Concrete Contractor in Orange, CA - Driveways and Patios Poured on a Solid Base
Premier Costa Mesa Concrete builds driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for homes and small buildings in Orange, CA. We dig out and pack the ground under each pour, so your new concrete has something solid to sit on.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Orange concrete, from Old Towne to the newer streets
Orange has a lot of concrete that's older than the people living with it. Around the Plaza and through the original town site in Old Towne, many homes and buildings go back to the city's early days. The walks, steps and driveways behind them have usually been patched more than once. Farther out, the calls shift to single-family homes, rental properties and small commercial lots, and each one has its own mix of old slabs and newer additions.
We do the same kind of work next door in Santa Ana and Tustin, and older lots start the same way in all of them. We tear out what's there and find out what it was sitting on, because whatever is under an old slab, whether that's tree roots or loose fill, decides how deep we dig and how much base goes back in.
Concrete services for homes and lots in Orange
Concrete driveway building
When an older driveway has cracked through or sunk at the garage, we tear it out, dig to firm ground and pack a base before the new pour.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio that pools water or tips toward the house gets rebuilt so it drains away from your walls, on a base our crew packs.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, which suits a lot of older homes here, and it still needs a solid base.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walks lifted by roots or broken into trip edges are common on older lots, so we replace the bad sections and set them flush with what stays.
Garage floor concrete
A cracked or dusty garage floor in an older house usually comes out and goes back in with steel inside it, so the slab holds together under a car.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes work well on entries and front walks, where a plain gray slab can look out of place next to an older home.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped yard, a retaining wall holds the soil back so a patio can sit flat, with drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
For shops, additions and small buildings, we pour interior concrete floors flat and level over a packed base, ready for whatever goes on top.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck has to shed splash water away from the pool and the house, and its finish has to keep its grip under wet feet.
Concrete steps construction
Front and back steps on older homes often settle away from the house, so we rebuild them on footings and keep every rise even so nobody trips.
Slab foundation building
For additions, garages and backyard buildings, we pour slab foundations on ground that's been dug out and compacted, so the building has something solid underneath.
Foundation installation
When a new structure needs a foundation, we lay it out, dig to firm ground, set the steel and pour it to the plans.
Concrete parking lot building
Property managers and small building owners in Orange call us for parking lots that drain right and take daily traffic without breaking at the edges.
Concrete footings
Footings carry the weight of walls, posts and steps down into firm ground, so we size and dig them for the load before anything goes on top.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation has sunk, raising it can bring it back to level, and we find out why it dropped before we touch it.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut old concrete for clean tear-outs, new openings and plumbing trenches, so the slab you're keeping doesn't crack from the work next to it.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Orange
We 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, and you're under no obligation.
(949) 543-1664- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- service@costamesaconcrete.com
- Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Working in Orange: permits, licenses and tight streets
If your job needs a permit in Orange, it goes through the city's Building Division, which takes every permit application in the city. Its building and safety staff review plans and inspect job sites, so on a permitted job the city's review sets the start date and its inspections are part of the schedule. Before you hire anyone, check two things. The city requires a business license from every business working in Orange, including ones coming in from other cities, and that license covers Orange only. The city also says some businesses need a state license from the Department of Consumer Affairs, and it asks for that number on the business license application, so ask any contractor for both.
We're based in Costa Mesa, licensed and fully insured, and we work in Orange the same way we do in Garden Grove. When a job needs a city permit, we pull it and handle the filing, and if it's not clear whether yours does, we ask the city before we start. Around Old Towne and near Chapman University, street parking is tight, so we plan where the concrete truck will sit before pour day. Price mostly comes down to how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, the size and thickness of the slab, the finish you pick and how easy the spot is to reach. Your estimate spells each of those out.
Why concrete on older Orange lots gives out
Most of the concrete I've torn out didn't fail because the concrete was bad. It failed because the dirt under it was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the ground settled and took the slab with it. That's where the sinking driveway and the patio that slopes toward the house come from. We dig to firm ground, pack the subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, and set the fall so water runs away from your walls. You'll never see that base again, and it's the last place I'd cut to save money.
Rentals and small commercial lots wear concrete harder, with more cars, more foot traffic and nobody watching a crack until it's a trip hazard. Owners and managers here usually want it done once, so we put rebar, the steel that holds a slab together, wherever cars or heavy loads will sit.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Orange
Here's what happens on your side from the first call to pour day, and where the city comes in if your job needs a permit.
Call or send the form
Call (949) 543-1664 or fill out the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. You don't need measurements or drawings yet.
I look at the site
I come out myself, check the ground, the drainage and how you'll use the concrete, then write a free estimate with each part spelled out so you can see what's driving the price. It helps if you're home so we can walk it together.
We schedule and file permits
Once you say go, we put it on the schedule and file the city paperwork if the job needs it. On a permitted job, the city's review comes before our start date, so that's the first date we wait on.
We pour and clean up
Our own crew does the work, and I'm on site when the concrete goes in. Before we leave, we clean up and tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for a car.
Questions about concrete work in Orange
(949) 543-1664Who handles building permits for concrete work in Orange, CA?
The City of Orange does, through its Building Division, which accepts every permit application in the city. The city also posts a residential permit exemptions document on its forms page. If it's unclear whether your job needs a permit, we check with the city before we start, and when it does, we pull it ourselves.
Does a contractor from Costa Mesa need a business license to work in Orange?
Yes. The City of Orange requires a business license from every business working in the city, including ones that come in from other cities, and its licenses cover Orange only. They renew every year on their anniversary date, so it's fair to ask any contractor whether theirs is current.
How do I know if my house is in Orange's historic town site?
If you live near the Plaza in Old Towne, it may be. The National Register listing covers the Plaza and most of the original one-square-mile town site, not the whole city, and that area holds many of the homes and buildings from Orange's early days. Tell me when you call if your house is in that area, and we'll check with the city before we plan the work.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Orange?
Your price depends mostly on what's under the slab and what goes on top of it, meaning how much old concrete comes out, how much base we dig out and pack, how thick the slab is and what finish you want. The base is the first thing people want to cut because nobody sees it after pour day, and it's the one part I won't skimp on, since a thin base is why most old driveways sink. Your estimate prices each part separately, so you can see where the money goes.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
Longer than you can walk on it, and I'll give you both dates on pour day. Concrete keeps getting stronger while it cures, the wait while it hardens, and driving on it too early is how edges and corners break. Plan on parking on the street for a while after the pour.
Will my new concrete patio crack like the old one in Orange?
Concrete can still crack a little, but we work to keep those cracks in the joints and out of the middle of the slab. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and the packed base keeps it from dropping the way the old one did.
Costa Mesa, CA
Tell us about your Orange concrete project
Ask about permit steps when you call, so we can sort out the city side early and keep it from holding up your start date.