Concrete in Delano, Wichita

From Elgin to West Wichita

Settlers who bought land across the Arkansas River from Wichita named their town Elgin. In 1870 it became a cattle shipping point on the Chisholm Trail, and in March 1871 residents renamed it Delano after Interior Secretary Columbus Delano. After the cattle trade moved west, Wichita annexed Delano in 1880. Garfield University, later Friends University, opened in 1887, and aircraft makers including Travel Air in 1925 and Cessna in 1927 set up there. By the 1930s most of Delano was modest housing built over the previous three decades. In the early 1930s a sandbar in the river was moved west to become the current bank (Wikipedia: Delano).

Small lots, close quarters

Lots in much of Delano are narrow, and houses sit close together. Concrete work here is often a puzzle of access: getting a breaker and haul-off past the house, staging forms where there is little yard, and keeping wet concrete off a neighbor's property. Alleys help where they exist, and many garages are reached from the rear.

Alley aprons and rear pads

An apron where a garage meets an alley takes turning tires and runoff from the alley surface. These pads crack and settle at the edge. A thicker edge, good base and a joint between the apron and the garage floor all help. NRMCA recommends isolation joints where slabs meet garage slabs and other fixed points (NRMCA, CIP 6: Joints in Concrete Slabs on Grade).

Garages and workshops

Older detached garages often have thin, cracked floors that were poured without a vapor retarder. If a garage becomes a heated workshop, NRMCA's slab-moisture guidance notes that moisture moving up from the ground can cause trouble with floor coverings and coatings (NRMCA, CIP 28: Concrete Slab Moisture). Replacing a floor is a chance to add a vapor retarder and proper slope toward the door. See garage floors and shop slabs.

The commercial strip

Along Douglas, businesses deal with storefront walks, ramps, patios and parking-area flatwork. Public sidewalk work in the right-of-way goes through the City's Traffic, Street and Construction Permitting office and a contractor with a current City concrete contractor license (City of Wichita, Traffic, Street and Construction Permitting). Business owners usually want work scheduled to keep entrances open, which means pouring in sections.

Near the river bank

Ground near a bank that was reshaped in the 1930s may hold fill. Fill can settle unevenly under slabs. When planning a larger slab close to the river, a look at the soil and a well-compacted base matter more than usual.

Digging in an old neighborhood

Older blocks carry a tangle of utilities, some replaced over the years and some original. Breaking out concrete and digging base is excavation under Kansas law, which requires notice at least two full working days, but not more than 20 calendar days, before digging starts (K.S.A. 66-1804, notice of intent of excavation). See calling 811 before tear-out.

Common work in Delano

• Replacing a narrow front drive or rear alley apron
• New floors in old detached garages
• Front walks and steps on bungalows
• Storefront sidewalk and ramp work
• Small patios that fit tight backyards

Close by

Riverside sits across the river to the north and east, and College Hill is east of downtown. Goddard lies west along Kellogg, and Haysville is south. The Wichita citywide page covers sidewalk rules.

See the estimate factors page for how access and haul-off affect scope.

Concrete services in Delano

• Concrete Driveways
• Sidewalks, Walkways & Drive Approaches
• Concrete Patios
• Stamped & Decorative Concrete
• Concrete Repair & Resurfacing
• Garage Floors, Shop & Foundation Slabs
• Concrete Tear-Out & Replacement
• Estimate factors

Sources for this page: Wikipedia: Delano, Wichita; NRMCA, CIP 6: Joints in Concrete Slabs on Grade; NRMCA, CIP 28: Concrete Slab Moisture; City of Wichita, Traffic, Street and Construction Permitting; K.S.A. 66-1804, notice of intent of excavation.