Concrete contractor in Placentia, CA - driveways and slabs built on a packed base
Mainstay Santa Ana Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Santa Ana. We build driveways, patios, walks, steps, retaining walls and foundations for homes and property owners across Placentia, and our own crew does the work.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Older homes and newer tracts across Placentia
Placentia is mostly a city of homes. Older single-story houses sit on the established blocks, newer tracts and townhomes fill in around them, and shops and small businesses line the main roads. Most of the calls I get there are for a driveway that's cracked and settled, a backyard patio someone has outgrown, or a front walk that's lifted enough to catch a toe. We come up from Santa Ana, where the business is based, and do the same work just over the line in Fullerton and Anaheim.
On the older lots, what we find under the old slab usually decides the job more than the slab itself. On the sloped lots, the water decides it.
Our services in Placentia, CA
- Concrete driveway building
Older Placentia driveways often crack and sink because they sit on loose dirt. We tear out the old slab, then dig and pack a firm base before we pour.
- Concrete patio construction
Many backyards here have a small original patio that tips water toward the house. We pour the new one sloped away, with control joints that tell cracks where to go.
- Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older homes here get lifted by roots and settle at the seams. We replace the bad sections on a packed base so the new walk sits level.
- Concrete steps construction
Sloped lots in Placentia's hillier neighborhoods need steps, and older ones chip at the edges. We pour new steps with rebar, steel bars that keep any crack from spreading apart.
- Concrete retaining walls
Yards cut into a slope here sometimes have an old wall leaning as wet soil pushes behind it. We build new walls on footings with a drain behind them.
- Foundation installation
When an older Placentia house gets a room added, the new space needs a foundation built to the plans. Our crew handles the foundation installation, from digging to the pour.
What older Placentia lots ask of new concrete
A lot of the original driveways and walks on Placentia's older homes went down on dirt that was raked flat and never packed. Years of watering and tree roots have moved that dirt around since, which is why the slab sinks at one corner or breaks into pieces that don't line up. When we replace one, we dig out the soft material and compact the subgrade, the layer of soil and gravel the slab sits on, until it's firm. Then we pour at a thickness that suits what's going on it, usually about four inches for a car driveway.
On sloped lots and tight yards, the thing I watch for is water. Before we set forms, the wooden edges that shape the pour, we look at where the roof and the yard drain, so the new slab falls away from the house instead of sending water toward the foundation. In the hot months we start pours early, because concrete finished in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top.
Get a free estimate for your Placentia driveway or patio
Call (657) 643-0084 or send the form, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Placentia property myself, look at the old concrete and the ground around it, and write the estimate on site, free and with no obligation.
Driveways, patios, steps and walls
Placentia concrete questions answered
Do I need a city permit for a new concrete driveway in Placentia?
A plain driveway might not need one, but check before anyone pours, because the city's list of permit-free work only covers driveways and walks that sit close to the ground and aren't built over a basement or a room below. Any plumbing, electrical or mechanical work tied to the job still needs its own permit, and room additions need plans submitted to the Building and Safety Division, which oversees private construction in the city. We check where your job falls and plan the work around the city's reviews and inspections.
How do I check that a concrete contractor can work in Placentia?
Ask for a state contractor license and a Placentia business license. In California, anyone who contracts for work on a project that needs a building permit must hold a current license from the Contractors State License Board. So must anyone who uses employee labor or takes a job worth $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined, and nearly every driveway or patio is past that line. The city also requires every business operating in Placentia to carry an annual business license and asks for that number before it issues a building permit. We're fully licensed and insured.
Can I apply for a building permit in Placentia myself, or does the contractor do it?
Either one can, because the city lets the property owner, a California licensed contractor or an authorized agent complete and sign the building permit application. A contractor brings the state contractor's card and should be ready to show workers' compensation coverage, and an agent needs a notarized letter of authorization. As the licensed contractor, we can pull the permit for you when the job needs one.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Placentia?
The price comes down to the driveway's size, how much old concrete we break out and haul off, and how much digging and base work the ground needs, and I'll give you your own number at the estimate. A thicker slab, rebar, curves or a stamped or colored finish raise it. A plain broom finish, the light texture we drag across the top for grip, keeps it down. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you save on the finish than on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it's what keeps the slab from settling.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can usually walk on new concrete after about a day and drive a car on it after about a week, because it's still curing, the slow hardening that gives it strength, long after it looks dry. Before the pour, the schedule depends on how much tear-out and base work the old driveway needs and, when there's a permit, on the city's inspections. I'll walk you through the order of the work at the estimate.
Will my new concrete driveway in Placentia crack like the old one?
It can still crack some, and I'd rather tell you that at the estimate than have you find a line in it next year. What we can do is keep cracks small and in places we choose. We pack the base so the slab doesn't settle, set rebar where it helps, and cut control joints early, before the slab starts pulling against itself. A sealed finish may also need resealing now and then to keep looking right.