Concrete Contractors in Brandon, SD

Brandon is a good place to see how concrete ages, and that is why homeowners call concrete contractors in Brandon for such different jobs. The census counted 200 people here in 1950. By 1970 it was 1,431, by 2000 it was 5,693 and by 2020 it was 11,048. Brandon only incorporated as a city in 1973. So one trip down Splitrock Boulevard, the stretch of Highway 11 where most of the town's businesses sit, passes homes whose driveways were poured fifty years ago and homes whose slabs are still bright gray.

Matching the work to the decade

Growth came in waves, and each wave left a different kind of concrete behind.

• Homes from the 1960s and 1970s. Brandon went from 696 people in 1960 to 1,431 in 1970 and 2,589 in 1980. Driveways from that era have usually been through several replacements of the garage door, a few patch jobs and a lot of salt. When the surface is flaking and the panels are tilted, a full tear-out and new pour is the honest answer.
• Homes from the 1980s and 1990s. These slabs are often structurally fine but show cracks at the apron and a sunken panel near the garage where the backfill settled. Lifting or replacing one or two panels can buy years.
• Homes from 2000 on. Brandon added more than 5,300 residents between 2000 and 2020. Many of those owners have a builder-grade driveway and a small back slab, and they want more: a wider driveway pad for a third vehicle, a bigger patio or a stamped walkway.

Young families, busy yards

Kids are a big part of Brandon. Of the town's 3,888 households counted in 2020, 44.7% included someone under 18, and that shows up in what people want poured. Basketball pads off the driveway. Wide sidewalks from the driveway to the back gate so bikes and strollers do not cut across the lawn. Patios big enough for a table and a grill instead of a 10-by-10 square. For anything kids play on, we finish with a broom texture rather than a slick trowel so the surface has grip when it is wet.

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Creek and river country

Two waterways frame the town: the Big Sioux River and Split Rock Creek. The Big Sioux Recreation Area, a state park of woods around the river, is close by. Low ground near water tends to hold moisture, and wet soil under a slab is softer and more prone to frost movement. On lots near the creek or the river corridor we pay extra attention to:

• Base depth and compaction under driveways and garage slabs.
• Slope away from the house so water from a new patio does not end up at the foundation.
• Where downspouts discharge, since a downspout dumping onto the edge of a slab is one of the fastest ways to undermine it.

A tight housing market

Brandon's homeowner vacancy rate was just 1.1% in 2020. Few homes come up for sale, so many families stay and improve the house they have rather than move. That is when it makes sense to fix the driveway properly, replace the cracked front steps and pour the patio you have been planning, instead of patching and waiting.

Stamped concrete that holds its color

Stamped patios are a common request in newer Brandon neighborhoods. A stamped surface needs the same air-entrained mix, base prep and joints as any patio, plus color, release agent and a good sealer. We reseal stamped work on a schedule so salt from boots and the grill area does not dull the pattern. If you want the look without the upkeep, a plain broom finish with a decorative stamped border is a good middle ground.

Approaches off Splitrock Boulevard and the side streets

Driveways in Brandon meet everything from quiet cul-de-sacs to busier streets near Splitrock Boulevard. The approach, the strip between the street and your lot line, is usually the first part of a driveway to crack because plows clip its edge and slush sits along the curb. Before anything is removed we ask the City of Brandon whether a permit is needed for an approach or public walk, have utilities marked, and pick a pour day warm enough for the slab to cure.