Concrete Contractors in Chapman, KS

Chapman is a Dickinson County city, and its homeowners call concrete contractors for everything from a single cracked step to a full driveway. The first settlement came in 1868, the same year Jackman's mill was built on Chapman Creek, and James Streeter and S. M. Strickler laid out the town in 1871. The city takes its name from the creek. It had 1,377 residents in 2020, nearly the same as the 1,393 counted in 2010.

Rebuilt in 2008

On June 11, 2008, a tornado about half a mile wide swept through Chapman. Most of the downtown was wiped out, more than 60 homes were destroyed and at least 200 people were displaced. Afterward, volunteers working with the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew built the town's first community center, designed to double as a tornado shelter; the episode aired in January 2009.

That event left Chapman with two generations of concrete side by side. Homes rebuilt after 2008 have flatwork that is now more than 15 years old, often in good shape, though some may show settlement where backfill was placed quickly. Older homes that escaped damage have concrete that may be many decades old. When we look at a Chapman property, we are usually sorting out which of those situations we are dealing with.

Where rebuild-era concrete shows wear

Slabs poured during a fast rebuild can go in over backfill that had not fully settled. Signs include:

• a patio that now tips toward the house
• a walk with one section lower than the next
• a garage apron that has dropped below the garage floor
• cracks running away from the control joints

The fix is usually the same: cut out the affected sections, dig out and recompact the base, and repour. Where the rest of the slab is sound, we leave it in place.

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Housing in Chapman today

The 2020 census counted 597 housing units, up from 572 in 2010, in a city of a little under one square mile. Chapman sits at about 1,119 feet. A compact town with a stable population means most of our work is upgrades and replacement: wider driveways, new patios, steps rebuilt on proper footings and slabs for storage buildings.

Outside the Manhattan counties

Chapman is in Dickinson County, while most towns we serve are in Riley, Pottawatomie or Geary counties. Rules on driveway approaches, curb cuts and accessory buildings are set locally, so we confirm Chapman's requirements before a garage slab or new approach goes on the schedule rather than assuming they match Manhattan's. Every outdoor slab is air-entrained, sloped to drain and properly cured.

Storm shelter slabs

After 2008, many Chapman residents think about severe weather when they plan a project. If you are adding a prefabricated storm shelter, the manufacturer will list the slab size, thickness and anchoring it requires. We pour to those specifications and can tie the slab into a walk from the house so it is easy to reach in a hurry.

Short walks and front steps

On homes with short walks and a few steps up to the porch, those small pieces get heavy use and take the brunt of snow shoveling and salt. When we rebuild them, we pour steps on a footing, keep each rise even so no one trips, and broom-finish the treads for grip. We can set sleeves or anchors for a handrail while the concrete is fresh, which is much easier than drilling later.

Our Chapman services

Concrete driveways, concrete patios, stamped concrete, sidewalks and steps, garage and shed slabs, and concrete repair and replacement. We check what the City of Chapman requires before working near the street. Call (785) 509-7585 to set up a visit.