Residential / Commercial / Farm / Community- Non-Profit / School Districts / Parking lots / Foundations /  & More- Call today   641-680-3633

SRC Concrete is a Southeast Iowa family owned concrete/masonry company.  Owned and operated by Sam Cloke.  Sam has poured and finished concrete since he was a young boy.  25+ years of experience & knowledge as well as quality & experienced staff.  Currently serving Southeast Iowa and surrounding areas.  Call today for an estimate or to draft a custom proposal and design package. 

                                      641-680-3633

                                ~ SRC offers ~

                                                     Flatwork / Foundations / Retaining Walls

                                                                                           Business & Residential

Driveways / Sidewalks / Parking Lots    

New construction  

Old construction - Replacement/Repairs/Leveling/Crawl Spaces/ Water Damage

Multiple finishing options available including flat work or stamped finishes. 

Traditional or colored concrete.

Special requests or one of a kind projects. (Could include custom patios and walkways or firepits with custom benches/seating.)

Upgraded courtyards and community improvement/beautification projects.

Do you have... Structural and Foundation Issues-

Falling Chimney/Bowing Walls / Retaining Wall Failure

Uneven Floors / Foundation Heave or Sinking

Cracking Walls / Floors

Doors and Windows Unlevel / Unable to Open or Close

Tripping Hazards / Missing Walkways

Unsmooth Driveway/ Approaches

LET US CHANGE THAT FOR YOU... CALL TODAY 641-680-3633

Do you have... A Lack of Concrete- Let us take care of that for you.  

We will work with existing lay outs or blue prints as well as draft them  based on your wants & needs.

Projects can include rerouting water flow and preventive measures not only visual appealing but with purpose. 

Not sure what you want... Not sure what you need... SRC can help you-

Let us bring your needs and ideas into a complete vision by calling today.  

Concrete Knowledge Part 1~

Concrete is such a given in our daily lives that it’s entered our vocabulary: When we say something is “concrete,” we mean it’s substantial, solid, permanent, to be counted on. Plus, most of us spend our lives on and around concrete, on sidewalks and roads, inside buildings and structures that are all constructed with the miraculous material. Without concrete, the developed world would look radically different.

Did you ever wonder, though, where concrete originated and how it came to be everywhere in modern life? There’s a long and impressive history behind this important building material, beginning thousands of years ago, even before the Egyptian pyramids, spanning through the time of the Romans’ unprecedented structures, and reaching forward into modern construction.

We’ll take a look at what concrete is (and isn’t), how it came into being, how it played a part in creating the great cities and monumental buildings of the world, and how it shapes our lives every day.

An Important Distinction: Cement vs. Concrete

Before delving into the history of concrete, there’s one important misconception that needs to be cleared up first: Concrete is not the same thing as cement. Although the two words are often confused for each other, there’s one main distinction: Cement is an ingredient in concrete.

Cement is made from varying combinations of limestone, clay, shells, chalk, shale, slate, silica sand, and sometimes even blast furnace slag or iron ore. These ingredients are crushed then heated at high temperatures to result in a material called clinker. Gypsum is added to the clinker, then the whole mixture is finely ground to produce cement powder.

Just add water, and the process gets interesting. Hydration is the process that happens when the minerals contained in cement powder — calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron, and others — form chemical bonds with water molecules. As this process finishes, the water evaporates and the paste dries, leaving behind these bonds organized in a rock-like substance.

So, concrete is a mixture of this cement-and-water paste and a sand-and-rock aggregate. The paste coats the surface of the sand and rocks, binding them together into the concoction we know as concrete. In its soupy liquid form, concrete can be formed into just about any shape the builder wants — sheet, column, block, slab, arch, bowl, etc. Once the water in the paste dries, the concrete becomes hard as a rock and retains that shape.

Cement generally makes up about 10-15 percent of the concrete mix. Nearly all types of concrete use Portland cement. It’s not a brand name, but instead a recognized type of cement that’s used widely across the industry (think “stainless steel” or “sterling silver”). Its originator named his concoction for the high-quality building stones found at a nearby quarry in Portland, England.

Hard Facts About Concrete

Concrete became so popular (and has remained that way) because of its three prominent qualities: plasticity, durability, and economy. When it’s wet, concrete can pour into virtually any shape, fit into any space, fill practically any void, coat nearly any surface. But once it dries and cures, it holds its shape, becoming stronger, harder, and more settled over time.

Concrete that’s made with the right concentration and under the right conditions can be waterproof, stormproof, and fireproof. And owing to that durability, it lasts essentially forever. A million years from now, when all the steel we used to build our world has rusted through and the wood has rotted into dust, it’s concrete that will remain.

But concrete is not only strong; it’s also economical enough to support a global industry that produces more than 2 billion tons of concrete each year — which averages out to about 5 tons per person per year, an already shocking rate which is expected to double by 2050! China alone poured more concrete for construction between 2011 and 2014 than the U.S. did during the last hundred years.

If you find those facts surprising, follow us down “the concrete road” through a timeline of other fascinating advancements. You’ll see how concrete became the material that literally paved the way for life as we know it today.