Concrete Contractor in Irvine, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
AJ Anaheim Concrete Contractors pours driveways, patios, walks and foundations for homeowners and small property owners in Irvine, CA. We're based in Anaheim, and I come out myself to look at the job before we build it.
Concrete work in Irvine neighborhoods
Irvine was laid out as a planned city, and it has always tried to keep open land close to its neighborhoods. You see that on our jobs there, from the streets around the Great Park to the homes near Quail Hill and Shady Canyon at the edge of the Irvine Open Space Preserve, where a whole block of houses often shares one layout, one driveway width and one finish. We drive down from Anaheim for this work, the same way we head over to Costa Mesa and out to Downey.
On most Irvine jobs, the price moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how close a truck can get, and how much base work the ground needs before we pour. The schedule turns on whether the city wants a permit and on curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before it can take weight. I give you your own figure when I walk the job. Side yards here can be narrow and the new slab has to sit right next to the neighbor's, so we plan access and match the finish before we set a single form.
What we pour in Irvine
Concrete driveway building
Many Irvine streets have driveways of one width and one finish, so we match the ones next door and set the new slab on a dug-out, packed base.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are often compact, so we plan a patio that uses the space well and slopes water away from the house instead of toward the slider.
Stamped concrete services
A stamped pattern gives a patio, walk or entry the look of stone, slate or brick, and we pick a pattern and color that suit your house.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walks from the driveway to the front door take daily foot traffic, so we give them a broom finish, a light texture that grips wet shoes.
Garage floor concrete
An attached garage often doubles as a workshop or storage room. We pour a flat, even floor that's easy to sweep and holds up to the car.
Decorative concrete
Colored, scored or exposed-aggregate finishes let a front entry or courtyard stand out a little without clashing with the look your association may ask for.
Concrete retaining walls
Where an Irvine yard steps up or down, a wall holds the ground, and the footing under it gets as much care as the face you see.
Concrete floor installation
For a room addition, workshop or small commercial space, we pour an interior slab that's flat enough for the flooring that goes on top of it.
Concrete pool decks
Around an Irvine pool, the deck takes bare feet, splashes and dragged chairs, so we finish it for grip and slope it away from the water.
Concrete steps construction
Front entries and back doors on Irvine homes often need a few steps, and we form each one the same height so nobody catches a toe.
Slab foundation building
A new garage, granny flat or addition starts with a slab foundation, and I tell you early if the city wants plans from an engineer.
Foundation installation
When a small property owner in Irvine needs a building's foundation, we dig, form and pour it to the engineer's or architect's plans, not by eye.
Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind Irvine offices and shops take turning cars all day. We build a thicker slab on a well-packed base and plan where the water drains.
Concrete footings
Patio cover posts, block walls and small structures need footings, the concrete feet that carry their weight, and we dig them to the depth the plans call for.
Foundation raising
If part of a slab or foundation has dropped, I look at what's under it first, since lifting it without fixing the cause sets up the next drop.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing slabs, so a plumber, an addition or a new walk can tie in without breaking out more than needed.
Talk to us about your concrete
Call (657) 347-3028 or send the form, and I'll come out to your Irvine property to walk and measure the job.
Why Irvine homeowners call us
You get a straight answer from the person who'll be on the pour, and a crew that spends its effort on the ground and forms under the slab, not just the top.
The estimator works the pour
I walk and measure your job myself, then work beside our crew when we build and pour it.
A base dug out and packed
We dig out and pack the subgrade, what the slab sits on, because a slab only stays level if that ground does.
Water sent away from the house
Before we set forms, we check where your water runs so the slab falls away from your walls, not toward them.
Joints cut where cracks should go
We cut control joints, grooves that give the slab a place to crack, on time so cracks tend to follow those lines.
Licensed, insured and guaranteed
We're licensed and insured on every job, and our one promise is "Your satisfaction, guaranteed."
Questions we hear in Irvine
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway or patio in Irvine?
The city decides, so ask Irvine's Community Development Department at (949) 724-6313, since it issues permits for most construction and repair work the code covers. New online permit applications now go through the city's PermitsDIRECT! system. If the city wants a permit for your job, we pull it and handle the paperwork with that office.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Irvine?
Your price comes from a visit, because I walk and measure the job and give you a clear figure for your driveway, not a guess from a chart. Beyond the size and the tear-out, the choices that move it most are the finish, since a plain broom finish costs less than stamped or decorative work, and the steel, since rebar, the grid that holds a cracked slab together, adds material and labor. If the city requires a permit, that's part of the cost too.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can usually walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because the concrete has to cure and gain strength before it carries a car's weight. I'll tell you the wait for your slab on pour day, since its thickness and the mix change it. Plan for the car to sit on the street for a while, and check any parking rules your neighborhood has.
How do I check that a concrete contractor can work in Irvine?
Ask for a California contractor license and an Irvine business license. The Contractors State License Board requires a state license when a job needs a building permit, uses employee labor or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials, which takes in almost any driveway or patio, and the city requires every business working in Irvine to hold a city business license before it starts. On a home improvement job, state rules also cap the down payment a contractor can ask for at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less.
Does a short concrete retaining wall need a permit in Irvine?
Irvine's list of exempt work includes retaining walls no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless the wall carries a surcharge, extra weight pushing on it from a slope, driveway or building above, or holds back flammable liquids. Exempt work still has to meet the city's codes, and anything taller is off that list. We measure from the footing, not the ground, when we plan it, and if the city wants a permit or an engineer's plans, we pull the permit and build to them.
Do I need a permit for a patio cover over a new concrete patio in Irvine?
Yes, the city's permit list says patio covers need a permit no matter how small they are. The cover's posts usually sit on footings, so tell me about it when I come out, and we can pour the slab and the footings to the plans the cover needs.
Not in Irvine? Give us a call
Pick your city from the list to see its page, or call (657) 347-3028 if yours isn't listed, since we work in more places than these.
Get a concrete estimate in Irvine
We answer seven days a week, early mornings and evenings too, so call (657) 347-3028 or send the form whenever it suits you.