Concrete Contractor in Austin, MN - Driveways, Patios and Steps That Stay Put
Truegrade Owatonna Concrete is a concrete contractor from Owatonna, MN, building driveways, patios, steps, garage floors and foundations for homes and small businesses in Austin, MN. We start with the base you'll never see, because it keeps the slab flat.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Austin concrete jobs and what we usually find
Austin is the county seat of Mower County. Our calls there come from homeowners on established blocks with detached garages and from small business owners who need a lot or an apron redone. It's a short trip down from our base in Owatonna, and we run an Austin job the same way we run one in Albert Lea or any of the other cities around us.
A lot of the concrete we're called to look at is older and has had its day. It's sunk at the garage or cracked along a walk. On those jobs the real work starts below the surface, and how far down we dig depends on what we find once the old slab comes out.
Concrete services we offer Austin homeowners
Older Austin driveways that have sunk at the garage or cracked across the middle usually need tearing out and a new packed base, which we do before pouring.
A patio off the back door works best when it falls slightly away from the house, so rain runs into the yard instead of toward your basement.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, and we put the same work into the base underneath the pattern.
We replace cracked and lifted walks between your door, driveway and garage, and we'll tell you up front if any part of the job touches the city sidewalk.
A garage floor that's cracked, stained or sloped the wrong way can be broken out and repoured with a slight fall toward the door so water drains out.
Colored or textured concrete suits Austin homeowners who want a front walk or patio that matches the house, without giving up a solid base underneath.
On a sloped yard, a poured retaining wall holds the ground back so a patio or driveway has a flat, stable place to sit.
Basement, shop and outbuilding floors get a dug-out, packed base and a smooth troweled top, so the floor is flat enough for shelves, tools or flooring.
Around a pool, we finish the deck with a texture that grips wet feet and slope it so splash water runs off instead of sitting there.
Steps that have pulled away from the house or rock underfoot get replaced with rebar inside, the steel that ties the concrete together, on a firm base.
For a new garage, addition or outbuilding in Austin, we pour the slab foundation level and square, on a base packed firm enough to carry the walls.
When you're building new, we form and pour the foundation walls and plan our work around the inspections so the framing crew can follow.
Small business owners in Austin call us for lots and aprons that have to carry cars and delivery trucks every day without breaking up at the edges.
Footings are the concrete pads that carry porches, decks and additions, and we size and dig them for the load before anything gets built on top.
If part of your house has settled, we look at what's under it first, then raise and support that section so it sits level again.
We saw-cut old slabs for a clean tear-out line, a new doorway or a drain trench, so the concrete you're keeping doesn't crack from the work.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Austin concrete job
We reply within one business day to set a time. Then I come out to Austin, look at the spot and write up your estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure to book.
(507) 599-0098- Based in
- Owatonna, MN 55060
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Working in Austin: permits, licenses and what sets the price
The city's Building Department issues building permits, and the city wants the permit in hand before work begins on building, changing or removing a building or structure, like a garage slab or a house foundation. The city's handout lists grading, excavating, a concrete patio slab with no roof and replacing sidewalk on your own property as work that doesn't need a building permit. An open patio can often go straight to a pour date, while a foundation waits on the city. If your job touches the city sidewalk or the curb and gutter, the city requires a contractor it has licensed. You can check that with the City Clerk's office, which issues those licenses, and every one of them runs out on December 31.
On the state side, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licenses residential building contractors. It requires that license when a contractor working directly for you covers more than one skill area, so ask to see it if your project mixes concrete with framing or other work. We're fully licensed and insured. We check with the city early on every Austin job, and when a permit's needed we help with the paperwork and plan the work around the inspections, the same as we do in Kasson. Your price mostly comes down to the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete and dirt has to come out, how deep the base goes, the reinforcement and the finish. Your schedule depends on the permit, the pour date and curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before you use it. Your estimate gives you your own number.
Why Austin slabs sink, crack and hold water
Most of the tired concrete we see has the same story underneath. The base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled as the dirt did. Nobody checked where the water ran, so now the slab tips toward the house and water pools by the step. We dig down to the subgrade, the firm ground the slab sits on, and pack new base on top. We set the grade so water runs away from your house, and we cut control joints, the planned lines in the surface, so that if the slab cracks, it cracks along a straight line we chose.
Water is the other big reason. Austin can get dangerous flash flooding during or after heavy storms, and in the September 2004 flood, badly damaged foundation walls and basement floors were common. When we pour near the house, we make sure the water has somewhere to go besides your foundation.
What to expect when you hire us for concrete in Austin
Here's how your Austin job runs, from the first call to the day we hand the new concrete back to you.
Call us or send the form
Call (507) 599-0098 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out to Austin. Tell us what's bothering you about the old slab so I know what to look for.
I come out and look
I walk the spot, ask how you'll use it and talk through your options, and it helps if you're home to show me where water sits. You get a written estimate that spells out the prep, the reinforcement and the finish, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
We set permits and pour date
We work out the permit side and a pour date together, so nothing gets scheduled before the city is ready. For a new home, the city takes 15 working days to review the plans, so we set the pour after that review.
We pour, finish and explain care
I'm on site with our crew from building the forms to finishing the surface, and before we leave I go over how to care for the new concrete while it cures. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Questions about concrete work in Austin, MN
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Austin, MN?
Your price comes down to the size of the driveway and how much prep it needs, and your estimate gives you your own number. A broom finish, a light texture dragged across the top so tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or colored work. If the budget's tight, I'd keep the finish simple and leave the base alone, because the base is what keeps the slab from sinking, and you can't fix it later without tearing the slab out.
How do I find out about buried utility lines before concrete work in Austin?
Call Gopher State One Call before any grading or digging starts so the underground utility lines get located. The city's permit handout asks for that call before grading or excavating. Tearing out an old slab and digging a proper base goes deeper than most people expect, so we make sure the lines are marked before we dig.
Which rivers and creeks cause flooding in Austin, MN?
The Cedar River, Turtle Creek and Dobbins Creek are the major sources of flooding in Austin. The city mailed a notice to every address in or next to the 100-year flood plain, the mapped flood area along those streams. If you got that notice, tell me when I come out, because it changes how we grade around the slab and where we send the water.
How long does it take before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Austin?
The longest part of the wait is curing, and you can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it. I'll tell you the wait for your slab before we pour, so you can plan where to park in the meantime. Driving on it too soon is one of the easiest ways to crack a brand-new driveway.
Will my new concrete patio in Austin crack like the old one?
It can still get a hairline crack, because all concrete shrinks a little as it cures. With the packed base and control joints I described above, a crack should follow a joint line instead of wandering across the patio, and the slab shouldn't sink the way the old one did. On driveways and steps, rebar helps hold the pieces together if a crack does show up.
How long is a building permit good for in Austin, MN?
An Austin building permit becomes void if work hasn't started within 180 days. It also becomes void if work stops for 180 days after it starts. That's why we set the pour date close to when the permit comes through, so a foundation or garage slab doesn't run out its permit while it waits.
Owatonna, MN
Get your Austin concrete job on the calendar
A slab that's sinking or holding water by the house is easier to fix before more water gets under it, so call (507) 599-0098 or send the form.