Garage & Shed Slabs in South Bend, IN

Garage and shed slabs are the floors that everything else sits on. In South Bend, a lot of homes have a detached garage at the back of the lot, many of them as old as the house. Over decades, those floors crack, settle toward a corner, or break up where water comes in under the door every winter. We replace old garage floors, pour slabs for new garages, and build pads for sheds, workshops and other outbuildings.

Replacing an old garage floor

Replacing a floor inside an existing garage is a careful job. The old slab is broken out by hand or with small equipment so the walls and sill plates are not damaged. We check the base and the condition of the foundation or grade beam around the edges. A new compacted gravel base goes in, then reinforcement, then a new slab pitched toward the door so melted snow off the car drains out instead of pooling. The apron at the door is set so the driveway meets the garage floor without a lip.

New detached garage slabs

A new garage needs a slab and an edge that can support the walls. In a frost climate, that usually means a thickened edge or a separate footing, depending on what the building plans and local code call for. A detached garage is a structure that usually needs a building permit, and the plans will set the footing and slab details. We work from those plans and coordinate with your builder or garage kit supplier on anchor bolt placement and dimensions. HomeGuide puts a reinforced two-car garage floor at about $2,400 to $6,900, typically 4 to 6 inches thick.

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Shed and outbuilding pads

A shed sitting on blocks or bare ground in South Bend will rack and shift as the ground freezes and thaws. A concrete pad gives it a flat, stable base and keeps the floor framing out of the wet. HomeGuide notes that most shed slabs are about 4 inches thick and do not usually need reinforcement, and prices a 10 by 10 to 20 by 20 foot shed slab at about $600 to $4,800. We still add wire or rebar when the pad will hold a riding mower, a workshop or heavy storage, and we make the pad slightly larger than the building so water drips onto gravel, not the slab edge.

What makes a slab last

• Firm, compacted base. Soft or organic soil is dug out and replaced with compacted gravel.
• Vapor barrier where needed. Under a heated workshop or a floor that will be coated, a vapor barrier helps control moisture.
• Reinforcement on chairs. Rebar or wire held in the middle of the slab.
• Level or pitched as needed. Shed pads are set level; garage floors pitch to the door.
• Control joints. Saw-cut joints divide the slab so cracks follow them.
• Anchor bolts. Placed where the walls will sit, before the concrete sets.

Signs a garage floor needs replacing

• Wide or shifting cracks with broken pieces
• A floor that slopes toward the back wall or holds water
• Heaving at the door every winter
• Crumbling at the edges where the floor meets the walls
• A large drop between the driveway and the garage floor

After the pour

We tell you when you can set the shed or start framing, and when you can park inside. If you plan to coat the floor later, let it cure fully first. Keep salty slush off a new garage floor in its first winter when you can, and squeegee meltwater out the door.