Concrete Contractors in Centerville, OH

Centerville spells out its permit rules plainly, and as concrete contractors we start every Centerville job there. The city of 24,240 people (2020 census) had 11,675 housing units, about 70 percent of them owner-occupied, and those owners need the right paperwork before a driveway apron, a sidewalk square or a new patio goes in.

What the city says about permits

The City of Centerville's Permits, Forms and Licenses page states that zoning permits are required for most home improvement projects, and it lists patios among them. It also states that right-of-way permits are required for any work within an easement or in the public right-of-way, and it gives driveway apron replacement and sidewalk repair as examples. Right-of-way questions go through the Public Works Department, which also publishes construction specifications for sidewalks, curb ramps and curbing.

In practice that means: 1. A new or larger patio needs a zoning permit before we pour. 2. A driveway apron at the street, or a sidewalk square along it, needs a right-of-way permit. 3. A driveway on your own lot that stops short of the right-of-way still gets checked, because aprons are usually part of the same job.

We confirm which of these apply before scheduling, and build to the city's published specifications where they apply.

A town with deep roots

Centerville was surveyed in 1796, platted in 1805, incorporated as a town in 1830 and became a city on December 2, 1968. Early settlers replaced their log houses with homes built of local limestone, and at one point nearly 100 stone buildings lined the streets. Wikipedia credits Centerville with the largest collection of early stone houses in Ohio, many of them on the National Register of Historic Places, and many still standing in the area known as the Heart of Centerville.

For concrete, the historic core calls for restraint. A new walk or step beside a limestone house should not shout. We often suggest a simple broom finish with a tooled edge, or a muted stamped texture in a stone color, instead of a bright pattern.

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Outside the historic core

Beyond the historic core, Centerville's neighborhoods have homes with attached garages, driveways and back patios. The work we see there:

• Concrete driveways with a cracked apron or settled panels at the garage
• Concrete patios being enlarged or replaced, often with stamped concrete for a finished look
• Sidewalks and steps along the street, which fall under the right-of-way rules
• Garage and shed slabs for backyard storage buildings
• Concrete repair and replacement for single failed sections

Weather and water

Wikipedia lists Centerville's climate as humid continental, with floods, blizzards and severe thunderstorms possible and tornadoes possible from spring to fall. Wikipedia notes that an early settler, Benjamin Robbins, chose his 160 acres here because of the abundant springs. Wet ground under a slab is a common cause of settling. We look at downspouts, grade and soft spots before we pour, and set slopes so water leaves the slab fast. For winter, exterior work gets air-entrained concrete, proper control joints and a sealer recommendation once it has cured.

Owners and renters

About 70 percent of Centerville's occupied homes are owner-occupied, which leaves close to 30 percent rented. For a landlord, concrete work is usually about safety first: a trip edge on the walk, a broken step, a cracked apron at the street. We quote those items on their own lines, apart from upgrades like a bigger patio, so a rental can be made safe without committing to everything at once. Owner-occupants more often ask about widening a drive or replacing a small back slab, and for those we confirm the zoning permit before drawing anything up.