Concrete cutting in Hastings, NE - clean, straight cuts right where you need them
Need a trench for a new drain line or an opening in a slab or wall? We scan first, then cut it clean.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does concrete cutting involve, and what changes the price?
Concrete cutting in Hastings, NE is how we open up concrete that's already in place, using saws and core drills to make straight cuts in slabs, cuts in walls and round holes for pipe, drain and conduit, so a new line or trench goes in without breaking up more than it has to.
Usually you're calling because something new has to get through old concrete, like a drain line under the basement floor, a conduit run across the garage or a cracked panel coming out ahead of a new concrete driveway. The price moves with where the cut sits, how thick the concrete is, how much rebar, the steel bars that keep a slab from pulling apart, runs through it, how many feet we're cutting and whether you want the pieces broken up and hauled off. The schedule turns on the scan, since it happens before any saw starts, and on whether there's digging once the slab is open, and I put all of it in a written estimate so you can see what's included.
How do you know you need concrete cut?
A line under the slab
Your plumber or electrician says the new drain, water line or conduit has to run under the basement floor or garage slab. A saw-cut trench opens just the strip they need, while hammering a path through usually cracks the concrete well past the line and leaves more to patch.
One panel cracked or sunk
A single section of your driveway or patio has cracked through or dropped while the rest still sits flat. Cutting it out along the control joints, the grooves put in to steer cracks, lets the good concrete stay, and waiting usually lets water work under the edges and spread the damage.
A wall that needs an opening
You're finishing a basement and want a window or a door where there's only poured wall. That's a wall-saw job with a set order of work, and putting it off usually means the rest of the basement project stalls until the opening is in.
How we handle concrete cutting, from scan to cleanup
When you call, I'll ask where the cut is, whether it's a slab or a wall and whether you want the pieces hauled off, so the estimate covers the whole job instead of just the sawing. Before any cutting starts we scan for steel and lines inside the concrete, then mark the cut lines on the surface and walk them with you so nobody's guessing. Our crew cuts with water on the blade, which keeps the dust down and the blade cool, then breaks out and loads the panels if that's part of the job and cleans up the work area.
Cutting is often the first day of a bigger job. If a section of driveway is coming out, we can cut clean edges and pour the new piece as part of our concrete driveway building work, and if you're adding onto an old slab out back, a straight saw cut gives a new pour from our concrete patio construction work a clean edge to meet.
Slabs and floors
Driveways, patios, garage floors and basement floors usually get a flat saw, a walk-behind saw that rolls along the line, plus a hand saw for corners and small openings the big saw can't reach. This suits trenches for drain lines, cutting out a damaged panel or straightening an edge before new concrete goes in.
Walls and round holes
Openings in poured walls, like a basement window, get a wall saw that runs on a track bolted to the wall, and very thick or heavily reinforced sections may need a wire saw. When a pipe, drain or conduit just has to pass through, a core drill cuts a clean round hole without opening up the whole wall.
Get a written estimate for your concrete cut
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come look at the cut myself. Estimates are free, in person and come with no obligation.
(402) 512-8901- Based in
- Hastings, NE 68901
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call us about concrete cutting in Hastings?
From your side, a cutting job comes down to three steps, from the first phone call to a cleaned-up work area with the opening where you wanted it.
Call and describe the cut
I'll ask a few questions about where the cut is and what's going through it. Then we set up a time for me to come out and look at it.
Walk it and get it in writing
You'll get a written estimate that says what's included, so you know what you're paying for before we start. We'll also talk through the choices that change how it turns out, like the cutting method, the hauling and where the slurry goes.
We scan, cut and clean up
Once you're ready, we sort out the paperwork with the right office and our crew scans, cuts and hauls what you've asked us to. I stop by to check on it until the job is finished and cleaned up.
Why Hastings homeowners call Hastings Concrete to cut concrete
In business since 2013
I ran crews for another contractor for years before I started Hastings Concrete here in Hastings in 2013, and that taught me what's under and inside concrete matters as much as what's on top. On a cutting job, that means finding the steel and lines first, not after the blade hits them.
The estimator checks the work
I come out to look at your job and write the estimate myself, and our foreman leads the crew on cutting day. I stop by while they work, so the person who priced the cut is the one checking that it lands where we marked it.
Licensed and insured, every job
We're licensed and insured, which is worth asking any cutter you're comparing, since the saw work happens inside your house or right next to it. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
When you know where the cut needs to go, send us the details or call (402) 512-8901 and I'll come take a look.
Concrete cutting, trenching and permits in Hastings, NE
Whether your cut needs a permit depends on your address and the work, so we find out whether the city or the county covers you and help you through the permit and inspection steps your job calls for. If the cut opens a trench in the ground under the slab, Nebraska law says whoever digs, homeowners included, dials 811 two business days ahead to get underground utilities marked, so we put those two days on the calendar before the digging starts.
A lot of the cutting we see comes from older houses where a basement is getting finished or a new drain has to cross an old slab, and older concrete can hide steel or lines nobody remembers putting in. We run into the same thing on jobs across Hastings and up the road in Grand Island, which is why we never skip the scan.
Questions about concrete cutting in Hastings
How much does concrete cutting cost per foot in Hastings, NE?
Saw cutting a concrete slab across the US usually costs about $4 to $15 per linear foot, and reinforced or deeper slabs land higher than thin, easy-to-reach ones. That rate covers the sawing only, so a small job may be priced mostly by a minimum or trip charge, and breaking and hauling the pieces cost extra. Your written estimate from me lists exactly what's in it.
Does the concrete cutter haul the pieces away?
Not always, because sawing and removal are separate jobs and some cutters make the lines and leave the panels lying where they were. Breaking, lifting, loading and disposal fees can add up to more than the sawing itself, so ask whether a quote includes removal before you compare prices.
Does a concrete contractor have to register with the state of Nebraska?
Yes, Nebraska requires contractors and subcontractors doing business in the state to register with the Nebraska Department of Labor. Under state law, someone working on their own property, or earning less than $5,000 a year from construction work, isn't counted as a contractor for that registration. The department also says registration is no promise of quality work, so ask about insurance and get the estimate in writing too.
Why does concrete need to be scanned before it's cut?
Because the saw can't see inside the slab, and ground-penetrating radar, a scanner that reads through the concrete, finds rebar, post-tension cables, conduit and pipes before the blade does. Post-tension cables are steel cables pulled tight inside some slabs, and the scan always comes before any cutting, so plan it into the schedule.
How do I get rid of the slurry from cutting concrete?
Agree on it with your contractor before cutting starts, because the gray water that comes off the blade, called slurry, has to be collected and disposed of. One cutting guide warns against washing it into a basement floor drain, since it's strongly alkaline and will corrode cast iron pipe. We settle where it goes with you at the estimate.
What is the best way to cut an opening in a load-bearing basement wall?
One cutting guide says to cut the pocket for the lintel, the beam that carries the wall over the opening, and set it in place first, then cut the opening below it. The reason is that partial cuts let the load start to shift, so the order of the work is part of the plan, and we go over that order with you before the wall saw comes out.
Concrete work that often follows a cut
Concrete driveway building
When a cracked or sunken panel comes out, the new section has to tie into what's left, and we pour driveways on a dug-out, packed base.
Concrete patio construction
Once a trench is closed or an old slab is trimmed back, a new patio sloped so water runs away from the house can finish off the yard.
Service areas for our concrete cutting crew
Hastings Concrete is based in Hastings, Nebraska, and we work in Grand Island and the cities around it. Hastings and Grand Island are the 2 service areas with their own page on this site.
Hastings, NE
Tell us where the cut needs to go
Getting the scan on the calendar early means your plumber or electrician isn't left waiting on the trench.