Concrete Contractors in Dakota Dunes, SD

Dakota Dunes is a master-planned community of about 2,000 acres, and it asks more of concrete contractors than most towns. Berkshire Hathaway Energy unveiled plans for it in 1988, and it is still owned and developed by that company. The community's own site says homes are protected by covenants and design guidelines. That means a new driveway or patio here has to look right, not just hold up.

Check the guidelines first

Before we draw anything, we ask you to check what the covenants say about exterior work. Some planned communities limit driveway width, colors or materials, and some want plans reviewed before work starts. The community association office is a sensible first call to find out what applies to your lot. Once you know the limits, we design inside them. It is much easier to plan a stamped border or a colored patio around the rules than to change it after a pour.

A fast-growing population

Dakota Dunes had 2,540 residents in the 2010 census and 4,020 in 2020, a jump of about 58 percent. The 2020 count showed 1,592 housing units with only 2.9 percent vacant. Many homes are recent builds, and the concrete a builder pours is often the minimum. Typical upgrades include:

• Replacing a small rear slab with a larger stamped patio
• Adding a walkway from the driveway to a side gate
• Widening a driveway for a third car or a boat
• Pouring a pad for a hot tub, grill station or shed

Decorative work that lasts

Stamped concrete suits a neighborhood built around design guidelines. We pour, color and stamp in one day while the concrete is workable, then cut control joints and seal it after it cures. Joints matter on decorative work. We hide them in the grout lines of the pattern where we can, so the slab cracks where you will not see it.

Color choices hold better when the slab is sealed every few years. Sealer also keeps water and salt out of the surface, which is the main thing that dulls stamped concrete in a cold climate. For walks and pool-side areas we can add a fine grit to the sealer so the surface is less slick when wet.

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Water on both sides

Dakota Dunes is set between the Big Sioux River and the Missouri River. Historic flooding threatened the town in 2011 and again in 2019. In June 2011 the governor urged residents of the Country Club section to evacuate. Floodwater and high groundwater can soften the ground under slabs, so after any wet season we suggest a quick look for settling, new cracks or gaps at the steps.

When we pour new work here, we take extra care with the base. A deep layer of compacted gravel under a driveway or patio drains better and gives more uniform support than native soil alone. We also slope every slab away from the house.

Golf carts, driveways and garage floors

The community has a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer's design company, and many owners keep a cart. A cart pad next to the garage, or a widened apron, is a simple pour. Inside the garage, a cracked or pitted slab can be replaced or repaired depending on how deep the damage goes.

Our process

We visit, measure, talk through finishes and covenant limits, and give you a written estimate. Tear-out, base, reinforcement, color, stamping and sealing each appear as separate lines. Call (712) 482-2303 to set up a time.