Since the townsite went private in 1998 and Dutch John incorporated in 2016, a lot of owners have been updating homes and lots that were first built for dam workers. That often means dealing with old concrete: a cracked patio, a sunken walk, a carport slab that no longer fits the plan, or a pad left behind from an old shed.
When a slab is broken through, rocking, or a trip hazard, patching won’t hold, and the best move is to take it out. We plan the job around access and utilities, saw cut clean lines where part of a slab stays, break up the concrete, pull out rebar and mesh, and haul everything away. We finish with a rough grade so the area is ready for new concrete, gravel, landscaping, or whatever you have planned.
We know Dutch John lots, older concrete from the dam building years, and how snow and thaw affect work timing here.
Concrete saws, breakers, loaders, and haul trucks let us cut, break, and clear slabs without leaving rubble behind.
If your slab can be repaired instead of removed, we'll tell you before you pay for demolition you don't need.
We protect lawns and nearby concrete, haul off every chunk of rubble and rebar, and leave the area raked and graded.
Dutch John was laid out by the Bureau of Reclamation starting in 1957, and a lot of the concrete around town has been through decades of winters. Some of it still has plenty of life. Some has heaved, sunk, or broken into chunks that no amount of patching will fix. Owners updating a property often find a patio, walk, or pad that just doesn’t fit the way they use the lot anymore.
Removal makes sense when a slab is broken all the way through, tips when you step on it, or creates a drainage problem by sending water toward a foundation. It also makes sense when you simply want something different in that spot, like a garden bed, a gravel parking area, or room for a new building.
You don’t always have to lose the whole slab. If one section of a driveway is broken but the rest is sound, we can saw cut a straight line and remove just the bad part. That leaves a clean edge for new work to tie into. When most of the slab has failed, removing it all at once is usually simpler and cheaper.
If a slab is cracked but still solid, ask us about fixing damaged concrete instead of replacing it. We’ll give you a straight answer on which approach makes more sense, even if that means a smaller job for us. Plenty of older Dutch John slabs only need a few problem spots handled to stay useful for years.
Breaking out a slab sometimes means digging below it, whether to remove a thickened edge, a footing, or a post base. Utah law requires whoever digs to call Blue Stakes at least 3 business days before excavation and no more than 14 calendar days ahead. After that, a locate ticket expires at 21 days, so timing the work matters. Since we’re the ones digging, we make that call.
If your removal is part of tearing down a building, the rules get bigger. Utah DAQ requires an asbestos inspection before demolition, with an exemption only for residential buildings with 4 or fewer units built 1992 or later, and there’s a notice waiting period of about 10 working days. For that kind of project, full structure demolition in Dutch John is the right place to start.
Most removal jobs here fall into a few common groups:
We don’t pour new concrete. We clear and prep the area so the next contractor, or your own project, starts on clean, graded ground.
Removal is loud, heavy work, so planning matters. We look at how equipment can reach the slab without crossing lawns, septic areas, or concrete you want to keep. We use plywood or mats where needed and saw cut along edges so breaking one section doesn’t crack the next one over.
Rubble and rebar get loaded and hauled away rather than left in a pile. If you have more debris around the lot, hauling off other junk and debris can happen on the same trip.
Dutch John is a long way from our base in Vernal, so we schedule removal work as planned trips and group nearby projects together. Late spring through fall is the easiest time, once the ground thaws and before snow buries the work area. Frozen ground and deep snow make breaking and hauling harder, and they can hide what’s around the slab.
Let us know your timeline for the next phase, especially if another contractor is lined up after us. We’ll work with you on a removal date that leaves room for whatever comes next.
We measure the slab, check thickness and access, and note utilities, septic areas, and anything nearby to protect.
Your free quote covers saw cutting, breaking, haul off, and rough grading, with any partial removal lines marked.
On the scheduled trip we cut, break, pull rebar, load rubble, and haul it all away from the site.
We walk the cleared area with you, confirm the grade, and talk through what's ready for the next phase.
