Concrete driveways, patios and repair in Spanish Springs
Most of the concrete out here isn't old. It's cracked because of the clay under it. We pour new slabs that are built for that clay, and fix the ones that weren't.
Young concrete, old problem
Almost every house in Spanish Springs went up after the mid-'90s: Wingfield Springs, Kiley Ranch, Eagle Canyon, and everything spreading north along Pyramid Highway. So when we get called out here, it's rarely about worn-out concrete. It's a 15-year-old driveway cracked corner to corner, a patio tipping toward the house, or a garage floor with a crack running right across it.
We also pour plenty of new work for people finishing off a builder lot. Back patios, side walks, hot tub and fire pit pads, RV parking, and shop floors on the bigger lots north of town.
The clay under Spanish Springs
The valley floor is old lakebed clay, and it's some of the most expansive ground around Reno. It swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries, hard enough to lift a slab. Pour four inches of concrete straight on top of it in August, add a lawn and sprinklers, and you've built something that's going to move.
Building for it isn't fancy. We dig out deeper and replace the top of the clay with rock that doesn't swell. We wet the clay before the pour so it isn't dry and shrunk underneath. We go thicker, set rebar on chairs, and cut joints closer together so any cracking happens where we put it.
Drainage is the other half. Spanish Springs is a closed basin and parts of it flooded in 2017. Keeping water away from the edges of a slab keeps the clay under it steady, so downspouts get extended and sprinklers get pointed away from the concrete.
What we pour in Spanish Springs
- Replacing cracked builder-grade driveways
- Back patios and patio extensions
- RV and boat pads on the bigger lots
- Shop floors north of town
- Lifting or replacing tipped stoops and patios
Neighborhoods we work in
All over the valley: Wingfield Springs, Kiley Ranch, Eagle Canyon, Vista Ridge, Desert Springs, La Posada, the Calle de la Plata area, Sky Ranch, and out Pyramid Highway toward the Palomino Valley turnoff.
Not on the list? If you're in or near Spanish Springs, we almost certainly cover you. Call (775) 264-5350 and ask.
Spanish Springs questions
Can you pour concrete on this clay that won't crack?
Nobody honest will promise zero cracks. Concrete shrinks as it cures, which is the whole reason for joints. What we can promise is the difference between a few hairlines along the joints and a slab in pieces in ten years. That difference is the base, the thickness, the steel and the drainage.
My patio lifted along one edge. Can it be leveled?
If the slab is still in one piece, often yes, and lifting costs a lot less than replacing. If it's already broken up, you're better off replacing it and fixing what's underneath while it's open. We'll also check whether it heaved up or settled down, because those get fixed differently.
Will my HOA need to approve it?
In most of the newer neighborhoods out here, yes. Committees usually want to see the size, setbacks and color, and approval can take a few weeks. We won't pour until you've got it in hand.