Concrete Contractor in Irvine, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
Premier Costa Mesa Concrete builds and repairs concrete driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors and foundations for Irvine homeowners, property managers and small building owners, with our own crew and me on site for the pours.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Irvine neighborhoods and the concrete we pour there
Most of our Irvine work is flatwork, meaning the driveways, patios, walks and pool decks around houses in the city's planned neighborhoods, where homes sit close and the lots were laid out together. The city says it has tried to balance building with open land since it became a city, and you notice that in how many neighborhoods back up to open space and trails.
We're a concrete contractor based in Costa Mesa, CA, and we work these houses the same way we do in Fountain Valley. Side yards are narrow, back yards are fenced, and a patio often runs right up to a wall or the neighbor's fence. So before we talk finishes, we work out how the concrete gets to the back, by pump or by wheelbarrow, and where water will run off the new slab.
Concrete services we handle for Irvine properties
Concrete driveway building
When your driveway has cracked through or sunk at the curb, we dig out and pack the base, then pour a slab that sheds water to the street.
Concrete patio construction
Back yards in Irvine's planned neighborhoods are often small and fenced, so we set the patio's slope away from the house and fence before we pour.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or tile in one pour, and we seal it so the color lasts longer.
Concrete sidewalk building
Lifted or chipped walks along Irvine side yards and entries get replaced section by section, with control joints, cut grooves that tell cracks where to run.
Garage floor concrete
We break out and repour cracked or settled garage floors so the new slab meets the driveway and the step into the house at the right height.
Decorative concrete
Colored, exposed-stone or scored finishes let a new patio or entry match what's already around an Irvine house, and we pick them with you on site.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps up to a slope or the next lot, a retaining wall holds the ground back, with drainage behind so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
For a new room, a converted garage or a commercial space in Irvine, we pour interior floors flat and finished to take tile, flooring or a sealed surface.
Concrete pool decks
Around an Irvine pool we pour decks with a finish that grips wet feet and a slope that sends splash water to the drains, away from the house.
Concrete steps construction
Steps that have cracked or pulled away from the house get rebuilt with rebar, steel bars that keep cracks tight, and every step the same height.
Slab foundation building
For an addition or a detached garage, we pour the slab on a packed subgrade, the ground it sits on, checked before any steel goes down.
Foundation installation
When a room addition or new structure needs more than a flat slab, we build the foundation to the approved plans before framing starts.
Concrete parking lot building
Property managers and small building owners in Irvine call us for lots and drive aisles that need sections replaced, with the work staged so tenants keep some parking.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, block walls and posts need footings, the concrete pads under them, and we dig them to the depth the plans call for.
Foundation raising
When part of a house or slab has settled and doors stick or floors slope, we find where it dropped and lift it, then deal with the cause.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut clean openings for new drains, utility lines or a wider driveway, so the rest of your slab stays whole instead of getting broken up.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Irvine concrete
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the site and write a free estimate with each part of the job spelled out. There's no obligation.
(949) 543-1664- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- service@costamesaconcrete.com
- Costa Mesa, CA 92626
What to know before concrete work starts in Irvine
In Irvine, permits come from the city's Community Development Department, which covers most construction and repair work the building codes regulate, so a job that needs one starts when the city signs off, not when our crew is free. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and handle the filing, and if it's unclear, we check with the city before we start. Before you hire anyone here, check two things: a California contractor license from the state licensing board, and an Irvine business license, which the city requires of every company before it does business in the city. We're licensed and fully insured.
We come over from Costa Mesa, and Irvine is in the same run of jobs as Tustin and Newport Beach, so getting the crew and a truck here is routine. Many neighborhoods here have an association that wants to see driveway or patio changes first, so ask yours early, because its answer can hold up the start as much as the city's. Price moves with the slab's size and thickness, how much old concrete comes out, how much base we rebuild, how we get concrete to the spot and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on any review, then on curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before it takes weight, and the estimate spells out each part so you can see where the money goes.
Why older Irvine slabs end up needing work
Plenty of Irvine houses still have the driveway and walks the builder poured, and by now much of that concrete has cracked across, sunk at the garage or tipped so water sits against the house. Patios that past owners added later are often worse, because they were poured over dirt that was raked flat and never packed. We break out what's failed, rebuild the base and set the slope so water runs off and away from the house.
The other driver is houses getting bigger, with additions, patio covers and pool decks squeezed onto lots without much room to spare. That work starts in the ground with footings or a slab, so we dig and form it to the plans first and leave the finish for last.
How a concrete job with us runs in Irvine
Here's how a job runs from your side, from the first call to the day you can use the new concrete.
Call or send us a message
Call (949) 543-1664 or use the form and tell us what you've got, a sinking driveway, a cracked patio or something new. We'll set a time for me to come look at it.
I walk the site with you
I come out, look at the ground, where the water runs and how you'll use the slab, then write an estimate with each part of the job spelled out so nothing in the price is a guess. It helps if you're home so we can walk it together and talk through finish options.
We schedule and prep the ground
Once you say go, we put the job on the schedule and take care of the city paperwork when there is any, and a permit job starts after the city's review, not before. Our own crew then digs out, packs the base and sets the forms, and you don't need to be home for that part.
I'm there for the pour
I'm on site when the concrete goes in, and the crew finishes the surface and cuts the joints before we clean up and leave. We'll tell you when the slab has cured enough to walk on and when it can take a car.
Concrete contractor questions from Irvine homeowners
(949) 543-1664Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Irvine?
Most construction and repair work the codes cover in Irvine needs a city permit, and the city's list of exceptions doesn't settle every driveway or patio job. Even work on that list still has to meet every technical code and every city, county and state ordinance. We sort out which side your job falls on before it gets a start date, and when it needs a permit, we pull it.
How do I know if my retaining wall needs a permit in Irvine?
A retaining wall 4 feet or less, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, doesn't need a building permit in Irvine unless it holds back added weight above it, like a driveway or a slope, or holds back flammable liquids. A taller wall, or one carrying that kind of load, isn't on the exemption, so we plan it as permit work. Either way, the wall still has to meet the city's codes.
Does a shed or patio cover need a permit in Irvine?
A one-story detached shed or playhouse up to 120 square feet on a single-family lot doesn't need a building permit in Irvine, but a patio cover needs one at any size. The shed can still need its own plumbing or electrical permit if you run water or power to it. We pour the slab under a shed and the footings for a patio cover, so both can be planned on the same visit.
Does a concrete contractor need a state license in California?
Yes, California requires a state contractor license when a project needs a building permit, uses employee labor or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials, which takes in most driveways and patios. On a home improvement job, the state also bars a contractor from asking for or taking a down payment above $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. If someone wants more than that up front, that tells you something.
What drives the cost of a concrete driveway or patio in Irvine?
The biggest costs on most Irvine jobs sit under the surface, in breaking out and hauling the old slab and in digging out and packing a base that has settled. After that comes the finish, since a broom finish, a lightly brushed texture that grips underfoot, costs less than stamped or colored work, and the tight-access lots we mentioned add labor. If the budget's tight, I'd keep the money in the base and go plain on top, because a fancy finish on a bad base is the concrete I used to tear out.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack?
Most cracks in newer slabs come from the work around the concrete, not the concrete itself, such as a base that was raked flat instead of packed, joints cut late or skipped, or a pour in midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top. Concrete can still crack, but when the base is packed and the joints are cut the day we pour, the cracks usually stay small and fall in the joints. We also check where water runs, so the slab slopes away from the house instead of toward it.
Costa Mesa, CA
Book an estimate for your Irvine concrete
Call (949) 543-1664 or send the form, because seeing the slab in person is how I catch the base and drainage problems a photo won't show.