Concrete Contractor in Irvine, CA - Driveways and Patios Set on a Solid Base
C&M Santa Ana Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Santa Ana that builds driveways, patios, stamped work, garage floors and retaining walls for homes in Irvine, with the owner looking at every job in person.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work for Irvine homes
Irvine is a short drive from our base in Santa Ana, and we work here much the way we do in Tustin next door and in Costa Mesa a little closer to the coast. Much of Irvine was built as planned neighborhoods, so the driveways, walks and patios along a street tend to be about the same age and the same design. That means they often start cracking and settling around the same time, and when one house gets a new driveway, the neighbors usually start asking about theirs.
The lots are usually neat and close together, with narrow side yards and planting right up to the edge of the concrete. So a lot of the job here is fit and access. We plan how the old slab comes out and the new one goes in without wrecking the yard beside it, and we set the new concrete to meet the sidewalk, the garage floor and the neighbor's driveway at the right height.
What we build for Irvine homes
Concrete driveway building
Many Irvine driveways are original slabs with settled panels near the garage or the curb. We tear out the worn sections, pack a firm base and pour new.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here tend to be compact, so a patio has to fit tight and drain away from the house. We set that slope before the pour.
Stamped concrete services
Plenty of Irvine homeowners want a patio or walk that looks like stone. We stamp and color the fresh slab and explain the resealing it needs.
Garage floor concrete
Attached garages here often double as gyms or workshops, so a cracked slab gets in the way. We pour new garage floor concrete that sits flat.
Concrete retaining walls
Lots that step up toward the hills often need a wall to hold a terrace or side yard. We build them on a proper footing with drainage behind.
Concrete pool decks
Pools here are often ringed by older concrete that's cracked or rough on bare feet. We pour new decks with a textured finish that grips without scraping.
What Irvine driveways and patios need
On houses this close together, water is the first thing I look at. A patio or driveway that leans even slightly toward the house sends water against the foundation, and a low spot leaves it pooling right where you walk. Before we form anything, we check where the water runs and set the new slab to carry it away from the house and out toward the street or a drain.
Price here mostly turns on the size of the area, how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit check with the city and on curing, the wait while fresh concrete gains strength before it can take weight. When a budget gets tight, the base is the last place I'd trim, because you can redo a finish later but you can't fix what's under a slab without tearing it out. I'll come out, look at the spot, ask how you'll use it and put your own numbers in a written estimate.
Get a written estimate for your Irvine concrete
Send the form or call (714) 439-5472, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out to your Irvine home, look at the spot, ask how you'll use it and then send you a free written estimate. There's no pressure and no obligation.
Irvine concrete questions, answered
These are the questions Irvine homeowners ask us most about driveways, patios and walls. If yours isn't here, call or send the form and I'll answer it for your own job.
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Irvine?
It can need one, so we check with the city before we pour, because Irvine's Community Development Department issues permits for most construction and repair work the building code covers. You can ask about your own project by calling the city at (949) 724-6313 or reading the city's page on which work needs permits, and new online applications now go through the city's PermitsDIRECT! system. Even work on the city's exempt list still has to meet the code, and when a permit is needed, we pull it as the licensed contractor.
How do I find out if a retaining wall in Irvine needs a permit?
Start with its height, because the city exempts a retaining wall no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless it carries a surcharge or holds back flammable liquids. A surcharge is extra weight pressing down behind the wall, like a slope, a driveway or a building. A taller wall or one carrying a load isn't on the city's exempt list, so we check with the city and pull the permit when it's needed.
Does a concrete contractor need a license to work in Irvine?
Yes, in most cases, because California's Contractors State License Board requires a state license whenever a project needs a building permit, uses employees, or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. On home improvement work, the state also caps the down payment a contractor can ask for at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, and the city requires every business working in Irvine to hold a city business license. We're licensed and insured, and I'm glad to answer questions about it at the estimate.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Irvine?
Your price comes from a written estimate after I see the driveway, because the biggest differences only show up on site. A thick old slab takes longer to break out than a thin one, and a narrow side yard can mean moving everything in by wheelbarrow. A plain broom finish, the light texture brushed across the top for grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack?
Most early cracks come from a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, or from control joints that were cut late or skipped. Control joints are shallow grooves cut across the slab to give it a place to crack in a straight line, so we cut them while the concrete is still young. We dig down to the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pack a firm base and add rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together, where the job needs it. Concrete can still crack, but done this way the cracks stay small and land where we planned them.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You'll be walking on it a good while before you can park on it, because concrete keeps curing and gaining strength for days after the pour, and a car on it too soon can crack the edges. The wait depends on the slab's thickness and the mix, so I'll tell you the day for walking and the day for driving when we pour. Until then, we mark it off so nobody pulls in by mistake.
Driveways, patios and more
Other cities we serve
We work across Orange County and nearby. If your city has its own page, you'll find it here, and if not, call (714) 439-5472 to ask.