Concrete that handles an Enterprise winter
Enterprise is high, cold and a long way from St. George. Small concrete jobs here need the right mix and a crew willing to make the drive.
Enterprise
Winter writes the job list in Enterprise. At about 5,300 feet, this farm and ranch town freezes hard and often, and concrete shows it. Front walks heave and crack. Porch steps flake where the salt goes down. Slabs by the shop door break up under stock trailers during the spring thaw. Add the houses that never got a back patio, and there is plenty to pour, a few yards at a time.
Enterprise sits in the far northwest corner of Washington County, close to an hour from St. George. That is a long way for a big crew to come for a single sidewalk, and many pass. Our way around it is to give the town its own pour day. Several Enterprise jobs go on the list, one truck with the right cold weather mix serves them all, and the long trip makes sense for everyone involved.
Pouring in Enterprise
- Freeze and thaw is the main enemy
- Winter here means many nights below freezing and days that thaw. Water soaks into concrete, freezes and pops the surface. We order air-entrained mix for Enterprise, which has tiny air pockets that give freezing water room to expand without breaking the slab.
- A short pour season
- We pour in Enterprise from roughly late spring to early fall. Outside that window a hard frost can hit fresh concrete before it has gained strength. If your job comes up in winter, we can look at it now and put it on the list for the first pour days of spring.
- Go easy on de-icing salt
- New concrete is at its weakest during its first winter. Skip the de-icing salt that first year and use sand for traction instead. Salt pulls extra water into the surface and makes freeze damage worse, even on a slab that was poured with the right mix.
Common jobs in Enterprise
- 1
Tear out and replace
Years of freezing winters leave heaved and broken panels that are past patching and need to come out.
- 2
Sidewalks and paths
A sound front walk matters more in a town where it spends part of the year under snow and ice.
- 3
Steps and landings
Porch steps take the worst of the salt and the shoveling, so they are often the first concrete to fail.
- 4
RV and trailer pads
Stock trailers and farm rigs need a firm place to park that does not turn to mud during the spring thaw.
Text a photo from Enterprise.
435·220·5536Text us a photo of the spot and rough measurements. We will tell you what we can from the photo, or come out and take a look. Rather type it out? Use the form.
Enterprise: straight answers
Why is my Enterprise sidewalk flaking on top?
That is usually freeze damage. Water in the surface freezes, expands and pops off thin layers, and de-icing salt speeds it up. Light flaking can sometimes be repaired. If it runs deep, the lasting fix is to tear the panel out and pour it new with air-entrained mix.
When is the last day you will pour in the fall?
There is no fixed date. It depends on the forecast. Fresh concrete needs to be kept from freezing while it gains strength, so once nights turn cold we either protect the slab or hold the job until spring. We will be straight with you about which makes sense.
How do you make the drive to Enterprise work?
We group jobs. A full truck holds about 10 cubic yards and a small job typically needs 1 to 3, so several Enterprise homes can share one load and one trip. Text a photo to (435) 220-5536 and we will let you know when the next Enterprise day is planned.