Concrete Contractors in Kohler, WI

Kohler is not a typical suburb, and concrete contractors working here need to treat it that way. The village grew up around the Kohler Company plant, built in 1900 about four miles west of Sheboygan, and incorporated in 1912. Its 2020 population was 2,195. We replace and build driveways, patios, front walks, steps and stoops, garage and shed slabs, and we repair concrete that has worn out, with attention to how each piece fits a carefully planned streetscape.

A garden-city plan

Wikipedia's history of the village says Walter J. Kohler Sr. toured Europe in 1913, met the garden-city planner Sir Ebenezer Howard, and that planning began in 1917 with the Olmsted Brothers landscape firm involved. Most of the original homes were built between 1917 and 1931, and about 95 percent are owner-occupied. A 1931 New York Times article described the place as a manufacturing plant without a visible ash heap.

That history shapes concrete work. Front walks, steps and drives on these blocks are part of a designed whole. When one section fails, the goal is usually to replace it so it reads as original: matching the width of the walk, the joint spacing, the broom direction and the way the concrete meets lawn or planting beds.

Older homes, older concrete

A house built in the 1920s may have had its walks and stoops replaced once or twice since, or not at all. We often find steps that have settled away from the door, walks lifted by tree roots and driveways that were sized for a much smaller car. We look at each piece separately. Sound concrete can stay. Pieces that are moving, broken or holding water get replaced on a new compacted base, with the edges tied cleanly into what remains.

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On the Sheboygan River

The village lies along the Sheboygan River at about 686 feet of elevation, and it includes the Blackwolf Run golf course, Whistling Straits and the Kohler Company main office. Wooded and lower lots near the river can stay wet longer in spring. We set grade so patios and walks shed water toward lawn areas and away from foundations, and we use air-entrained concrete for every exterior pour so it holds up through freeze and thaw.

Village permits and review

The Village of Kohler says building permits are required for accessory buildings including storage sheds, as well as decks, fences and additions, and that applications go to the Department of Public Works. Fences, signs, additions and new homes go to the Planning Commission, which meets on the second Thursday of the month at 4:30 p.m., with plans due by the first Wednesday. If your project includes a shed or garage slab, or changes how the front of the house looks, we build that review time into the schedule. For flatwork the village does not list, we ask before we pour.

Services for Kohler homes

• Front walks and steps: replacements that match the original layout and finish
• Driveways: replacements and modest widening where the lot allows
• Patios: back-yard patios in broom, stamped or colored finishes
• Garage and shed slabs: floors and pads sized to the permitted building
• Repair: section replacement, trip edges, settled stoops and worn surfaces

Call (920) 635-2280 to set up a visit.