Concrete Contractors in Dell Rapids, SD

Dell Rapids is one of the oldest towns in the area, and that is the first thing concrete contractors in Dell Rapids should keep in mind. It was founded in 1871 as Dell City, incorporated in 1888 and named for the rapids on the Big Sioux River. The railroad arrived from Egan in 1881. After a fire burned most of the main street, the town rebuilt in Sioux quartzite, the pink stone still quarried here. Many blocks around downtown have homes and walks that have been through a century of winters.

What older Dell Rapids lots need

• Front steps. Old steps tend to settle away from the house, crack at the corners and develop uneven risers. Replacing them with new formed steps, even rises and a slight pitch is one of the most useful safety upgrades for an older home.
• Sidewalks. Public and private walks near mature trees get lifted by roots. Panels that have sunk hold water and ice.
• Narrow driveways and alley pads. Older lots often have single-car driveways or a pad off an alley. We widen where the lot allows and rebuild the base where it has failed.

The river and the 2019 flood

The Big Sioux River runs through town. In September 2019 it overflowed its banks here, flooding three blocks and damaging up to a dozen homes. If your property is near the river, drainage is the first thing we look at:

• Where water goes when it runs off your roof and yard.
• Whether a new patio or driveway will send water toward the house.
• Whether the soil under an existing slab has washed out and left a void.

A slab that sounds hollow when tapped often has lost support underneath. We can fill and lift some of those; others need to come out.

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Quartzite town, gray concrete

The quartzite that rebuilt downtown is still worked here. LG Everist operates Sioux quartzite quarries in Dell Rapids, and its D&I Railroad hauls the stone out by rail. Some homeowners like a warm tint in a stamped patio or walkway that echoes the pink stone of the old buildings. Integral color in the mix holds better than a surface stain in freeze-thaw country, and a sealer keeps the tone from fading.

An older population

In 2020, 25.3% of Dell Rapids households were one person living alone and 13.4% had someone 65 or older living alone. For older homeowners, safe entry matters more than looks. We pour wider landings at doors, add a broom finish for grip, keep step rises consistent and can leave room for a handrail to be mounted.

Newer growth too

Dell Rapids grew 21.9% from 2000 to 2010 and 10.0% from 2010 to 2020, reaching 3,996 residents. Newer homes on the edges of town call for patios, driveway extensions and shed slabs. Homeowner vacancy was just 0.9% in 2020, so people are investing in the homes they already own.

Lifting versus replacing

Some sunken panels in older neighborhoods can be lifted back into place by pumping material underneath. That works when the panel is in one piece and the surface is sound. Panels that are broken, badly scaled or tipped by tree roots usually need to be replaced. We will tell you which ones are worth lifting.

Permits

For work in the public right-of-way, or on a lot near the Big Sioux where grading changes could matter, we ask the City of Dell Rapids what it requires before we start.