Concrete Contractor in Duluth, MN - Driveways and Steps Built for the Hill
Duluth Concrete Works is a concrete contractor in Duluth, MN. We build driveways, patios, walks, steps, walls and foundations across the city, and we start with the base and where the water goes before we pour.
Get your Duluth concrete job looked at
I walk the slope, check the drainage and measure up with you on site.
Request an estimateDuluth: hillside lots that send water downhill
Most of Duluth climbs a hill up from Lake Superior, so a lot of the driveways we look at here tip toward the street or back toward the house, and that slope shapes nearly every part of the job. In the older neighborhoods closer to the lake and in the West End, houses sit close together on narrow lots with tight driveways, old front steps and walks that have heaved or sunk over the years. Farther up the hill and out toward Hermantown, the lots get bigger and newer, with longer driveways and garages that need room to drain.
On ground like this, water is always crossing your slab or running under it on its way down. If the base isn't dug out and packed, and the water isn't given somewhere to go, the slab settles and cracks right along with the dirt, so that's where I start.
Working in Duluth: permits, inspections and what drives the price
Building permits here come from the city's Construction Services & Inspections department, and either you or the contractor doing the work is responsible for getting one. If that's not you, the city requires a contractor licensed under Minnesota's rules, so it's fair to ask anyone you're talking to, and yes, we're licensed and insured. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and book the inspections, and if you'd rather apply yourself, I'll tell you what the city will want to see from us. The city inspects permitted work, so the pour waits on the inspection, and that wait, the weather and curing, the time a new slab sits before it can take weight, usually set the schedule.
Price mostly comes down to size, how much old concrete has to come out, how deep we dig for the base and how much grading the slope needs to move water away from the house. Access counts too, because plenty of Duluth driveways come off steep or narrow streets where getting the truck close takes some planning. You get your own figure at the estimate visit, and I'll go through what's in it before we start. We do the same work in Superior and Cloquet and the cities around them, and I'm on site running every job our crew does.
Services in Duluth, MN
Concrete driveway building
Sloped Duluth driveways tend to lose their base and crack across the middle. For concrete driveway building, we dig out, pack the base and pitch the slab away from the garage.
Concrete steps construction
Older houses on the hill often have front steps that have heaved, chipped or pulled away from the porch. We tear out the old steps and form new ones on solid footing.
Concrete retaining walls
Hillside yards here lean on walls to hold back dirt and runoff. We build concrete retaining walls with footings and drainage behind them, so water doesn't push them over.
Foundation raising
Some older Duluth homes have a corner or slab that's sunk as the ground under it shifted. We figure out what moved and why first, then raise it and deal with the cause.
Garage floor concrete
Garage floors take snowmelt and road salt off the car every winter. We pour new floors with a slight fall toward the door so water runs out instead of pooling.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walks on narrow city lots lift and crack where water and roots get under them. We rebuild the base and cut control joints, planned grooves that steer cracks where we want them.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate for your Duluth home
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your place in Duluth myself, look at the job with you and talk through what it needs before I price it. The estimate is free, with no pressure and no obligation.
- Phone
- (218) 514-2182
- Location
- Duluth, MN 55802
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- Credentials
- Licensed and insured.
What Duluth homeowners can count on
We're based in Duluth, MN, and we cover 16 concrete services across 4 service areas. Estimates are free and done in person at your site.
- Based in
- MN
- Duluth
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 4
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Duluth?
Check with the city's Construction Services & Inspections department before work starts, because its permit rules cover building and structure work but don't settle driveways or patios one way or the other. The city's list of residential projects that need permits does name foundation repair, decks and porches. If your job needs one, we pull it and book the inspections.
What happens if concrete work starts before the permit is issued in Duluth?
The city charges an extra fee equal to the permit fee, so you end up paying it twice. Every permitted job also gets inspected, and a permit goes invalid after 180 days with no activity, which is why we book inspections as the work moves along. We wait for the permit before anything gets dug out.
Does a concrete retaining wall in Duluth need a building permit?
Under the city's permit rules, a wall up to four feet high, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, doesn't need a building permit as long as it isn't carrying extra weight from above and isn't holding back certain stored liquids. Exempt walls still have to meet the code and can still need separate permits for parts of the job. I'll measure with you so we know which side of that line your wall lands on.
How do I plan a concrete job near a creek or the lakeshore in Duluth?
Start with the city, because projects near a creek or shoreline, or in a wetland or flood hazard area, may face added rules, permits or approvals. If the job only needs some fill for the base, the city doesn't require a permit for less than 10 cubic yards, as long as the paths water drains along stay clear. I'll look at where the water runs on your lot at the estimate, before the plan is set.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Duluth?
I give you a figure after I've seen your driveway, because size, tear-out, base work and the slope decide most of the cost. A thicker slab, a decorative finish or a steep, tight approach adds to it, while a broom finish, a light texture that keeps tires and boots from slipping, keeps it down. If the budget's tight, cut the fancy finish and keep the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the slab holds up.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack or sink in Duluth?
Most of the time it's the base, dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settles as the ground under it does. On a hill, water finishes the job, and joints cut late or skipped let cracks run wherever they want. We dig to firm ground, pack the subgrade the slab sits on, pitch it away from the house and cut the joints on time so cracks go where we chose.
Service areas
Plan your Duluth concrete job with us
Call (218) 514-2182 or use the form, because one more question before the pour beats living with a problem.