Concrete Contractor in Fullerton, CA - Driveways and Walls for Flat and Hillside Lots
Mainstay Santa Ana Concrete is a concrete contractor serving Fullerton, CA. We tear out and replace driveways, patios, walks and garage floors, and build retaining walls and footings for homes on the city's flat streets and hillside lots.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Homes on Fullerton's flat streets and hillsides
Fullerton gives us two kinds of jobs. Near downtown and through the older neighborhoods, it's flat streets of bungalows and ranch houses with long driveways and big trees, and up in the north end the houses sit on hillside lots where yards step down in terraces. We're a concrete contractor based in Santa Ana, CA, and Fullerton is one of the cities around it we work in, along with Placentia next door and Norwalk a little farther west.
That split shapes the work. On the flat lots, the job is usually tearing out tired concrete and fixing the ground under it, and on the slopes it's holding the ground back and moving water off it before any slab goes in.
Our services in Fullerton, CA
- Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here often crack and sink because the base was only raked level. We tear out the slab, dig out and pack a new base, then pour.
- Concrete retaining walls
Hillside yards in north Fullerton often need a wall to hold a slope and make room for a patio. We build retaining walls on footings with drainage behind them.
- Concrete floor installation
Garage conversions and additions here usually need a new slab. We do the concrete floor installation and set rebar, the steel that keeps cracks tight, before we pour.
- Concrete sidewalk building
Big trees on the older blocks lift front walks until people trip. We replace the lifted sections and cut control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go.
- Concrete patio construction
Flat backyards in central Fullerton suit a patio, but older ones often drain toward the house. We slope the new slab away from your walls so water runs off it.
- Concrete footings
Decks, steps and walls on sloped lots need footings that suit the ground. We dig to the depth the plans call for and keep the trench clean until we pour.
What Fullerton's slopes and older lots ask for
On the hillside lots, most of what we build holds something up, whether it's a retaining wall, a set of steps or the footings under an addition. That's structural work, and the City of Fullerton design criteria place it in Seismic Design Category D, E or F, read from maps for each site, so the steel and footing sizes come from the approved plans and not from habit. We dig and form to those plans and keep water moving off the slope, because wet soil behind a wall pushes harder than soil that drains.
In the older neighborhoods, the calls are mostly driveways, walks and patios that roots and years of settling have cracked, lifted or tipped toward the house. What moves the price there is how much old concrete comes out, how much base we dig out and pack, how thick the slab is, whether it gets rebar and the finish you choose. If the budget's tight, I'll tell you to keep the base work and go with a broom finish, a brushed texture that gives your shoes grip, because a fancy surface on a soft base cracks just the same. The schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit and inspection, the weather on pour day and curing, the days a new slab needs to harden before you walk or drive on it. I come out, look at the job and write up the estimate, so you hear all of that for your own house before we start.
Get a free concrete estimate for your Fullerton home
Tell us about your driveway, patio or wall through the form or call (657) 643-0084, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to your Fullerton property, look at the job and write up a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
Concrete driveways, patios and walls
Fullerton concrete questions answered
Does my concrete project need a permit in Fullerton?
Many concrete jobs do, because patios, decks, pools and retaining walls are on the city's list of work that generally needs a permit, and no construction is allowed until the permit is issued. That list doesn't settle every job, such as a driveway replacement, so check with the city's Building & Safety division about yours. When a job needs one, we pull the permit as the licensed contractor and plan our work around the city's reviews and inspections.
How do I know which building codes apply to my Fullerton project?
A project submitted to the city now falls under the 2025 California Building Codes with Fullerton's own amendments, which the city wrote for local ground, climate and terrain. If you filed an application before those codes took effect, it can stay under the 2022 codes as long as the permit is issued before that application expires. We build to whichever code your approved plans were checked against.
How long does plan review take for a small project in Fullerton?
Smaller projects that need no more than 30 minutes of plan review can typically be reviewed over the counter, so you aren't waiting on a full plan check. Residential patio covers and free-standing block walls that don't hold back soil are normally handled that way, but Building & Safety can ask for a more detailed review depending on the scope or what's already on the property. We plan the schedule around whichever review the city gives your job.
Does a concrete contractor working in Fullerton need City registration?
Yes, the city requires anyone doing business or a trade in Fullerton to get a business registration certificate before the work begins. For construction contractors, the city may also ask for proof of a state license before it issues that certificate. We're fully licensed and insured, and you can ask me about both when I come out for the estimate.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Fullerton?
There isn't one price, because it depends mostly on the size of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs. A sloped lot, tight access for the truck, a thicker slab with rebar, a stamped finish or a permit will raise it, and a plain broom finish on a simple shape keeps it lower. I come out, measure and write up a free estimate, so you have a figure for your own driveway.
What causes concrete driveways and patios to crack in Fullerton?
Most cracking and sinking we see starts with the base, fill that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settles with the dirt under it. Water running toward the slab or the house, big tree roots on the older lots, pours in the midday heat and control joints cut late or skipped all add to it. Concrete can still crack some, so we pack the base, slope it to drain, pour in the cooler part of the day, cut the joints on time and tell you at the estimate what to expect.