Concrete Contractors in Dickeyville, WI

Concrete Contractors in Dickeyville work in a village that incorporated in 1947 and nearly quadrupled over the next two decades, from 269 people at the 1950 census to 1,057 by 1970. It had 1,015 in 2020. The village sits roughly halfway between Platteville and Dubuque, about ten miles from each, and its own website notes that many villagers commute to work in those cities. Two highways, U.S. 151 and the combined U.S. 61 and Wisconsin 35, come together at the village.

Concrete made into art

Dickeyville's most famous structure is concrete. The Dickeyville Grotto was the work of Father Mathias Wernerus, Holy Ghost Parish's pastor, through the 1920s, mostly from concrete covered with shells, stones, tiles, glass, gems and geodes donated by parishioners. It was renovated from 1995 to 1997. It is a reminder that well-made concrete can last a century when water is managed and the work is maintained.

Mid-century houses, mid-century slabs

That postwar jump in population came with a wave of new houses, so a lot of the original concrete is now sixty years old or more. What that typically looks like:

• A single-car driveway that no longer fits a two-car household
• A small front stoop that has settled and separated from the house
• Walks cracked into pieces with uneven edges
• A garage floor that slopes the wrong way or has sunk in the center

A household that now owns two or three cars often wants a parking pad beside the old drive, or a wider drive altogether.

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Commuter driveways

When most households drive to Dubuque or Platteville every day, the driveway works hard. Cars bring in salt and slush from U.S. 151 and U.S. 61 all winter. We use air-entrained concrete, a broom finish and a pitch that moves meltwater off the slab. For widening, we saw-cut the old edge and dowel the new section to it so the two stay level.

Stoops and steps

A settled stoop is a trip hazard and often lets water run toward the foundation. We replace it on a firm base with a slight fall away from the door and even risers on any steps.

Patios

Backyards on these postwar lots usually have space for a patio. Broom, color or stamping all suit them, and each gets a fall away from the wall and a separation strip where it meets the house.

After the pour

Stay off a new driveway with vehicles for about a week. Through the first winter, spread sand instead of rock salt. Then seal the cured slab: keeping salt water out of the surface is the single biggest thing you can do for its lifespan.

Holy Ghost and the village center

The Grotto stands in the heart of the village beside Holy Ghost Parish, and it was renovated between 1995 and 1997. Homes near the center are among the older ones in town and tend to have narrow walks and small stoops close to the street. Replacing those means working on tight frontage, often with the public walk only a few feet from the door, so we plan forms and access so neighbors and pedestrians can still get by.

Garage floors from the same era

Garages from the village's postwar building years, after incorporation in 1947, often have floors that have taken decades of salty slush dripping off cars. Typical signs are a flaking surface near the door, a crack across the middle and a low spot at the back where water sits. A floor that is cracked but level can sometimes be patched and sealed; one that has sunk is broken out, rebased and poured again with a fall toward the overhead door.

Permits

Aprons and other street-side work wait until the village tells us what permit applies.