Concrete Questions, Answered

If the job involves digging, yes. In Minnesota, the excavator must notify Gopher State One Call at least 48 hours before digging, not counting the day of notice, weekends and holidays, and no more than 14 days ahead. In Wisconsin, Diggers Hotline needs 3 working days' notice. Whoever does the digging is responsible, so confirm in writing who will place the locate request.

Not always. Minnesota requires a residential building contractor license for companies offering more than one special skill, but exempts specialty contractors that provide only one, and the state lists slabs, poured walls and poured-in-place footings under masonry/concrete. Some cities add their own rule; Cottage Grove says driveway contractors must be licensed. Ask for proof of insurance either way.

Yes. Our providers cover both sides of the St. Croix, and Hudson and River Falls have their own town pages. Wisconsin cities run their own permits, and Wisconsin law requires 3 working days' notice to Diggers Hotline before digging. Give the exact address when you call, and one of our local concrete professionals on that side of the river takes it from there.

A control joint is a groove tooled or sawed into a slab so shrinkage cracks form in a straight line instead of at random. NRMCA guidance spaces joints no more than 24 to 36 times the slab thickness, about 10 feet for a 4-inch slab and 15 feet at most, cut at least a quarter of the slab depth, with panels close to square.

Concrete made with millions of microscopic air bubbles. The bubbles give freezing water room to expand, which protects the slab from freeze-thaw damage and surface scaling. For exterior slabs that will see deicers, industry guidance recommends about 6 percent total air with common three-quarter-inch or one-inch aggregate. Ask for it on the written quote.

Cement is one ingredient: the powder that reacts with water and binds the mix together. Concrete is the finished material made of cement, water, sand and gravel or crushed stone. A cement driveway and a concrete driveway are the same thing, and a quote should describe the concrete, including its strength and air content.

It needs to be cured, which means kept moist and warm enough for its first several days, typically 3 to 7. Contractors use a spray-on curing compound, wet burlap, or plastic sheeting laid flat on the surface, and insulated blankets in cold weather. Ask which method will be used and whether you need to do anything.

One known cause is plastic sheeting used for curing: wrinkles in the plastic can leave dark streaks or a mottled look, which is why plastic is not recommended where appearance matters. Uneven finishing and later patches also show. On a decorative or front-entry slab, ask your technician before the pour how it will be cured.

It depends on the city. Cottage Grove requires driveways and parking pads to sit at least 6 feet from an interior side property line, while Eagan allows a driveway up to the side line but recommends a 5-foot turf strip and notes that most lots have a 5-foot drainage and utility easement there. Check your survey and town guide.

In some cities the cost is yours. Eagan, for example, says that if you build a driveway over an easement with public utilities, you do so at your own risk, and the city will not repair or replace driveway damage caused by utility maintenance. Check the easements on your survey before widening toward a side lot line.

Use the city the property is actually in, which can differ from the city in your mailing address. Your property tax statement or the county's property records name the municipality. Then open that city's town guide; if it has none, call the city hall directly about driveway and right-of-way permits.