Concrete Contractor in Placentia - Driveways and Patios on a Solid Base

The City of Placentia's list of work that needs no building permit includes driveways and walks raised no more than 30 inches above the ground around them and not built over a basement or a room below. Separate plumbing, electrical or mechanical permits can still be required on that work, so I look at the whole job, such as a drain line or lighting run through the slab, before I tell you where it stands. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application with the city's Building Division and book the inspections. If we're unsure what the city wants, we ask them before we start.

Under California rules, anyone who contracts for work on a project that needs a building permit must hold a current license from the Contractors State License Board. The same goes for anyone who uses employee labor or contracts for work worth $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials. The license comes from the state, so it applies the same in Placentia as anywhere else in California. We're licensed and fully insured.

Yes, the city requires every business operating in Placentia to hold an annual business license for each location. The city also lists a Placentia business license number among the things it asks for when a building permit is pulled, so the license comes up whenever a contractor handles a permit for your job.

Your driveway's price comes from its size and what's under it, and I give you your own figure after I've measured and looked at the old slab with you. Beyond the size, the tear-out and the base, the price moves with how thick the slab needs to be and how much rebar it takes, the steel that holds the slab together if it cracks. It also moves with how easily a concrete truck can reach the forms. A plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete.

You can usually walk on a new driveway within a few days. Driving on it waits longer, until the concrete has cured enough to carry a car without marking or cracking. I'll give you the dates for your pour before we start, so you can plan where to park in the meantime.

Most cracking and sinking start under the slab, where loose fill was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settles along with the dirt. Water running toward the house adds to it. So does a pour in the midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, and so do control joints cut late or skipped, since those cut lines give a slab a planned place to crack. We pack the base, check where the water goes, pour in the cooler part of the day when we can and cut the joints on time, so small cracks usually stay in the joints.