Concrete Contractors in Minnetonka, MN

Minnetonka homeowners who call concrete contractors usually start with the driveway, and here that starts with paperwork. The City of Minnetonka states that a driveway permit is required for any new or realigned driveway, including the replacement of an existing one. That is stricter than some neighboring cities, so we build the permit into the schedule from day one.

What the permit form covers

The city's Driveway Entrance Permit form spells out how the approach, the part that meets the street, has to be built. A residential approach may not exceed 20 feet in width at the right-of-way line, or 30 feet for a driveway serving a three-car garage. Total approach width to one lot from one street is capped at 35 feet. One approach per lot is the norm; a second is allowed only with at least 110 feet of frontage on that street.

Two details on that form matter to how we pour:

• Corner clearance: no part of the approach except the curb return may be built within 45 feet of a corner.
• Height at the gutter: paving at the curb line has to sit 1 inch above the flow line of the gutter.

That last rule is small but important. Set the approach too low and street water runs up the driveway. Set it too high and plows catch the edge. We grade the transition so it meets the city's number and drains cleanly. The city's driveway page points to Chapter 11, Section 11.05 of the city code for the full requirements, and the form leaves culvert decisions to the city engineer.

Lots shaped by a late start

Minnetonka grew in a burst after World War II. Census counts show 11,896 residents in 1950, 25,037 in 1960 and 35,776 in 1970, and many areas stayed farms and horse pasture into the 1960s. The result is a city of uneven lot sizes, long driveways on some streets and short ones on others, and a wide range of slab ages. Plenty of homes from the postwar wave still have original flatwork that has heaved, settled or scaled.

Before farming, the land was heavily wooded with maple, oak, elm, red cedar and basswood. Mature trees still stand on many lots. Roots lift sidewalks and driveway edges, and digging too close can damage the tree. We look at where trunks and major roots are before we set forms, and we talk through options such as rerouting a walk or adjusting a driveway edge.

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Beyond the driveway

Once a driveway is set, many owners finish the job with the pieces around it:

• Front walks and steps that tie the new driveway to the door, with risers kept even for safety
• Patios off the back of postwar homes, often replacing a small, sunken slab
• Stamped concrete for an entry landing or patio where a plain broom finish feels too plain
• Garage floors cracked by decades of salt and settling, and slabs for detached garages or sheds
• Repair where only a few panels have failed and the rest of the slab is sound

Second approaches and long frontages

Some Minnetonka lots are big enough that owners ask about a second driveway, for example a circular drive or a separate pad for a side garage. The permit form allows two approaches to the same street only when the lot has at least 110 feet of frontage on that street, and total approach width to one lot from one street still cannot exceed 35 feet. A circle drive on a 100-foot lot, then, is out, while one on a wider lot may work if the two openings together stay within that total. We measure frontage before sketching anything, and we keep each opening clear of the 45-foot corner zone on corner lots.

Call (952) 209-8658 to set up a visit. You get a written estimate before anything is scheduled.