Concrete Contractor in Irvine, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
Blue Collar Fountain Valley Concrete pours driveways, patios, walkways, garage floors and foundations for Irvine homeowners and property owners, with the base dug out and packed and the water's path worked out before any concrete arrives.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Irvine homes and the concrete work they need
Irvine is mostly planned neighborhoods of single-family homes and townhomes, with shopping centers and business parks set between them, and the city has long tried to balance building with keeping open space. You see that on our jobs, where plenty of homes back onto trails, hillsides or preserve land, and the driveways, walks and patios are often the ones poured when the house went up. We do the same kind of work in Westminster and Costa Mesa, but calls here lean toward replacing that original concrete or finishing a backyard that never got done.
We're a concrete contractor based in Fountain Valley, and on Irvine jobs the housing shapes the work more than anything else. Lots are laid out tight, with narrow side yards and neighbors close by, so before we dig we plan how the concrete gets from the truck to the back of the house and where the new slab will send its water.
Concrete services for Irvine homes and properties
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has sunk at the garage or cracked across the middle, we tear it out, pack a new base and pour a slab that drains.
View service Concrete driveway buildingConcrete patio construction
Backyards here are often snug, so we lay out a patio that fits the space and slopes water away from the house and the fence line.
View service Concrete patio constructionStamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick in one pour, and we seal it so the color holds up.
View service Stamped concrete servicesConcrete sidewalk building
A walkway that's heaved or chipped is a trip hazard at your front door, so we replace the bad sections and set them flush with the rest.
View service Concrete sidewalk buildingGarage floor concrete
Garage floors take a car's weight every day, so when yours is cracked or flaking we break it out and pour a new slab on a packed base.
View service Garage floor concreteDecorative concrete
For homeowners who want more than plain gray, we add color, exposed stone or a scored pattern that suits the house and the street.
View service Decorative concreteConcrete retaining walls
Where a yard climbs a slope, a retaining wall gives you flat ground, and we build drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
View service Concrete retaining wallsConcrete floor installation
For a new room, workshop or commercial space, we pour an indoor slab flat and level enough for the flooring or equipment going on it.
View service Concrete floor installationConcrete pool decks
A pool deck has to shed water away from the pool and the house, so we slope it and give it a finish that's easier on wet feet.
View service Concrete pool decksConcrete steps construction
Front steps take every trip in and out, so when yours are cracked or uneven we form new ones with even heights and steel inside.
View service Concrete steps constructionSlab foundation building
When you're adding a room, garage or backyard unit, we pour the slab it sits on, square and level so the framing goes up true.
View service Slab foundation buildingFoundation installation
Additions and new builds need a foundation set to the engineer's plans, and our crew forms, places the steel and pours it to match.
View service Foundation installationConcrete parking lot building
For apartment buildings, offices and shopping centers, we pour parking areas built for daily traffic and sloped so water reaches the drains.
View service Concrete parking lot buildingConcrete footings
Footings carry the weight of a wall, a patio cover post or an addition, so we dig them to the depth the plans call for.
View service Concrete footingsFoundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation has dropped and doors stick or walls crack, we find out why before we lift and support it.
View service Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
When you need a trench for a line, a doorway or a bad section taken out, we saw-cut the concrete so the edges are clean and straight.
View service Concrete cutting
Get a free on-site concrete estimate for your Irvine property
We'll reply within one business day to set up a time, and I'll come out to your Irvine property myself for a free estimate, with no pressure and no obligation.
- info@concretefountainvalley.com
- Based in
- Fountain Valley, CA 92708
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Permits, licenses and pricing for Irvine concrete work
Permits here come from the city's Community Development Department, which issues them for most construction and repair work the codes cover. We check with the city before we start, and when your job needs a permit, the schedule waits on it because we don't pour until it's issued, and we take care of the paperwork and inspections as part of the job. Before you hire anyone, ask to see two things, a current California contractor license and a City of Irvine business license, which the city requires of every business working here. We're fully licensed and insured.
On an Irvine job, the price moves most on things you can't see yet, like how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and how the water has to be routed off it. Size, thickness, steel, how far we carry concrete from the truck and the finish come next, and a plain broom finish, the brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip, costs less than color or stamping. Concrete trucks need room at the curb, so on narrower streets we work out where the truck sits before pour day. The schedule turns on the permit, our calendar and the curing days you stay off the slab while it hardens, and your written estimate puts your own figures on all of it.
Why Irvine driveways and patios crack and sink
Most cracked or sunken slabs we look at here failed underneath first, where the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settled with the dirt and cracked wherever it wanted. We dig out to firm ground, pack the base in layers and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, soon after the pour so any cracks land where we chose.
Water does the rest. Where houses sit close and side yards are narrow, an old patio that falls toward the house or a driveway that holds a puddle at the garage keeps water against the walls, so we check where it runs before we set a form and slope the new slab toward the street or a drain.
What to expect when you hire us for concrete in Irvine
Here's how a job runs from your first call or message to the day you walk the finished concrete with me.
Call or send the form
Call (657) 329-2134 or send the form with a few lines about the job, and we'll set a time for me to come out. You don't need measurements or a design picked yet.
Walk the site with me
I come out myself to look at the old concrete, the ground and where the water runs, and to hear what you want, so it helps if you're home. Then I write up an estimate that spells out the prep, the concrete work and anything not included, so nothing turns up later as a surprise.
Schedule, prep and pour
If you go ahead, we line up the dates and any city paperwork, and a job that needs a permit waits for it before we dig. Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it cracks, then pours and finishes with me on site.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, we walk the finished work with you and go over how to look after it while it cures. I'll tell you when it's ready to walk on and when it's ready for a car.
Questions about concrete work in Irvine
How do I know if my concrete project needs a permit in Irvine?
Check with the city before work starts, because Irvine's list of exempt work doesn't settle every driveway or patio, and that's not something to guess at. You can read the city's list of work that does and doesn't need permits or call (949) 724-6313, and even work on the exempt list still has to meet the city's technical codes and the county and state rules. New online applications now go through the city's PermitsDIRECT! system, and that filing is part of what we take care of.
Does a retaining wall in Irvine need a permit?
A retaining wall no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of its footing to the top of the wall, is on the city's exempt list, unless it's holding up extra weight behind it, like a driveway or a building near the top. That measurement catches people out, because a wall that looks short from the yard can measure over 4 feet once you count the footing below ground. Anything past that, or a wall with a load behind it, isn't exempt, so we plan for a permit from the start.
Does a concrete contractor in California need a state license?
Yes, for most concrete jobs, because the state's Contractors State License Board requires a license whenever a project needs a building permit, uses employees or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. On home improvement work, the state also limits the down payment a contractor can ask for to $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Ask any contractor for their license before you sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Irvine?
We price each Irvine driveway after seeing it, since the tear-out, the base work and the finish move the number as much as the size does. When budgets get tight, people usually want to cut the base first because nobody sees it on day one, and I'll talk you the other way, because a plain broom-finished slab on a well-packed base will outlast a stamped one on dirt that settles.
How long does it take to get a new concrete driveway in Irvine?
The pour is the short part, and most of the wait is the permit, if your job needs one, plus the curing time before you can park on it. Once a permit is issued for work on a house, it stays good for 18 months unless the city's Building Official extends it in writing, so there's room to plan the work around your own calendar.
Do I need a permit for a patio cover over my concrete patio in Irvine?
Yes, Irvine requires a permit for a patio cover of any size. That's stricter than a small one-story shed or playhouse on a single-family lot, which skips the building permit up to 120 square feet of floor. If a cover is in your plans, tell me at the estimate, so we can plan the post footings with the patio instead of cutting into new concrete later.
Other service areas
Fountain Valley, CA
Get your Irvine concrete job on the calendar
Call (657) 329-2134 or send the form, since the sooner I see your site, the sooner we know whether the city needs a permit before we can set a pour date.