About your Forest Lake concrete contractor
How I ended up pouring concrete in Forest Lake
I came to concrete later than most. I spent years in another line of work, then learned the trade on a local crew before I started Forest Lake Concrete in 2023. Starting late means I still remember hearing the word subgrade and not knowing it just means the ground a slab sits on. So I take the time to explain things, and I'd rather spend an extra half hour on your questions than leave you guessing after we're gone.
Most of our calls come from homeowners in Forest Lake and the cities around it, with some from small business owners planning a lot or a slab. Our home page lists everything we pour, from driveways and patios to footings and foundations. What I've learned is that good concrete comes from the work nobody sees once it's done, like the base, the forms and the care in the days after the pour. Up here, where frost can still show up in May, that care counts for a lot. Isn't that the part you'd want someone paying attention to?
Our license and insurance
Minnesota contractor licensing
The state Department of Labor and Industry requires a contractor who works in more than one skill area to hold a state license, while someone who sticks to a single specialty doesn't need one unless they're a residential roofer. When a license is required, its number goes on every building permit, and the city can't issue a permit to a contractor who should be licensed and isn't, so it's worth asking anyone who bids your job which rule applies to them.
Licensed and insured
Fully licensed and insured. Ask us to show you before you sign anything, and ask the same of every other contractor you're comparing, because a real business won't mind the question.
Serving Forest Lake and 11 surrounding cities
What working with us is like
You deal with the owner from the first visit
I come out to look at your job, write the estimate myself and then work on the crew that does it. The person who answered your questions in the driveway is the same one there on pour day.
An estimate you can compare line by line
Your estimate spells out what's included, from digging out and building the forms to hauling the old concrete away. Set it next to another bid and you'll see right away if something got left out.
Pours planned around the weather
We plan the pour around the forecast and look after the fresh concrete in the days after, because curing, the slow hardening before a slab can take weight, shapes how it holds up for years. A slab poured in midday heat and left alone can end up with a weak, dusty top.
Permits checked before we set a date
Before we put your job on the calendar, we check with the city and any other office it touches, and if you need a permit, we help you sort it out and tell you who we've talked to. Around Forest Lake that can include the local watershed district, which wants erosion controls like silt fence on every site within it, permit or not.
Where we work
Forest Lake Concrete is based in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and we work across the cities around it, including Hugo and Wyoming. Twelve cities have their own page on this site, but they aren't the only places we go. If you're nearby and don't see your city, ask us through our contact page.
Let's walk your job together
hi@forestlakeconcrete.comForest Lake, MN 55025