Concrete Contractors in Macon, GA

Concrete contractors in Macon work in a climate that is rough on flatwork. Macon sits on the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, where the hills of the Piedmont give way to the flat, sandy Coastal Plain, and the weather here is humid and hot. Normals from Middle Georgia Regional Airport show a July average high of 93.5 degrees and about 83 days a year at 90 degrees or warmer, with around 46 inches of rain. Concrete Contractors Macon builds new flatwork and fixes failing concrete for homes across Macon-Bibb County: driveways, patios, stamped surfaces, walks and slabs.

What heat and rain do to concrete

Concrete gains strength by keeping water inside it while it cures. On a 95-degree afternoon with wind and sun, the surface can dry faster than the slab below it, and that leads to shrinkage cracks and a weak, dusty top layer. So in July and August we start pouring soon after sunrise, and fresh slabs stay wet or sprayed with curing compound through their first several days.

Rain is the other half. With about 46 inches a year, much of it in summer storms, water that runs toward a house or sits on a slab will find any weak spot. Slope matters as much as strength. Every driveway, patio and walk we form is pitched to shed water away from the foundation and off the surface.

Macon also gets real cold snaps. The city averages about 41 nights a year at or below freezing, usually between mid-October and mid-April. That is not northern freeze-thaw, but water trapped in cracks still freezes and widens them over the years, so we fill and seal cracks rather than leave them open.

Older homes, older concrete

According to Census survey data summarized by Point2Homes, the median Macon home was built in 1975, and about 53% of homes went up before 1980. Roughly one in four predates 1960. A lot of the concrete outside those homes is original. When we look at an older driveway or walk here, we usually find some mix of:

• Slabs poured thin over little or no gravel base
• Sections lifted or broken by tree roots
• Settled panels that tip water back toward the house or garage
• Wide cracks, crumbling edges and a worn, rough surface
• Steps and walks that no longer line up

Some of that can be repaired. Some of it should come out. We tell you which, and why.

Trees and concrete

Macon is known for its trees. The city is home to roughly 300,000 to 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees, the reason for its International Cherry Blossom Festival, and older neighborhoods are shaded by oaks and pines too. Roots growing under a slab are one of the most common reasons walks and driveways heave. When we replace concrete near a tree, we look at where the roots run, plan the new layout and joints around them, and talk with you about options before anything is cut.

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What every Macon job includes

• A site visit. We measure, check slope and drainage, look for roots and buried lines, and see how a concrete truck can reach the pour.
• A written, itemized quote. Tear-out, grading, base, thickness, reinforcement, finish, sealing and the total, all on paper.
• Base and forms done right. Compacted gravel base, forms set to the planned slope, and reinforcement where loads call for it.
• Control joints. Cut or tooled at the right spacing so the slab cracks where we want it to, not across the middle.
• Proper curing. Damp curing or curing compound, with clear instructions on when you can walk, park and seal.

Permits in Macon-Bibb County

Macon-Bibb County handles building permits through its Building and Fire Safety department, with Engineering and Public Works as separate offices. Whether your job needs a permit depends on what it is and where it meets the street. We check with the county, or with your town if you are outside Macon, before we schedule the work, so you are not guessing.

What concrete costs

Published national figures are a fair place to start. HomeGuide's driveway guide puts a new concrete drive at $6 to $15 a square foot, and its patio guide puts a plain slab at $4 to $12 a square foot. Stamped concrete runs higher, and repairs can cost a fraction of replacement when the base is sound. Every service page carries its own table, with the guide it came from named underneath. What you actually pay is the number on your written estimate, which reflects your slope, tear-out, access and finish.

Call (478) 666-0956 or ask for a free estimate.

Call (478) 666-0956

Inside Macon-Bibb County we work all over the city, including historic in-town neighborhoods like Pleasant Hill, Shirley Hills and Ingleside, and west out to Lizella near Lake Tobesofkee. Outside the county we pour and repair concrete in Warner Robins, Centerville, Bonaire, Kathleen, Byron, Perry and Fort Valley to the south, Roberta to the west, Forsyth, Bolingbroke and Juliette to the north, Gray and Haddock to the northeast, and Gordon and Jeffersonville to the east. Close to Macon but not on the list? Call and ask.