Concrete Contractors in Mishawaka, IN

Homeowners looking for concrete contractors in Mishawaka usually have one of two jobs in mind: a tired driveway, or a backyard that needs a patio. We handle both, along with steps, walks, garage floors and repair work. Mishawaka sits on the St. Joseph River, covers 18.25 square miles and had 51,063 residents at the 2020 census. Settlers founded St. Joseph Iron Works here in 1831 to mine bog iron, and by Wikipedia's account it was incorporated in 1833 together with Indiana City and two other small neighboring towns.

Know where your property line is

In Mishawaka the strip between your yard and the street matters. The city's Engineering Department issues permits for work in the public right-of-way, and its list includes drive approaches and curb and sidewalk replacements. It also publishes standard drawings for approaches and for curbs, curb ramps and sidewalks. That means the part of your driveway between the public sidewalk and the street, and the public walk itself, are built to city standards, not just to whatever looks right.

The city also runs a 50/50 Curb and Sidewalk Replacement program. Per its page, the city splits the cost of repairs with the homeowner for the sidewalk in front of the home, the driveway approach in the right-of-way and the curb next to it. Engineering staff first decide whether the request can be done, you get a cost estimate from the city's contractor, and the work is scheduled after your half is paid. The city's own contractor does that work.

So here is how we fit in. If your public walk and apron qualify, the city program may be the way to go for that piece. We pour everything on your side of the line: the driveway from the approach back to the garage, the walk from the sidewalk to the door, porch steps, patios and slabs. If you would rather have the whole front of the lot done at once, we check with Engineering on what permits the right-of-way piece needs before we price it.

Old neighborhoods and new subdivisions

Mishawaka grew in stages. Wikipedia says manufacturing in the city peaked in the 1940s, when the Ball Band works of the Mishawaka Woolen and Rubber Company was flourishing; Ball Band finally closed in 1997. The city keeps traditional neighborhoods across town, with the Battell Park and Normain Heights historic districts on the National Register. Newer subdivisions adopted design guidelines meant to give them a hometown feel, and University Park Mall opened in the far north of the city in 1979.

Concrete in the two kinds of neighborhood tends to wear out differently. On the older streets, narrow drives, walks lifted by tree roots and steps that have pulled away from porches are typical. In newer subdivisions, shrinkage cracks, a garage apron that has dropped where backfill settled and salt scaling from slush off tires are more likely.

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Patios for a renter-heavy city

Census QuickFacts lists Mishawaka's owner-occupied rate at 49.3 percent for 2020 to 2024, so about half of homes here are rentals. Landlords tend to want a plain, durable broom-finish slab that needs little care. Owners staying for the long haul more often ask about stamped concrete, a colored border or a larger patio with a step down from the back door. Either way, we set the slab on a compacted gravel base, slope it away from the house and cut control joints so it cracks where we plan.

Services we offer in Mishawaka

• Concrete driveways with proper base and thickness for daily cars
• Concrete patios and stamped concrete for back yards
• Sidewalks & steps on the private side of the property line
• Garage & shed slabs for detached garages and storage buildings
• Concrete repair & replacement when only part of a slab has failed

Call (574) 475-3419 for a free estimate, and tell us if you are also working with the city program so we can plan around it.