Concrete Contractors in Shirley Hills, GA

Shirley Hills is one of Macon's historic neighborhoods, and concrete contractors working here need to think about more than strength. The district dates to 1922 and is filled with revival-style and Craftsman houses. New concrete has to work well and also look right next to homes that are a century old.

The district

The Shirley Hills Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 and expanded in 2014. The original listing covered about 275 acres, roughly bounded by Senate Place, Parkview Drive, Curry Drive, Briarcliff Road, Nottingham Drive and the Ocmulgee River. Today the district counts 401 contributing buildings. Architect W. Elliott Dunwody designed 10 houses here and Ellamae Ellis League designed seven, and the listed styles include late 19th and 20th century revivals and Bungalow/Craftsman.

What older concrete looks like here

Homes from the 1920s and the decades after often still have some original concrete: front walks, porch steps, curbs along the drive and narrow driveways built for the cars of their time. After a century, common issues include:

• Walks heaved by the roots of mature trees
• Steps that have settled and separated from the porch
• Surfaces worn down until the aggregate shows
• Narrow driveways that no longer fit modern vehicles
• Old patches in mismatched colors

Keeping the look right

On a historic street, a bright white, oversized driveway can stick out. We work to keep new concrete in scale with the house:

Width and layout. If you widen a driveway, we can keep the original line near the street and add width closer to the house, or use a ribbon-style drive with a grass strip.

Finish. A light broom finish or a lightly exposed aggregate suits older homes better than a glossy or heavily patterned surface.

Joints. Joint spacing that echoes the old walks helps new sections blend in.

Color. New concrete starts lighter than old. A tint can help a repair blend with older sections nearby.

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Steps and walks

Old porch steps are a common call. When the steps have settled, we usually remove and rebuild them on a proper base with consistent rise and run, so they are safe to use. Walks lifted by roots need care too. Big old trees are part of what makes the neighborhood, so we look for ways to fix the walk without killing the tree, such as rerouting slightly or bridging over roots with a thicker, reinforced section.

Near the river

The district's edge runs along the Ocmulgee River. Lots that slope toward the river need attention to drainage. We grade new concrete so runoff goes where the yard can absorb it, not toward the house or off the edge of a slab where it can undercut the base.

Driveways built for older cars

Many driveways in 1920s neighborhoods were laid out for small cars and a single-car garage at the back of the lot. Some are two narrow strips of concrete. Some run tight between the house and the property line. Today's vehicles are wider and heavier. When we replace an old drive in Shirley Hills, we check whether the width can grow without crowding the house or the neighbor, and we pour a slab thick enough for modern weights on a proper base. If you want to keep the two-strip look, we can rebuild it that way with reinforced strips and a planted center.

Curing in the shade

Where tall trees shade a Shirley Hills yard, that is good for curing, since the slab dries slowly and evenly. But leaves and seed pods that land on fresh concrete can leave marks. We cover new pours when trees are dropping, and we clean and seal the surface once it has cured so future leaf stains wash off more easily.

Historic district questions

If you are planning visible changes to a home in a historic district, it is worth checking whether any local design review applies before work starts. We can provide drawings, dimensions and finish details for that process. Call (478) 666-0956 to set up a visit in Shirley Hills.