Concrete Contractors in Gosport, IN

Gosport is small but tightly built, and concrete contractors who work here need to be comfortable in close quarters. The town covers about 0.37 square miles, and its 842 residents in 2020 come to roughly 2,245 people per square mile. Platted in 1829, it takes its name from early settler Ephraim Goss. It sits at about 696 feet and belongs to the Bloomington metropolitan area.

A historic town

The Gosport Historic District joined the National Register in 2013. It covers 11.33 acres and 40 contributing buildings that went up from around 1835 to 1952, including Italianate, Classical Revival and Craftsman bungalow designs. Concrete around houses that age has usually been patched, replaced piecemeal or left alone for decades. Typical problems on those lots:

• Front steps that have separated from the porch
• Walks with sections lifted by tree roots
• Narrow driveways or alley pads that have broken up
• Basement and cellar entry steps that have crumbled

Working on a small lot

On a dense street, a concrete pour takes planning. Before pour day we figure out:

• Where the truck can park without blocking neighbors
• Whether we need a pump or buggies to reach the back of the lot
• How to protect lawns, fences and siding near the forms
• Where to put the broken-out concrete before it is hauled away

That keeps the job tidy and quick.

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Matching a period house

A bright new gray walk can look out of place in front of a Craftsman or Italianate house. A few ways to soften the look: a broom finish instead of a slick trowel, tooled edges and joints that match the old pattern, or tinted concrete that tones down the gray. For a patio in back, stamped concrete in a brick or cobblestone pattern can suit an older home.

Repair versus replacement

We look at each piece of old concrete separately. Sound slabs with small cracks can be sealed. Panels that have lifted or sunk at a joint can be cut out and replaced on their own. Steps that are crumbling or pulling away from the house are usually replaced, since patches on old, weak concrete tend to pop off.

Working with neighbors close by

On a street this dense, the house next door may be a few feet from the forms. We keep tools, forms and debris on your side of the line, and we plan concrete washout so it never runs onto a neighbor's lot or into the street drain. If a shared walk or drive needs work, we can price it so both owners see the same scope.

A step-by-step look at a walk replacement

Most Gosport jobs follow the same order: 1. Mark the panels to remove and saw-cut clean edges at the joints 2. Break out and haul away the old concrete 3. Dig out soft soil and any roots that caused the lifting 4. Place and compact crushed stone 5. Set forms, check the slope and place reinforcement where needed 6. Pour, finish with a broom texture and tool the joints and edges 7. Cure the new concrete and remove the forms

A few walk panels usually take a day to remove and pour, plus curing time before heavy use. Steps take longer because of the forming.

Garage and shed slabs

Detached garages on older lots often sit on thin floors that have cracked and dropped. The old floor is broken out, the base rebuilt and a new reinforced slab poured. A new shed gets a level pad cut to the building's footprint. Call (812) 286-8782 for an estimate in Gosport.