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Concrete Slabs & Garage Pads in Burlington
We pour garage pads, shed pads and hot tub slabs across Burlington, with the base built for the ground under your lot: heavy lake clay in the older south end, soft old nursery soil in parts of Aldershot, and builder fill in Alton Village. Union-certified crews do the work, the labour carries a lifetime warranty, and the written quote is free.
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Reviewed June 2026
Every job is priced individually, not off a price list. Tell us about yours and you get an accurate, no-pressure quote in writing.
Most of lower Burlington sits on the bed of an old lake. Glacial Lake Iroquois left silt and clay across the plain back from the bay, and that clay swells when it is wet and heaves when frost gets under a thin slab.
The job also changes with the street. In the north end, around Alton Village, Headon Forest and Millcroft, the call is often the garage-side pad or the shed pad a builder never poured. In the older south end, it is often an old cracked pad that has to come out before a new one goes in.
The full spec, thickness, reinforcement and base depth, is on our concrete slabs and garage pads page. This page is about what a Burlington slab needs in particular. Send the form for a free written quote; the number on it is the number you pay unless you change the job.
Lake clay under the pad
Below the escarpment, Burlington sits on lake clay over red Queenston shale. Clay holds water and drains slowly, so frost finds it under a slab and lifts it. We dig to firm material, compact a Granular A base in lifts and grade around the pad so water runs away from it.
Near Grindstone Creek and the low ground along the bay, the water table rides higher, so drainage around a pad matters even more there. We check the ground at the site visit rather than assume what is under your yard.
Old nursery ground in Aldershot
The streets back from the bay toward the Royal Botanical Gardens were orchard and nursery ground for generations. That often means deep worked topsoil or old fill where a shed or garage pad will go. Soft, organic ground will not carry a slab, so we take it out down to firm material and replace it with compacted granular before we pour.
Garage and shed pads on new north-end lots
Alton Village only broke ground in 2006, and it went up on disturbed clay fill. The ground near a new foundation keeps moving for a year or two, so let the lot settle through a season after the builder sets the final grade. When we pour, we compact the base mechanically instead of trusting the fill.
A detached garage pad is usually a floating slab. We thicken the edges to about 300 mm so they carry the walls, pour the slab 125 to 150 mm thick and tie a 10M rebar grid instead of light mesh. A shed or hot tub pad is lighter work, and welded wire mesh is the right choice there.
Built for salt and freeze-thaw
Burlington slabs get the freeze-thaw swing off the open lake, and a garage floor also takes the salt that drips off a parked car all winter. We pour 32 MPa air-entrained concrete outdoors and on garage floors, the mix made for freeze-thaw and de-icing salt. Anchor bolts and a floor that slopes to the door go in on pour day, when they are cheap.
Straight answers
Why do concrete pads tilt or crack in older Burlington?
Usually because the base did not suit the clay. The lower city sits on lake clay that holds water, and when frost reaches that water under a thin base, it lifts the slab. A new pad lasts when we dig to firm material, compact granular in lifts and grade it so water leaves the slab.
We just moved into Alton Village. When can we pour a garage or shed pad?
After the builder has set the final grade and the lot has settled through a season. Alton Village is on disturbed clay fill that keeps moving for a year or two near a new foundation. Book the quote in spring to get a better slot before the summer pour season fills.
Rebar or wire mesh for a garage pad in Burlington?
Rebar. Mesh controls shrinkage cracking and suits light pads like sheds and hot tubs, but a garage floor carries a vehicle, so we tie a 10M rebar grid. On soft clay or old fill, rebar earns its cost on almost any slab.
Do I need a permit for a garage pad in Burlington?
Most detached garages need a building permit in Ontario, and many small sheds do not. The cutoff and the fee are set by the municipality, so we tell you which side your project is on at the site visit.
How much does a garage pad cost in Burlington?
The size of the pad, how the crew gets in, and what the ground needs all set the number, so a flat figure would mislead you. We give you a free written quote after a site visit, and the number on it is the number you pay unless you change the job.
Keep reading
- Concrete Slabs & Garage Pads across Southern OntarioThe full spec: thickness, reinforcement, base depth and cure.
- Concrete Contractors in BurlingtonEverything else we pour and repair across the city, from Aldershot to Alton Village.
- Concrete Driveways in BurlingtonThe same clay base work, for a new or widened Burlington driveway.
- Concrete Removal & DemolitionAn old cracked pad in the way comes out first. Here is what tear-out involves.
Tell us about the job.
Send the details and we'll get back to you within one business day with next steps. If water is coming in right now, check the box and we flag it urgent.
Get a straight quote
Free · no pressure · 1 business day