Concrete Contractors in Southgate, MI

Southgate is Taylor's neighbor to the east, and the concrete questions we hear there are very consistent. The city covers 6.875 square miles, all land, about 14 miles southwest of downtown Detroit, and it had 30,014 residents and 14,053 housing units in 2020. Because most of the city was built in one burst, homeowners calling concrete contractors in Southgate are often replacing original driveways, walks and patios that are now 60 to 75 years old. We do full driveway and apron replacements, new patios and stamped concrete, walks and steps, garage slabs, and repair of sunken or broken sections.

One building wave

Wikipedia notes that Southgate's street grids were platted starting in the 1920s, but most development came just after World War II. The city incorporated on October 8, 1958, after years as part of Ecorse Township, and the Southgate Shopping Center opened in 1957. The census shows 29,404 people in 1960 and a peak of 33,909 in 1970.

That timing tells you what to expect on a typical street. Many houses are modest ranches and bungalows on regular lots, with a single or double driveway to a garage and a short front walk to the stoop. Original concrete from the 1950s was often poured thinner than we would pour today and without air entrainment, so it scales and crumbles after years of salt. When a slab has reached that point, replacement is the honest answer.

The Old Homestead and the east side

Wikipedia lists the Old Homestead neighborhood on the east side as one of the city's oldest residential areas. Houses there and along the streets near Fort Street, which forms most of the eastern boundary with Wyandotte, tend to have the oldest walks and stoops in town. Front steps that have pulled away from the porch, and walks that have cracked into several pieces, are common. We pour replacement steps with the right rise and run, and front walks with a clean broom finish and joints spaced so cracks stay controlled.

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Flat ground means planned drainage

Southgate sits at about 590 feet on level lakeplain ground, with no water area inside city limits. That sounds easy, but flat ground means water has nowhere to go unless the concrete sends it there. We set each slab with a slight pitch toward the street or yard, keep downspouts from draining onto patios, and build a compacted stone base so water under the slab can move instead of freezing in place.

Our Southgate services

• Driveways: tear-outs and replacements, wider drives, new aprons
• Patios: backyard slabs and patio extensions
• Stamped concrete: patterned patios and front walks
• Sidewalks and steps: front walks, stoops and replacement steps
• Garage and shed slabs: garage floors and shed pads
• Repair and replacement: heaved panels, trip edges and failed steps

The 30-acre Southgate Nature Center behind Anderson High School is a reminder that some neighborhoods back onto wooded, wetter ground. We check site conditions on every visit. Call (313) 351-8654 to schedule an estimate.