Concrete Contractors in Ranlo, NC

Ranlo is a compact town on Gastonia's north side, about two square miles in all, and concrete contractors working here see two very different kinds of homes. On one side are row houses built in the 1920s and 1930s, first rented to mill workers at low rates. On the other are new neighborhoods built as the town turned into a bedroom community. Ranlo grew from 3,434 people in 2010 to 4,511 in 2020, a 31.4 percent jump, and in 2020 four out of ten households had children under 18.

Where the name comes from

Ranlo is a blend of two names, John Calvin Rankin and William Thomas Love, both industrialists. The town's economy was built on cotton mills: Rex Spinning Company in 1915, Ranlo Manufacturing in 1916 and Priscilla Spinning in 1921, with A.M. Smyre Manufacturing nearby in 1917. Ranlo and Smyre incorporated together as the Town of Ranlo in 1963, partly in response to possible annexation by Gastonia. The town later became a bedroom community.

Working on the older row houses

Mill row houses were built close together and close to the street. Driveways are short or shared, walks are narrow, and rear yards are small. Concrete from that era was usually poured thin on whatever ground was there.

On these lots we focus on a few things:

• Access. Tight spacing may mean a smaller truck, a pump or a wheelbarrow run.
• Drainage between houses. When houses are close, water from two roofs can land in the same narrow strip. A new walk there needs a pitch that sends water toward the street or a drain, not toward either foundation.
• Neighbor lines. Shared driveways need both owners on the same page before we start.
• Small patios that count. A small rear yard may only fit a modest slab, so we lay it out to get the most use from the space.

Get a Free Estimate

New neighborhood requests

In newer parts of Ranlo, families with kids ask for things like a basketball pad, a wider driveway for a second car, a back patio and a walk to the side gate. A play pad needs a smooth, durable finish and joints laid out so a crack does not run through the middle of the court. A wider driveway may need extra grading at the edge. On new lots we always check the fill near the foundation, which settles if it was not compacted.

At about 810 feet

Ranlo sits at about 810 feet, higher than the river towns to the east. Most lots are moderate, but even small slopes affect where water goes. We set every slab with a fall away from the house and look at how runoff will leave the yard. Where an older row house has a yard that already tilts toward the back wall, we may suggest regrading a strip of soil along the foundation as part of the job, since a new patio cannot fix water that is already headed the wrong way.

Ranlo services

• Concrete driveways: short-lot replacements and wider driveways in newer areas
• Concrete patios: compact patios for older homes and bigger ones for new builds
• Concrete slabs: play pads, shed bases and parking pads
• Sidewalks and walkways: narrow side walks between houses and front walks
• Stamped concrete: decorative patios and front entries
• Concrete repair: crack repair and fixing heaved or sunken sections

Call (980) 350-7807 to schedule a free estimate in Ranlo.