About Keyway
One trade, done the slow way.
Ruben Vander Molen started Keyway in 2009 with one truck, a used power screed and a habit of explaining the base to anyone who would listen. Two crews later, the habit stuck.
- Started with one truck and a used power screed
- 2009
- Crews: flatwork, and stamped and decorative
- 2
- People, including the office and the estimators
- 9
- Towns we pour in around Grand Rapids
- 10
The story
Why a concrete company explains the base.
Ruben finished his first driveway at seventeen, on his uncle's crew in Holland. The lesson that stuck was not about finishing. It was a call-back two winters later: a driveway that had sunk and cracked because the base under it was three inches of sand on top of clay.
When he started Keyway, he decided every quote would say what goes under the slab, in writing, and that he would rather lose a bid than skip the gravel. Homeowners could not see the base, so he would describe it. Then he started publishing the prices too, because the same logic applied.
Today there are two crews, an office that texts your cure dates, and a rule that the estimator walks every job before it is priced. It is still a concrete company, not a general contractor. We pour, we finish, and we stand behind it.
The name
How we work
Four rules, on every job.
-
01
Base before beauty
Most failures start under the slab. We dig out soft soil and compact 6 inches of 21AA crushed gravel in lifts before anyone talks about color.
-
02
Joints on purpose
Concrete shrinks as it cures, and it will crack. We cut control joints a quarter of the slab deep so it cracks in a straight line, inside the groove.
-
03
A mix for the freeze
Every outdoor pour is 4,000 psi, air-entrained concrete. Millions of tiny air bubbles give freezing water room to expand, which is what keeps the top from flaking.
-
04
The cure clock, in writing
On pour day you get a printed card and a text: when to walk, when to drive, when to seal, and no salt the first winter.
The calendar
Concrete keeps its own season.
Pour season runs about mid-April to mid-November, while nights stay above freezing. Estimates and planning run all year. In winter we quote, plan, pour indoor slabs in heated buildings and book the spring calendar.
- Jan : quotes and planning
- Feb : quotes and planning
- Mar : quotes and planning
- Apr : pouring from mid-month
- May : pouring
- Jun : pouring
- Jul : pouring
- Aug : pouring
- Sep : pouring
- Oct : pouring
- Nov : pouring until mid-month
- Dec : quotes and planning
Pouring Part of the month, weather allowing Quotes and planning
The people
Who you will meet.
-
Ruben Vander Molen
Owner and lead estimator
Finished his first driveway at 17 for his uncle's crew in Holland. Started Keyway in 2009 with one truck and a used power screed. Still walks every driveway job before it is quoted.
-
Teresa Okafor
Office and scheduling
Runs the pour calendar, books inspections and sends the cure-card texts. If the weather moves your date, she is the one who calls.
-
Luis Garza
Crew lead, flatwork
Leads the driveway and walk crew. Lives by the laser level and checks every form for slope before the truck is called.
-
Jake Brinks
Crew lead, decorative
Runs stamped and colored work and pours the sample boards. Has opinions about release colors and is usually right.
-
Amira Haddad
Estimator, repair and sealing
Looks at cracked and tired slabs and tells people whether they need repair or replacement. Often the cheaper answer.
-
Plus four finishers and laborers
The same faces most of the season. We do not hire day crews off a list for pour day.
How we stand behind it.
Licensed
Licensed Michigan residential builder. The licence number is printed on every written quote (this sample site shows none).
Insured
$2M general liability plus workers' comp. The certificate comes with every quote.
Warranty
Two-year workmanship warranty: settling, flaking from a bad finish, and cracks wider than 1/8 in that are not in a joint. Hairline shrinkage cracks, deicer damage in the first winter and heavy-equipment damage are not covered, and we say so up front.
Next step
Meet us on your driveway.
Every quote starts with a site visit from the person who will price it. Bring your questions about the base; we like those.