Cracked, slick or tired concrete around your pool? We build a new deck on a properly packed base, with a finish chosen for wet feet.
A concrete pool deck in Irvine is the flat slab our crew forms, pours and finishes around your pool, and when it's built right it gives your family a solid, level place to walk, sit and dry off.
Most people call us when the old deck has cracked, lifted at the edges or turned rough on bare feet, or when a new pool needs a deck around it. The job means taking out what's there, digging out and packing the subgrade, which is the ground the slab sits on, then forming, pouring and finishing. If you have steps down to the yard, we can rebuild those too with our concrete steps construction work.
The price mostly follows the size of the deck, how much old concrete comes out, what the ground needs and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the city's review, your HOA's approval if you have one, and the weather on pour day. I measure in person and give you a written estimate that shows what's included, so you'll have your own figure before you decide.
Call (949) 518-3401 or fill out the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Let us know if you're in an HOA, since that adds a step before we pour.
I look over the site, take measurements and ask how you'll use the deck, then give you a written estimate that shows what's included. That way you can see plainly what you're paying for before you commit to anything.
If you go ahead, we prepare and file any permit the job needs and keep you posted on where it stands. Then our own crew does the tear-out, the base, the forms and the pour, with either me or my foreman running the job on site.
Before we leave, we walk the finished deck with you and go over anything you'd like to look at. Your yard is left swept and as tidy as we found it.
I was taught that the ground under a slab matters more than the finish on top, so that's where we spend our time. We dig out to firm soil and pack the base instead of raking loose dirt level, the same care we put into slab foundation building, and we set the forms so water runs off the deck and away from the house.
On pour day we start early so the concrete isn't being finished in midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top. We cut control joints, the straight grooves that give the slab a place to crack where we choose, before it's too late to do any good. We also keep rinse water and sweepings out of the street and storm drains, as the county's stormwater guidance asks, especially with exposed aggregate.
What a pool deck job includes:
If your deck is still level and the cracks are few and fine, sealing them is often all it needs, and that costs far less than a new pour. When sections have lifted, tilted or sunk, or the same cracks keep opening up, the trouble is usually in the ground underneath, and patching the top won't reach it. In that case we take the deck out and build it again on a base that's been dug out and packed properly.
The cost comes down to the deck's size, how much old concrete has to go, how much work the ground needs and the finish on top. When a budget gets tight, the base is often the first thing people want to trim, because nobody sees it once the concrete is down. I'd rather you choose a plainer finish and keep the base, because a fancy surface on poor ground cracks and settles just the same, and the base can't be redone later without starting over.
I learned this trade from a strict old-school boss who made me set forms again until they were right, and I've run United Irvine Concrete the same way since 2013. I come out to see each job myself, our own crew does the work, and either my foreman or I run it on site.
We do what the written estimate says, we explain each step before we take it, and we leave your property as tidy as we found it. If the honest answer is that your deck needs a repair and not a new pour, I'll tell you so. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Call (949) 518-3401 early, since the city's review and any HOA approval need to be finished before our crew can pour.
Send your address and a few words about the deck. We reply within one business day to set my visit, and the written estimate is free, with no obligation.
Yes, the City of Irvine says every project goes through some type of review against its codes and standards. Permits there are usually pulled by the contractor or the owner, and a contractor has to show a City of Irvine business license, a state license pocket card and a workers' comp certificate or an exemption. We're licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit, we prepare and file it and keep you posted.
Check with your HOA first, because the city's pool and spa guidance points out that your homeowners association may have its own approval process. Condominium owners need to give the city a copy of the design plans their HOA approved, so have those ready when you call. We'll give you the drawings and details your HOA needs.
A broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives your feet some grip, along with exposed aggregate, where small stones show at the surface, and a rock salt finish are the budget-friendly choices, according to one national concrete guide. If you'd like a pattern without paying for stamping, the same guide suggests sawcut lines laid out with the control joints. I'll go over the plainer finishes with you as well as the dressier ones.
Pick a textured finish, and if you want a coating, ask whether it needs a slip-resistant additive. One deck coating maker warns that its surfaces may be slippery when wet and says some may need that additive for safety. Before you choose, we'll talk through how each finish feels underfoot when it's wet.
Swelling soil is a common cause, because ground that swells can make slabs, walls and pools lift, tilt or move sideways. On that kind of soil, gaps or cracks in the deck should be repaired or sealed promptly so less water gets in, which makes quick crack repair part of normal upkeep. A loosely raked base or joints cut too late make cracking worse, which is why we put our effort into the ground first.
Under California's contractor rules, a home improvement contract has to include certain information, notices and disclosures that protect you. Any change to it must be in writing, legible and easy to understand, and it must tell you of your right to cancel. Make sure your contractor is licensed by the Contractors State License Board, whose concrete class covers forming, pouring and finishing flat concrete work like a pool deck.
We're based in Irvine and build pool decks in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and the other cities below. Pick your city, or call (949) 518-3401 if yours isn't listed.
