Concrete Contractor in Costa Mesa, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
C&M Santa Ana Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Costa Mesa, CA. We build and replace driveways, patios, walkways and stamped and decorative slabs for homeowners, landlords and small businesses across the city.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work on Costa Mesa streets
Costa Mesa sits just south of our home base, and as a concrete contractor in Santa Ana, CA, we have an easy drive to get our crew there. Most of our calls here come from neighborhoods of older one-story houses. We also hear from landlords with duplexes and small apartment buildings, and from owners of shops along the busier roads. Plenty of those houses still have the driveway and walks they were built with. We do the same kind of work up in Anaheim and next door in Fountain Valley.
Lots here tend to be snug, with narrow side yards and garages close to the street, so getting forms and fresh concrete to the backyard can take planning. I look at access on the first visit, because it decides how we break out the old slab and how we bring the new concrete in.
What we build in Costa Mesa
Concrete driveway building
Many Costa Mesa driveways are original slabs, cracked and settled after decades of cars. We break them out, rebuild the base and pour a new slab.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are often snug, so a patio has to fit between house and fence. We slope it so rain runs away from your back door.
Stamped concrete services
Many owners here want a patio that looks like stone or brick without loose pavers. We press the pattern in while the concrete is still soft.
Decorative concrete
When an older Costa Mesa house gets a remodel, a plain gray slab can look out of place. Our decorative concrete adds color and borders to match.
Concrete sidewalk building
Tree roots lift walkway panels here until they catch a toe. We replace the raised sections and cut joints so any new crack follows a straight line.
Concrete parking lot building
Costa Mesa has plenty of small shops and offices with worn lots out front. We pour thicker, reinforced slabs for parking that hold up under daily car traffic.
What Costa Mesa slabs need underneath
Most slabs we tear out here failed from the bottom, not the top. The subgrade, the dirt a slab rests on, was raked flat and never packed, so it settled and the concrete cracked as it sank. We dig out the soft soil, pack a gravel base in layers and set rebar, the steel inside that holds the slab together if it does crack. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you skip the fancy finish than cut the base, because you can redo a surface later but you can't fix what's under it without breaking the whole slab out.
Water is the other thing we watch. A lot of yards here are fairly flat, so a slab poured dead level or tilted toward the house leaves water pooling against your walls. We set the fall away from the house before we pour, start early on hot days so the top doesn't dry out weak and dusty, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack. Your price and schedule mostly follow the size, the tear-out and how much base work your ground needs, and the written estimate spells out all three.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Costa Mesa
Send the form or call (714) 439-5472, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to your Costa Mesa property myself, look at the spot, ask how you'll use it and send you a written estimate. It's free, with no pressure and no obligation.
Costa Mesa concrete questions
Here's what Costa Mesa homeowners ask us most about permits, licenses, cost and timing. If your job raises a different question, call or send the form and ask.
Do I need a city permit for a concrete driveway in Costa Mesa?
That's the city's call, so check before anyone pours, because the city's Building Safety Division decides whether a job needs a building permit. Its quick Insta-Permit list covers simple jobs like water heaters, re-roofs, panel upgrades and EV chargers, and concrete work isn't on it, so that list doesn't settle your driveway. We check with the city early on every job, and when a permit is needed we pull it as the licensed contractor.
How do I apply for a building permit in Costa Mesa?
You apply online through TESSA, the city's permit system, where you enter all the application details and submit your plans. The city ignores paper forms and sends back incomplete applications, so have everything ready before you start. If we're doing your job and it needs a permit, we handle the application, and for questions about your own lot we'll point you to the right city office.
Does a concrete job in California need a licensed contractor?
Almost always for a driveway or patio, because the Contractors State License Board requires a license when a job needs a building permit, uses employees, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A bigger job can't be split into smaller contracts to stay under that line. We're licensed and insured, and I'm happy to go over it at the estimate.
What happens if a contractor works without a license in California?
A first offense is usually a misdemeanor, which can bring up to six months in jail, a $500 fine, or both. The state can add an administrative fine of $200 to $15,000 on top of that. For you, the simple step is to ask any contractor for their license before you sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Costa Mesa?
Your price comes down to the size of the slab, whether an old one has to be broken out and hauled away, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. A plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps shoes and tires from slipping, costs less than stamped or colored work, and a tight side yard can add labor. I come out, measure and send you a written estimate with your own number.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
Usually about a week before you park on it, and a day or two before you walk on it. That wait is curing, the time the concrete needs to harden, and driving on it early can mark or crack the top. The rest of the schedule turns on the tear-out, the base work and any permit, and we'll walk you through it at the estimate.
Driveways, patios and stamped work
Other cities we serve
If your city is on this list, pick it to read more. If it isn't, call (714) 439-5472, because we work across the cities around Santa Ana.