When a concrete project is done right, you barely notice it. The sidewalk drains. The driveway approach lines up cleanly with the curb. The slab is flat enough that a chair doesn't wobble on it ten years later. When it's done wrong, you notice every single day — and you usually pay twice to fix it.
This guide walks through the concrete services we install on residential and commercial sites: what each one is, when you need it, and what separates a good install from one that cracks, settles, or fails inspection. If you're scoping a project — whether that's a backyard slab or a full commercial flatwork package — this is the menu.
Residential Sidewalks (4" Thick)
A standard residential sidewalk is 4 inches of 4,000 PSI concrete over a compacted road base, reinforced with wire mesh or fiber, and saw-cut at regular control joints to manage shrinkage cracks. Width is typically 36 to 48 inches for a front walk, wider for a service walk to a side gate.
The two things homeowners underestimate: base prep and control joints. Skip either and you get a sidewalk that heaves in the first freeze cycle. We form, base, pour, and finish to a light broom texture for slip resistance.
Commercial ADA Sidewalks
Commercial sidewalks have to clear ADA requirements — and that means cross-slope. The maximum is 2% (about 1/4 inch per foot), and inspectors actually measure it. Running slope generally maxes out at 5% before you trip ramp requirements. We pour to spec with the right detectable warning panels at curb cuts and the right thickness (typically 4–6 inches depending on the path of travel and any anticipated maintenance vehicle loading).
If your project is a commercial site upgrade, accessibility retrofit, or new-build, this is the line item on the bid. We've handled the cross-slope spec on tight-radius walks where contractors have come back to redo it twice.
Slab on Grade — 4" (Light Duty)
A 4-inch slab on grade is the standard for sheds, hot tub pads, light residential applications, and small interior pads. Done right, it includes a vapor barrier on residential interior pads, a properly compacted aggregate base, and either rebar grid or fiber reinforcement.
The 4-inch slab is the right call for: shed floors, hot tub pads, AC unit pads, and small accessory structures.
Slab on Grade — 6" (Heavy Duty)
When the slab is going to see vehicle loads — RV pads, garage extensions, equipment pads in commercial yards — you go to 6 inches with #4 rebar at 16" on center. The base prep gets more attention too: deeper road base, sometimes a stabilized subgrade.
The 6-inch slab is the right call for: RV parking pads, detached garage floors, commercial equipment pads, dumpster pads, and any slab that will see loaded trucks.
Driveway Approach
The driveway approach is the section of concrete from the back of curb to the property line — the piece the city or county usually has jurisdiction over. It almost always requires a permit and an inspection because it ties into public right-of-way drainage.
We handle the permit pull, match existing curb height and gutter line, and pour to municipal spec (which varies — some cities require 6-inch minimum, others want #4 rebar, others will accept fiber). If your existing approach is cracked, settled, or damaged from a utility cut, this is the line item.
Curb & Gutter — Hand-Formed
Hand-formed curb and gutter is the right answer for short runs, tight radii, retrofits, and anywhere a slipform machine can't get to. Typical sections include 6-inch barrier curb and 24" combination curb and gutter. We form, pour, and tool the gutter line so water actually moves the direction it's supposed to.
Curb & Gutter — Slipform Machine
For longer runs — subdivision streets, commercial site work, parking lot perimeters — the slipform machine is faster, more consistent, and cleaner. The key trade-off is access: you need a clean stringline and enough room for the machine to track. When the run is long enough, this is by far the better install.
Standalone Curb — 6" Barrier
A 6-inch barrier curb on its own (no gutter) is common around parking islands, planter beds, and as wheel stops at the back of parking stalls. It's a simpler form, usually poured against an existing edge.
Valley Gutter
A valley gutter is the dished concrete section that channels water across a driveway or intersection — a cross-drain that doesn't require a piped storm system. Properly sloped, it carries flow without ponding. Improperly sloped, it puddles and ices over.
Manhole Raise / Adjust
When a parking lot or roadway gets resurfaced, the existing manhole castings have to come up to the new finished elevation. We adjust frames with grade rings and concrete collars, set them flush, and finish around them. Same applies to sanitary cleanouts in the path of new work.
Valve Box Raise / Adjust
Water valve boxes in driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots need to sit at exact finished grade — too high and tires hit them, too low and water collects. We adjust to grade and pour the concrete collar that locks them in.
Catch Basin / Inlet Adjust
Storm drain inlets in flatwork need their cast-iron grates set at the right elevation and pitched correctly toward the inlet. Wrong elevation = ponding water and a callback. We bring the throat up or down to match the new pour and finish concrete to the grate edge.
Cleanout / Monument Adjust
Sewer cleanouts, survey monuments, and other in-pavement utilities all need the same treatment when grade changes — adjusted to flush and locked in with a concrete collar.
Concrete Stairs — Formed
Formed concrete stairs are a permanent, low-maintenance alternative to wood stairs and a code-compliant solution for grade transitions on commercial sites. We form risers and treads to consistent dimensions (the building code is strict about riser variance — 3/8 inch maximum from largest to smallest in a flight), tie in landings, and finish to a non-slip texture.
Equipment Pad / Footing
Generators, transformers, HVAC condensers, and other equipment usually require a formed concrete pad or footing — sized, reinforced, and elevated above grade per the equipment manufacturer's spec. We pour to drawing, set anchor bolts on template, and check for level before signing off.
Sidewalk Demo
Existing concrete sidewalks come out in panels — saw-cut clean lines, break out with a skidsteer-mounted breaker or jackhammer, haul to a clean fill or recycling yard. Doing the demo cleanly matters because it determines how well the new pour ties into adjacent panels that stay.
Curb Demo
Curb demolition is similar — saw-cut, break out, haul. The trick is breaking out the curb without damaging the asphalt or pavement that's staying behind. We score, isolate, and remove cleanly so the patch is a clean joint instead of a feathered repair.