Concrete Contractor in Placentia, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on Solid Ground
C&M Santa Ana Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Placentia, CA. We tear out and replace driveways, patios, walks and walls, and pour new slabs and foundations for homeowners, landlords and small businesses.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work for Placentia homes
Placentia sits next to Fullerton and Anaheim, an easy drive from our base in Santa Ana. Most of our calls here are residential, single-story ranch houses and two-story tract homes on quiet streets, with some rentals and small shops mixed in.
Price here moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out and the finish you choose, and the schedule turns on whether the city needs a permit and how long the new slab has to cure. I look at the spot myself and send you a written estimate with your figure. What I find on most visits is a driveway or patio poured when the house went in, now cracked by tree roots and settled where the base was never packed, so the job usually starts with tearing out and fixing the ground before anything new gets poured.
Concrete work we do in Placentia
Concrete driveway building
Many Placentia driveways are originals, cracked and sunk where roots got under them. We tear them out, dig to firm ground, pack a new base and pour.
Concrete patio construction
Older backyard slabs here often tilt toward the house. We pour patios that shed water out to the yard, sized for how you'll actually use them.
Stamped concrete services
Plenty of homeowners here want more than plain gray out front. We press pattern and color into the fresh concrete, then seal it so it holds up.
Foundation installation
An addition or new garage here needs a foundation that lines up with the house it joins. Our foundation installation follows the approved plans, with steel set before the pour.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped backyards need a wall that holds soil back without trapping water. We build retaining walls with drain rock and pipe behind them so pressure can't build.
Concrete pool decks
Backyard pool decks here take sun, splash and bare feet. We pour a finish that grips when wet, sloped so water runs away from the pool.
What Placentia slabs need underneath
The base matters more than the finish, and that's the trade-off I'll bring up on every estimate. When a budget gets tight, the first thing people want to cut is the digging and packing under the slab, because nobody sees it once the concrete is down, but a slab on loose dirt settles with that dirt and cracks no matter how good the top looks. On older lots here we dig out to firm soil, bring in base rock and compact it in layers, then set rebar, the steel that keeps cracked pieces from drifting apart. If something has to give, I'd rather you go with a plainer finish over a good base.
Water is the other thing we watch. Before we form anything, we check where your yard drains and set the slab to fall away from the house, because a patio that sends rain toward the foundation causes trouble for years. We also pour early in the day, so the top doesn't dry too fast in afternoon heat and turn weak and dusty later.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Placentia concrete job
Send the form or call (714) 439-5472, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to your Placentia property myself, look at the spot, ask how you'll use it and send you a written estimate. There's no pressure and no obligation.
Placentia concrete questions
These are the questions Placentia homeowners ask most before a pour. If yours isn't here, call or send the form and I'll answer it for your own job.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Placentia?
Your written estimate gives the real number, because the cost turns on your driveway's size, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, and how much base work the ground needs. A plain broom finish, the light texture we drag across the top for grip, costs less than stamping and color, and pouring a thicker slab for a heavy truck adds material. The base is the one place I'll talk you out of saving money, for the reason above.
How do I find out if I need a permit for a new driveway or patio in Placentia?
Ask the city's building and safety office, and we check with them early on every job so you don't have to guess. The city's list of work that needs no building permit includes driveways, walks and platforms no more than 30 inches above grade and not over a basement or room below, but separate plumbing, electrical or mechanical permits still apply unless they're exempt too. When a permit is needed, we pull it as the licensed contractor, and the city reviews the plans once planning and zoning has cleared them.
Does a concrete contractor need a license to work in Placentia?
Yes, for most concrete jobs. California requires a current license from the state licensing board for anyone contracting on work that needs a building permit, using employees, or charging $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. A contractor pulling a permit in Placentia also needs a city business license number and the state contractor's ID card, and should show workers' comp insurance unless working alone. We're licensed and insured, and it's fair to ask anyone you're comparing for the same.
Which building code applies to a new foundation or retaining wall in Placentia?
Plans going into the city's review now have to meet the 2025 California Building Code, which applies to plans accepted on or after January 1, 2026. If your plans were drawn earlier, have your designer check them against the current code before they go in so review doesn't stall. We pour footings and foundations to whatever the approved plans call for.
How long does new concrete take to cure before I can drive on it in Placentia?
You can usually walk on it after a day or two and park a car on it after about a week, though concrete keeps gaining strength for about a month. That wait is curing, the slow hardening that needs time and moisture, and rushing it with a loaded truck is how edges chip and corners crack. I'll tell you where to park in the meantime and when the slab is ready for heavier vehicles.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack like the old one?
Big cracks and sunken corners usually come from a base that settled, which is the part we rebuild, so a new driveway shouldn't fail the way the old one did. All concrete shrinks a little as it cures, so we cut control joints, straight grooves in the surface, early enough that any fine cracks land in those grooves instead of across the middle. Keeping sprinklers off the edges and roots away from the slab helps it age well.
Examples of concrete work
Other cities we work in
If you see your city listed, its page covers what we run into there. If not, call or send the form and ask about your job.