Concrete Contractors in Southington, CT

Southington sits at the north edge of our area, past Cheshire, and concrete contractors have a fitting history to point to there. Among the products Wikipedia credits to the town is the first underwater-hardening cement. Today Southington is a suburb in a valley between ridges, with about 36 square miles of land and an official elevation of 154 feet. The census table lists 43,501 residents in 2020.

From apple orchards to subdivisions

Southington was settled in 1698 and grew as a farming town. It is still nicknamed The Apple Valley. In the early 1900s it became a manufacturing center, and about 28 percent of workers are still in manufacturing, mostly fabricated metals and aircraft.

The biggest change came in the 1960s. As New England industry declined and Interstate 84 was built, Southington turned into a bedroom community and grew fast. The population went from 13,061 in 1950 to 22,797 in 1960, 30,946 in 1970 and 36,879 in 1980. That puts many Southington homes in the 1960s and 1970s, with driveways and patios now 50 or more years old.

Villages and ridges

The villages of Marion, Milldale and Plantsville each have their own post office and look. The Metacomet Ridge, a rugged trap rock ridge, forms the eastern edge of town, with Bradley, Ragged and Short mountains and part of the Hanging Hills. The Quinnipiac River flows through the valley floor, and Mount Southington has drawn skiers since the 1960s.

Homes on the valley floor tend to sit on flatter lots. Those climbing the ridges have sloped driveways and yards. Each needs a different plan:

• Flat lots: enough pitch to keep water from pooling on driveways and patios
• Sloped lots: edge grading, broom finishes and steps or landings on walks
• Near the river: a well-drained base where ground stays damp

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Driveways and garages

Concrete driveways from the 1960s and 1970s were often poured thin on little base. A new driveway gets full removal of the old slab, a compacted gravel base, air-entrained concrete, control joints at the right spacing and time to cure before cars use it.

On flat valley-floor lots, a driveway that looks level still needs a steady fall, around 1 to 2 percent, so meltwater leaves before it can refreeze. Where a lot has room for a detached garage or workshop, its slab gets thickened edges and a slight fall toward the door.

Backyard work

Concrete patios and stamped concrete turn a lawn into an outdoor room. In The Apple Valley, many owners pair patios with gardens and fruit trees, so we form edges that follow planting beds. Stamped patterns in fieldstone or slate fit the town's rural roots.

Working near orchards and farms

Some Southington properties still border orchards, farm fields or large lawns. Equipment and trucks can rut soft ground, so we plan the route the truck will take and, where needed, lay down boards or pump concrete from the driveway. Barns and farm sheds on these properties often need new slabs too. We size those for the equipment that will park on them, with thickened edges and a slope at the door so rain and meltwater stay out.

Roads and permits

Southington sits along Interstate 84 at exits 28 through 32 and at exit 4 of Interstate 691, and Route 10 runs through the middle. For homes on busy roads like Route 10, we plan concrete delivery to limit time in traffic. Work at a town sidewalk or road is confirmed with the Town of Southington before scheduling.