Concrete Contractors in Walsenburg, CO

Walsenburg is the county seat of Huerfano County and its most populous town, and concrete contractors working here plan for a climate that is a step colder and far snowier than Pueblo's. The city sits at 6,300 feet on the north side of the Cucharas River, about 48 miles south of Pueblo on Interstate 25, which runs along its eastern edge. U.S. 160 passes through the middle of town. The 2020 census counted 3,049 residents, almost the same as the 3,068 counted in 2010.

Snow is the headline

The 1991 to 2020 normals on Walsenburg's Wikipedia page put average snowfall at 91.6 inches a year, more than three times Pueblo's 28.3. Total precipitation is 17.29 inches, against about 12 in Pueblo. January averages a high of 47.3 degrees and a low of 20.7, so the pattern is snow, a sunny afternoon melt, and a hard refreeze after dark, repeated through the winter. The record low is 36 below zero.

For outdoor concrete that means:

• Air-entrained concrete on every exterior pour, so water freezing inside the slab has room to expand.
• No water added at the site to loosen the mix, since a watery surface is the first thing to scale.
• Drainage planned for meltwater, not just rain. A driveway that holds a puddle of snowmelt at 3 p.m. has a sheet of ice on it by morning.
• Thickened edges and corners where a plow blade or shovel hits the slab first.

Summer is milder, but still dry

July highs average 87.4 degrees, cooler than Pueblo's 93.4, though the record high is 106. The air is dry and the sun at 6,300 feet is strong, so a fresh slab can lose surface water quickly on a clear afternoon. We favor morning pours from late spring into early fall, keep the surface from drying out while it is finished, and cure it with a compound or wet curing so the top stays hard.

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An old town with its own history

Walsenburg began in 1859 as La Plaza de los Leones, named for Don Miguel Antonio de Leon, who came north from New Mexico with other settlers. The town later took the name of settler Fred Walsen, who went on to serve as Colorado State Treasurer. A post office has run since 1870, and the city was incorporated on June 16, 1873. Coal mining shaped the area, and Walsenburg was part of the 1913 to 1914 strike against Colorado Fuel and Iron, the Pueblo steel company, known as the Colorado Coalfield War.

A town that old has a lot of aging concrete: front walks heaved out of line, steps separating from porches, narrow driveways broken into pieces, and slabs patched more than once. The 2020 census counted 1,618 housing units, and 14.3 percent of them were vacant, so some jobs here involve bringing an older property back into use after years of neglect.

Repair or replace on an older lot

We start by finding out why the old concrete failed. If a crack has both sides level and the slab is solid, sealing it keeps meltwater out and buys time. If panels have sunk, tilted or broken into many pieces, the base has moved, and a patch on top will not last through another winter. In that case we remove the section, dig out soft soil, compact a gravel base, and pour new concrete sloped away from the house.

Steps get special attention in a snowy town. A step that rocks or has pulled away from the porch is a fall waiting to happen on an icy morning. Replacement steps are formed with even risers, treads that pitch slightly so water runs off, and a broom finish for grip.

The ground and the water

The Colorado Geological Survey calls expansive soil Colorado's most significant geologic hazard and lists cracked and heaved sidewalks, patios, driveways and garage slabs among its common signs, adding that poor surface drainage makes the damage worse. Not every Walsenburg lot has swelling clay, and we do not assume it does. With nearly 92 inches of snow to melt each year, though, where the water goes is the first thing we check: roof runoff, downspouts, and the slope of the yard toward or away from the slab.

Work we take on in Walsenburg

Concrete driveways, including replacing broken strips and widening single-car drives. Sidewalks, walkways and steps that have heaved or crumbled. Patios, plain or stamped, for the warmer months. Concrete slabs for garages, sheds and carports. Concrete repair for cracks, scaling and sunken sections. Before scheduling, we check with the City of Walsenburg or Huerfano County, depending on where the property is, about whether your project needs a permit.