Concrete Contractor in Sauk Village, IL - Slabs That Drain Away From Your House

It may, and the Village is the one to ask, because its permit list doesn't name driveways or patios. The Community Development Department issues building permits, and its permit guide lists jobs like decks, fences, sheds and grade changes, which can matter when a new slab raises or lowers your yard. The guide calls that list general and points to the Code of Ordinances for the full rules, and work done without a needed permit is subject to fines, so we check with the Village on every job and handle the permit when one is needed.

Yes, every contractor doing work in the Village has to be registered, and that registration is renewed every year. The Village only issues a permit when every contractor on the job is listed on it and registered, so it's worth asking whoever you hire before you sign.

Your driveway's price comes down to its size, what has to come out first and how much base work it needs, so I put a number on it only after I've measured. Breaking out and hauling the old slab adds cost, so does extra digging and packing where the ground is soft, and a stamped or colored finish costs more than a plain broom finish. If something has to give, I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because the base is buried on day one and it's what keeps the slab from settling.

Most cracks and sinking come from what's under the slab and how water moves around it, not from the concrete itself. A base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed settles with the dirt, a slab that falls toward the house sends water underneath, joints cut late let cracks pick their own spots, and a pour in midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top. We dig out and pack the base, check where the water goes, pour early in the day when we can and cut joints on time, which gives a new slab a far better start than the old one had.

You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because curing, the stretch when concrete hardens and gains strength, takes longer than the surface takes to set. How long depends on the mix, the thickness and the weather that week, so plan to park somewhere else for a while and keep heavy trucks off it longest.

Start with the Village's ordinances page, which links to the online Code for Sauk Village. It also lists ordinances the Board of Trustees has passed that aren't in the Code yet, so a newer rule can sit there before it shows up in the Code. If you'd rather not dig through it, I check what applies when I come out to measure.