Concrete Contractor in Irvine, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
United Irvine Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Irvine, CA. We build and repair driveways, patios, walkways, steps and garage floors for homeowners and property managers here, starting with the ground under every slab.
Your concrete contractor in Irvine
We're based in Irvine, and most of our calls come from homeowners and property managers here and in the cities around it, such as Costa Mesa and Tustin. In Irvine we pour a lot of driveways, patios and walkways for homes in planned communities, where the homeowners association usually has to approve the color, finish and layout before we start.
The price moves mostly with the size of the slab and the finish you choose, which your written estimate breaks out line by line. The schedule turns on any city permit or HOA approval, then curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before you use it. Because a new slab here sits right beside the neighbors', we match the look your HOA expects without giving up anything on the base underneath.
What happens when you call us in Irvine
Call us or send the form
Call (949) 518-3401 or use the form below, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. You don't need measurements or a plan ready.
I measure and check the site
I walk the site myself, measure, check where the water runs and ask how you'll use the concrete, so we build it for cars or for patio chairs as needed. You then get a written estimate that shows exactly what's included, so you know what you're paying for.
We file, prep and pour
If the job needs a city permit, we prepare and file it and keep you posted, and if you're in an HOA we give you the drawings and details for their approval. Then our own crew digs out and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, sets the forms and any rebar, the steel that holds the slab together, and pours, with me or my foreman running the job.
Walk the finished work together
Before we leave, we clean up, walk the finished slab with you and tell you when it's safe to walk on and when to drive on. We'd like you home for that walk, though you don't need to be there for the pour.
Concrete services for Irvine homes
In Irvine we're called most for concrete driveway building, patios and walkways, the flatwork that lies flat on the ground around a house, along with steps, garage floors and the occasional low retaining wall at the back of a lot. Here's everything we do in Irvine.
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
What signs mean your Irvine concrete needs work?
Driveways, patios and walks around Irvine homes carry cars and foot traffic every day, so small problems show up early, and these are the ones worth a call.
- Cracks that keep getting wider
- A panel sinking below the rest
- Water pooling on the slab
- Slab sloping toward the house
- Chipped or flaking surface
- Raised edges you can trip on
Should you repair or replace concrete in Irvine?
A few hairline cracks or one sunken panel on an otherwise solid slab can usually be repaired, either by raising the panel or by cutting out the bad section and pouring a new one. I'll tell you plainly when that's all you need, because tearing out a sound driveway wastes your money.
When cracks run across most of the slab, or it keeps sinking and tipping toward the house, the trouble is usually underneath, and a new surface over a bad base just cracks again. That's when I recommend replacing it. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you spend it on a properly dug and packed base with a plain finish than on a decorative top over loose dirt, since a sound slab can be dressed up later.
Hiring a local concrete contractor in Irvine
Before you sign, ask any concrete contractor whether they hold a state contractor's license and a city business license, which the City of Irvine requires of every business working here before it starts. We're licensed and insured, and the person who measures your job is me, the owner, so what I write on the estimate is what our crew builds.
Watch the down payment too. On home improvement work, the Contractors State License Board doesn't let a contractor ask for or accept more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, so a demand for a big check up front is reason enough to keep looking. Being based in Irvine, we're close by if you have a question after the pour.
United Irvine Concrete keeps its word
I learned this trade from a boss who made me tear out forms, the wooden frames that hold wet concrete, and set them again until they were right, and we still work that way. We do exactly what the estimate says, explain each step before we start it and leave your driveway, lawn and street as tidy as we found them.
If a repair will do, or concrete isn't the right answer for your project, I'll tell you so, because I'd rather lose a job than sell you something you don't need. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
You can count on a clear written estimate, careful work under every slab and your property left as tidy as we found it.
Call about your Irvine concrete job
We answer the phone every day of the week, early on weekends too, so call when it suits you.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Irvine home
Tell us what you need poured or fixed and how to reach you. We reply within one business day to book my visit for a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
Irvine concrete questions we hear
Do I need a permit for a new concrete driveway in Irvine?
The city's Community Development Department issues permits for most construction and repair work the building codes cover, and its permit line at (949) 724-6313 can tell you whether your driveway needs one. Even work on the city's exemption list still has to meet the technical codes and the city, county and state rules. When a permit is needed, the filing is our job, not yours.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Irvine?
A retaining wall no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing, the wider base the wall stands on, to the top of the wall, doesn't need a building permit in Irvine unless it holds back extra weight above it, such as a slope or a driveway. It still has to be built to code, and a taller wall or one carrying that kind of load goes through the city's permit process. I measure the height on the estimate visit so we both know which side of that line your wall falls on.
Does my concrete contractor need a California license?
Yes, in most cases, because the state board requires a license whenever a project needs a building permit, uses employee labor or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Any job done with a hired crew falls under that rule, so ask to see the license before you sign anything.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Irvine?
An Irvine driveway's price is set by its size, how much old concrete comes out, how much digging and packing the base needs and the finish you pick, and each shows up on the written estimate I give after measuring. Thickness and rebar matter for a slab that carries cars, and so does whether a concrete truck can reach the forms or we have to pump. A broom finish, a light brushed texture that grips underfoot, costs less than stamped or colored concrete.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, and we tell you both days when we finish, because concrete keeps hardening and gaining strength during curing. Parking on it too soon can crack a slab that would otherwise have held, so keep cars off until we say it's ready.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack, and will a new one crack too?
Most bad cracks come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or from control joints, the grooves cut so a slab cracks along a line we choose, that were cut late or skipped. A new slab can still get fine hairline cracks, but when the subgrade is packed firm, the water runs away from the house and the joints go in on time, those cracks stay small and tend to land in the joints instead of across the middle.
Other cities, or just give us a call
Pick your city below for its own page, or call (949) 518-3401 if yours isn't listed, since we work in plenty of cities that don't have a page here.