Concrete driveways, patios and pads in Cold Springs
Alkali ground, a dry lake that fills up in wet years, and the hardest wind in the north valleys. All three change how we pour out here.
Out past Stead
Cold Springs sits at the north end of the valley off 395, and it has its own weather. It's higher than Reno, colder at night, and windy just about every afternoon. Most of the homes went in from the '90s on, with some older parcels and bigger lots mixed in.
The work out here leans toward driveways, RV and trailer pads, shop floors, and fixing slabs that were poured with the wrong mix for the ground. We pour plenty of patios too.
Salt in the ground and wind in the afternoon
This valley drains to a dry lake, and closed basins collect salts. Water runs in, evaporates, and leaves minerals behind. In places that includes sulfate, which slowly eats regular concrete from the bottom up. You can't see it for years, and then the slab starts falling apart way ahead of schedule.
The fix is the mix. Where the soil calls for it we use a sulfate-resistant cement and keep the water content low, so the concrete is dense enough to keep the salts out. It costs a little more up front and a lot less than a new slab.
Then there's the wind. Strong afternoon wind and low humidity dry out the top of fresh concrete before it can set right. We start early, put up wind screens, and on the worst days we reschedule. If we push your pour for wind, that's why.
What we pour in Cold Springs
- Driveways and turnarounds
- RV, boat and trailer pads
- Shop floors with sulfate-resistant mixes
- Patios tucked out of the afternoon wind
- Replacing slabs that broke down early
Neighborhoods we work in
Cold Springs and the north valleys: Silver Lake, the White Lake area, Antelope Valley, Stead, Lemmon Valley, Golden Valley, Red Rock Road, the 395 corridor and up toward Bordertown.
Not on the list? If you're in or near Cold Springs, we almost certainly cover you. Call (775) 264-5350 and ask.
Cold Springs questions
Do I need a sulfate-resistant mix?
Depends on your lot. Sulfate levels vary a lot even within the north valleys. We look at the soil, how the water drains, and how nearby slabs of the same age have held up. If it looks like an issue we'll spec it, and if it doesn't we won't charge you for it.
Water stands on my lot every spring. Should I pour anyway?
Not until the water's dealt with. A slab sitting in water every spring gets hit by freeze-thaw and salt at the same time. Sometimes it's simple grading. Sometimes it needs a drain or a dry well. We'll tell you what order to do things in.
How much does the wind really delay things?
Enough that we plan around it. Spring afternoons are reliably windy, so we pour early and try to be finishing before it picks up. A few times a season we'll move a pour. Better that than a crazed surface you're stuck with.