Concrete that holds up to daily use in Santa Ana, CA

It depends on the job, so the real number comes from your free written estimate after I see the site. Two driveways the same size can price differently if one has old concrete to break out and haul off, soft ground to dig out or a stamped finish instead of a plain one. The estimate lists each part, so you can see where the money goes.

Usually because the cheaper bid skimps on the base, the part of the job you can't see once the concrete is down. Raking the dirt level is faster than digging out soft soil and packing a firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, but a slab on loose dirt settles and cracks as the dirt does. If the budget is tight, I'd rather keep the finish simple than cut corners underneath.

You can usually walk on new concrete after a day or two and drive on it after about a week, though it keeps curing and gaining strength for weeks after that. Plan to park on the street for that stretch, and I'll go over the timing for your job when I come out.

Some concrete jobs do, so we check with the city's building office early on every job instead of guessing. The city requires a permit to build, alter, repair or demolish a building, and when a permit is needed, we can pull it as the licensed contractor. The city also requires any contractor working there to hold a current city business license, so it's a fair thing to ask whoever you hire.

Most concrete gets some fine cracks over time, but the bad kind, where slabs sink, lift or split at random, usually comes from a weak base, poor drainage or joints cut late. That's why we put the work into the base, slope the slab so water runs away from the house, add rebar where it's needed and cut the control joints on time.

Call us and tell us what you're seeing, because a thin crack along a joint is normal, while sinking, chipping or water pooling deserve a closer look. We work by one promise, your satisfaction, guaranteed, so I'd rather hear about it early and talk through what's going on.

For a patio you use every day, a broom finish, the lightly brushed texture that helps feet grip, is the simple, low-upkeep choice, while stamped costs more up front and looks dressier. Stamped and colored surfaces usually need resealing now and then to keep their look, so I'll walk you through that upkeep before you choose.

It does, because concrete that dries too fast on top can end up weak and dusty on the surface later. On hot days we usually start early so the pour and finishing are done before midday, and we keep the surface from drying out too soon while it cures.