Concrete Contractor in Fountain Valley, CA - Worn Driveways and Patios Replaced
Mainstay Santa Ana Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Santa Ana that builds driveways, patios, garage floors and slab foundations in Fountain Valley, tearing out worn concrete and pouring new slabs on a properly packed base.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Family homes on Fountain Valley's flat lots
Fountain Valley is mostly quiet blocks of single-family houses on flat, even lots, with shopping centers and offices along the bigger streets. A lot of the neighborhoods went up around the same time, so the houses on a street often share the same layout, the same driveway and, by now, the same cracks. We do the same work next door in Westminster and Costa Mesa, and up in Placentia.
So much of the concrete here is original to the house that most jobs start with breaking out the old slab and looking at the subgrade, the dirt and base it sits on, because that tells me more about the new pour than the cracks on top do.
Our services in Fountain Valley, CA
- Concrete driveway building
Many driveways here are original, cracked and lifted by tree roots. We tear it out, pack a new base and slope the new slab away from the house.
- Concrete patio construction
On flat backyards, an old patio that settled toward the house sends water back at it. We break it out and pour the new one to drain toward the yard.
- Slab foundation building
Adding a room or a backyard unit here starts with a level slab to build on. Our slab foundation building work follows your plans and is timed around the city's inspections.
- Garage floor concrete
Older garage floors here are often cracked, stained and low in spots where water sits. We remove the old floor and pour a new slab on a packed base.
- Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks here get lifted by tree roots, leaving edges people trip on. We replace the raised sections and cut control joints, grooves that give cracks a place to go.
- Stamped concrete services
On blocks of similar houses, some homeowners want a patio or entry that looks different. We press a pattern and color into the wet concrete, over the same packed base.
What Fountain Valley's older slabs ask for
Most of the concrete we're called about in Fountain Valley has been down a long time, and the usual story is a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab sank along with the dirt under it. That's why I put the base ahead of the finish, and if a budget gets tight I'd rather trim the finish, because nobody sees the base on day one but everybody sees it when it gives out. Your price moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how much work the ground needs and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on any permit review and on curing, the wait new concrete needs to harden before you walk or drive on it. I come out, look at all of it and write the estimate for your job.
Permits here come from the city's Building Division. As the licensed contractor, we can pull the permit for you when the job needs one, and we plan the work around the city's reviews and inspections so your old driveway stays in until the permit is in hand.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Fountain Valley
We reply to every call and message within one business day. Then I come out to your Fountain Valley house, look at the old concrete and the ground under it, and write you a free estimate with no obligation to go ahead.
Driveways, patios and slabs
Fountain Valley concrete questions answered
How do I find out if my driveway or patio needs a permit in Fountain Valley?
Ask the city before the pour, because the city's list of work that needs no building permit names things like painting, tiling, small sheds and short fences, and it doesn't name driveways or patios. The Building Division answers at 714-593-4429, and if your job needs a permit, we pull it for you.
Does a short retaining wall need a permit in Fountain Valley?
The city exempts a retaining wall up to 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing, the buried concrete base, to the top of the wall. That exemption ends when the wall holds back extra weight above it, like a driveway or a slope, and lights or plumbing on an exempt wall still need their own permits unless the city exempts them too.
Do subcontractors need a business license to work in Fountain Valley?
Yes, the city requires every subcontractor to hold a Fountain Valley business license before starting work, and the city's Business License Department takes questions at 714-593-4421. On permitted jobs, a subcontractor form also goes to the city's Building Department, and if it isn't in two weeks before the final inspection is requested, the final gets delayed, so we keep it on our list.
How much down payment can a contractor ask for in California?
The Contractors State License Board, which licenses and regulates contractors in California, says a contractor can't ask for or take a down payment over $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. That limit appears in the board's guidance on rebuilding after a declared disaster, and the board says the rules apply to all home improvement projects.
How much does it cost to replace a concrete driveway in Fountain Valley?
On a replacement here, much of the price sits in the parts you won't see later, which are breaking out the old slab, hauling it off and rebuilding the base, with the finish and any permit on top of that. Stamped or colored concrete costs more than a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives shoes and tires grip, and roots that have to be cut out add work. I'll walk it with you and write the estimate.
What causes concrete driveways in Fountain Valley to crack and sink?
Usually it's what's under the slab, the loose base I talked about above, along with tree roots, water running under the edges and control joints that were cut late or skipped. We pack the base, add rebar, steel inside the slab that holds cracked pieces together, cut joints on time and time the pour so the top doesn't dry too fast. Any slab can still crack some, and I'd rather tell you that at the estimate than have you find out later.