.

Afterward. Written dates for walking, parking and sealing. HomeGuide's driveway guide says foot traffic is fine after 24 to 48 hours, cars after at least a week, and heavy vehicles after about 30 days.

When to pour

Most exterior concrete around Colorado Springs goes in from spring through fall. Wikipedia notes that March is the city's snowiest month and that most of its heaviest single-day snowfalls have come between March and May, so an early spring pour needs a watchful eye on the forecast. Summer brings brief afternoon thunderstorms, especially in July and August, which can mean an early start on pour day. A late-fall pour can work when nights stay above freezing, sometimes with insulated blankets over the slab. Call (719) 748-6441 and we will tell you plainly whether now or a few weeks from now is the better time for your job.

Most of our work is in Colorado Springs itself, from the older west side and downtown neighborhoods out to the newer subdivisions on the north and east sides. We also work in the towns around it: Fountain and Security-Widefield to the south, Cimarron Hills and Falcon to the east, Black Forest, Monument and Woodmoor to the north, and Manitou Springs and Woodland Park to the west. Each town page notes what we found about that community and who handles permits there, since addresses inside city limits, in unincorporated El Paso County and in separate towns follow different rules. Wherever you are, ask any contractor you call whether their price separates your private slab from concrete in the public right-of-way.