Concrete Work in Monticello, Minnesota

Sand and gravel along the river, till to the south

The Mississippi laid down deep sand and gravel terraces along its valley as the glaciers melted, and Monticello sits on top of them. Sandy outwash soils like these drain fast and rarely heave the way clay does, which is good news for flatwork. The trade-off is that loose sand doesn't compact the same way and can wash out under a slab edge if runoff isn't controlled. There's a reason active sand and gravel mining continues in Silver Creek Township just west of town.

Head south and west toward Pelican Lake and the Bertram Chain of Lakes and the ground shifts back to the hummocky till and lake lowlands we see across the rest of the county. A foundation in Monticello Township can sit on very different soil than one three miles away in the city, so we look at the hole before we finalize a footing design. Frost depth is the same 42 inches under the Minnesota Residential Code.

What we pour most in Monticello

Monticello has grown fast along the I-94 corridor, and the subdivisions from the last few decades are reaching the age where first driveways and front walks need replacing. That replacement work, plus garage slabs, patios, and stamped decorative concrete for backyard projects, makes up most of the residential schedule. New construction adds foundations, basement floors, and flatwork packages for builders.

The Xcel Energy nuclear plant on the river has been the city's anchor employer since 1970, and the commercial base along Highway 25 brings aprons, entry walks, and small slabs. Out in Monticello Township and Silver Creek Township we pour pole-building floors and foundations on acreage.

Permits: Building Safety at City Hall, or Wright County for the townships

Inside city limits, permits come from the City of Monticello's Building Safety and Code Enforcement department at City Hall on Walnut Street. The city's own code exempts a few things from a building permit that matter for concrete: platforms, walks, and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade, retaining walls under four feet, and detached sheds under 200 square feet. Anything structural, including foundations, footings, and additions, needs a permit and inspections. A new curb cut or a driveway that changes the connection to a city street can still need city approval even when the slab itself doesn't need a building permit, so we check before we bid.

Property in Monticello Township or Silver Creek Township goes through Wright County Planning and Zoning in Buffalo. Driveways onto a county highway need a Wright County Highway access permit, and anything meeting Highway 25 goes through MnDOT.

Driveways, slabs, and flatwork in Monticello

Monticello flatwork runs to driveways and garage slabs in the newer subdivisions, sidewalks and aprons for the commercial strip along Highway 25, and shop floors on township acreage. The sandy soil here drains well, which helps flatwork, but it still gets a compacted base under it. Start with the Concrete Driveways page. New construction near the Bertram Chain of Lakes also brings foundations, and the ICF and poured foundation pages cover how we handle footings and drainage in sand.

Start with concrete driveways, then sidewalks and walkways and floors and slabs. For a new build, the poured foundation and ICF pages cover that choice.

Where in Monticello we work

• Downtown Monticello
• Mississippi River corridor
• Bertram Chain of Lakes
• Pelican Lake
• Monticello Township
• Silver Creek Township

Concrete services in Monticello

• Concrete Driveways
• Sidewalks & Walkways
• Concrete Floors & Slabs
• Stamped & Decorative Concrete
• Concrete Foundations
• Concrete Footings
• ICF Foundations & Walls
• Masonry & Block Foundations
• Concrete Block Work