Concrete Contractor in Garden Grove, CA - New Slabs for Older Homes
C&M Santa Ana Concrete Company is a concrete contractor serving Garden Grove, CA from nearby Santa Ana. We tear out and replace driveways, patios, walks and garage floors, and build stamped work and parking lots for homes and businesses here.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work in Garden Grove's older neighborhoods
Garden Grove is a flat, built-out city of mostly single-story homes on modest lots, with apartments, shops and strip centers along the main roads. A lot of the concrete here is as old as the houses, so the calls we get are mostly replacements: driveways that cracked and sank, walks lifted by tree roots and patios that hold water by the back door. It sits right next to Santa Ana, where we're based, and our crew works here the same way it does in Westminster and Irvine.
On a replacement, the price mostly turns on how much old concrete comes out, how big the new slab is, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on the tear-out, the weather and curing, the days new concrete needs to harden before you use it, and your own numbers come in the written estimate I send after looking at the spot. So much of what we pull out here went in decades ago that the tear-out usually shows us what the new slab needs underneath.
What we build in Garden Grove
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here often crack and sink because the base under them was never packed. We dig it out to firm ground, pack a new base and pour.
Concrete sidewalk building
Tree roots lift older walks here into trip hazards. Our concrete sidewalk building replaces those sections with a packed base and a slight pitch so water runs off.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards on these flat lots often hold water after rain, so a patio needs a planned fall away from the house. We set that slope before we pour.
Stamped concrete services
Homeowners here often want an entry or patio that looks like stone or tile. We press the pattern into wet concrete and tell you up front about resealing.
Garage floor concrete
Older garages here often have cracked, sunken floors. We break out the old slab, rebuild what's under it and pour a new floor that drains toward the door.
Concrete parking lot building
The city's strip centers and apartment lots take daily traffic and delivery trucks. We pour them thick enough for that load, with the drainage planned first.
What Garden Grove slabs need underneath
Most of Garden Grove is flat, and on flat ground rainwater sits wherever the concrete leaves it. A patio or driveway that tips even slightly toward the house sends water against the foundation, so before we set the forms, the boards that hold the concrete's shape, we check where the water will run and build in a gentle fall away from the walls.
The other thing we see here is age. Plenty of older slabs were poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so they settled with the ground and cracked wherever they wanted. We dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, and pack a solid base. Where the job calls for it we add rebar, steel that keeps the pieces together if a crack does open, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a chosen place to crack as it shrinks. If the budget's tight, I'd rather spend on the base than on a fancy finish, because a nice surface on a weak base cracks like the old one did, and the base is the one part nobody can get back to once it's poured.
Get a written estimate for your Garden Grove concrete
Send the form or call (714) 439-5472, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Garden Grove property myself, look at the spot, ask how you'll use it and send you a written estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure and no obligation.
Garden Grove concrete questions
Here are answers to what homeowners in Garden Grove usually want to know before a pour. If your job raises a different question, call or send the form and ask.
How do I know if my concrete project in Garden Grove needs a permit?
The city's Building & Safety Division is the office to ask, because its list of common examples of permitted work doesn't settle it for a plain driveway or patio. Those examples include building or altering a structure, pool and spa work and masonry fences over 36 inches high, so a job near a pool or one that includes a wall is worth asking about. We check with the city early on each job, so you'll know before we start.
Should I or my contractor pull the permit for concrete work in Garden Grove?
The property owner or the owner's authorized agent can pull it, but when a contractor does the work, the city says it's wise to have the contractor get it. Once a permit is issued, it expires if work doesn't start within 180 days. When your job needs one, we pull it as the licensed contractor, and for questions about your own lot we'll point you to the right city office.
What hours can concrete crews work in Garden Grove?
The city allows construction from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or federal holidays. That matters on pour day, because in summer we like to start early, before the afternoon heat dries the top too fast and leaves it weak and dusty. A Saturday pour starts later, so we plan around that.
How big a down payment can a concrete contractor ask for in California?
On a home improvement job, the Contractors State License Board caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. The board licenses and regulates contractors statewide, and the city has its own business license form for contractors like us who are based in another city and work in Garden Grove. We're licensed and insured, and the written estimate lays out the job so you know what you're agreeing to.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Garden Grove?
Your number comes from the written estimate, because on a replacement here the tear-out and base work weigh as much as the new slab does. The choices you make move it too, since a broom finish, the light texture brushed in for grip, costs less than stamped or colored work, and a thicker slab with rebar costs more but holds up better under heavy use. I'll walk you through what each choice adds before you decide.
How long do I have to stay off a new concrete driveway in Garden Grove?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps curing long after the surface looks dry. How long depends on the slab and the weather, so I'll give you the walk-on and drive-on days for yours when I come out. Parking on the street for that stretch is the main thing to plan for.
Concrete work up close
Other cities we work in
If your city is listed, pick it to see how we work there. If not, call or send the form, because these aren't the only cities we work in.