Concrete Contractor in Fort Riley, KS - Slabs Built for Freeze and Thaw
Junction City Concrete pours driveways, patios, sidewalks, garage floors and foundations for homeowners and property owners in Fort Riley, KS. We dig out and pack the base, slope it so water runs off, and cut joints where cracks belong.
Fort Riley as we see it on the job
Fort Riley is an Army post on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan, and its land runs across both Geary and Riley counties. Around the historic main post, the limestone buildings, the parade grounds and the two military museums are part of everyday life on post. Away from that older core you'll find the houses, garages, driveways and walks that make up most of the concrete calls we get.
The river shapes the work as much as the buildings do. Ground near the river can be softer and wetter than it looks from the surface, so I dig into the dirt before I price a slab, because what's under it decides how long it lasts.
What we've learned working on and around Fort Riley
Riley County issues building permits for building and structure work in the county, but its rules exempt structures built on land owned by the United States government, and they also exempt driveways, fences and sidewalks. I still check with the county office on every job, because where a slab sits and what it's for decide which rule fits, and when a permit's needed we pull it before work starts and call in the inspections as the job reaches them. Off post, the county also requires a floodplain development permit to build in the floodplain, and on the Geary County side the county's permit page lists the county's phone numbers for building permit questions. Before you hire anyone, ask to see their insurance. We're licensed and fully insured, and it's satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
We come over from Junction City, the same way we head out to Abilene, so Fort Riley is close to home for us. The price moves with the size and thickness of the slab, how much dirt has to come out to reach firm ground, the finish and how close the truck can get. A broom finish, the light texture dragged across the top for grip, costs less than stamped concrete, which is pressed with a pattern. The schedule turns on the weather and on getting the truck through the gate while it's open, and the written estimate I send after the site visit gives you your own figure.
What winters and old slabs do to concrete around Fort Riley
Winters here get cold enough to do damage. January lows average about 19°F at the Milford Lake weather station, about 5 miles away. Water that sits on a slab or soaks under it freezes and swells, so a slab that holds water ends up cracked and chipped at the surface. We slope our slabs so water runs off and away from the house, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves sawed into the top, so the slab cracks along a straight line we picked instead of across the middle.
Much of the older concrete we're asked to look at was poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled with the dirt and now tips toward the house or holds a puddle. We break it out, dig to firm ground and pack the base before we pour, because new concrete on the same bad base gets the same cracks.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Fort Riley concrete
We reply within one business day, and there's no obligation. I'll set a time to come out to your place in Fort Riley, measure and look at drainage and access, then send you a written estimate.
(785) 530-0068How a concrete job runs when you call us in Fort Riley
Call or send a request
Call (785) 530-0068 or use the form and tell us what you want poured and where. If the job's on post, say so, because getting onto the base is part of how we plan it.
I walk and measure the site
I come out myself, measure, and look at where the water runs and how a truck will reach the spot, then send you a written estimate. On post, I get my visitor pass at the Visitor Control Center at Henry Gate, the main gate, which is open 24 hours a day.
Prep the base, forms and steel
We dig out to firm ground and pack the subgrade, which is what the slab sits on, then set the forms and the rebar, the steel that holds the slab together. I check all of it before the truck is called, because once the concrete's down nobody can fix what's under it.
Pour, finish and cut joints
On post the truck comes through the commercial gate during its weekday hours, so we start early and finish ahead of the afternoon heat. We cut the control joints while the timing's right, because joints cut late don't keep cracks on their lines.
Cure, clean up and walk through
Curing is the wait while the concrete hardens and gains strength, and we keep you off it until it's ready because loading it early weakens the top. We clean up, then I walk the finished job with you and tell you when it can take foot traffic and when it can take a car.
Driveways, patios and walkways
Fort Riley concrete questions, answered
Which gate does a concrete truck use to get onto Fort Riley?
A work truck carrying materials or equipment for a job uses a commercial gate, which on Fort Riley is the 12th Street Gate off Kansas Highway 18. The post's visitor and access page lists it as open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday for commercial traffic only, closed on federal holidays, with no outbound traffic. The rule about work trucks comes from an older Army article, so we check access before a pour and set the pour inside those hours.
Who do I call about broken concrete at a building Fort Riley maintains?
For broken items in facilities the Directorate of Public Works maintains, emergency service orders go to 785-239-0900, and all other service orders go in online through ArMA. The directorate is the garrison's main office for upkeep of the installation and its infrastructure. If the slab or walk is yours to fix, call us and I'll come take a look.
What building codes apply to a concrete foundation in Riley County?
Riley County hasn't adopted building codes, though it says the State Fire Marshal may require work to meet the International Building Code. The county permit mentioned above is required in every zoning district, and the county uses it to check zoning, setbacks and sanitary code rules. We build foundations and footings to the plans your job calls for, and I'll go over which rules apply when I look at your site.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Fort Riley, KS?
Your price comes from the size, thickness, base work, finish and access, and you'll get your own figure in a written estimate after I measure. Base work is the cost people most want to cut, because it's hidden on day one, and it's the last place I'd cut, because a slab settles with whatever is under it. If the budget's tight, a plain broom finish over a solid base is the better buy than a fancy finish over a weak one.
What is the best time of year to pour concrete in Fort Riley?
The best pour day is dry and mild, and around Fort Riley the things to plan around are spring rain and summer heat. The area gets about 33 inches of precipitation a year with May the wettest month, and July highs average 89°F. We watch the forecast and pour early in the day, because concrete that sets too fast in midday heat ends up with a weak, dusty top.
How do I keep a new patio from cracking like the old one?
Start with the base, because most cracked and sunken patios were poured on dirt that settled under them. We dig to firm ground, pack the subgrade, set rebar and cut control joints so any crack lands on a line we chose. No concrete is crack-proof, and I'd rather tell you that plainly and build it so the cracks it gets stay tight and straight.
Where we work
Call about your Fort Riley concrete job
We answer the phone seven days a week, 7 AM to 10 PM, so you can call (785) 530-0068 or send the form after your shift.