For a cracked or sunken driveway. We tear out the old slab, dig out and pack the base, and pour a new one sized for your cars.
Concrete Contractor in Costa Mesa - Driveways, Patios and Steps Built Level
Cornerstone Orange Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Orange, CA, that pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slabs for homes in Costa Mesa, starting with the ground under the slab and finishing with straight, clean edges.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work we do in Costa Mesa
Here it's mostly driveways, patios and front walks that have settled or cracked over the years, plus steps, garage floors and the odd retaining wall on a sloped yard.
A plain or finished concrete patio for your backyard, sloped so rain and hose water run toward the yard instead of back against your house.
Concrete pressed with a pattern while it's still wet, so a patio, walk or driveway looks like stone, brick or slate without laying separate pieces.
Front walks and side-yard paths poured with a broom finish, the light texture that gives your shoes grip when the concrete is wet.
A new garage slab for homeowners whose old floor has cracked, sunk or chipped, poured level and smooth so it's easy to sweep and park on.
Color, borders and exposed aggregate, where the top is washed back to show the stones, for a patio, walk or entry that shouldn't look plain gray.
Poured walls that hold back soil on a sloped yard, built on a footing with steel inside and a way for water behind the wall to drain out.
Interior slabs for additions, workshops and sheds, poured over a packed base and a plastic sheet that keeps ground moisture from coming up through the floor.
Concrete decking around a pool, finished with a texture that grips wet feet and sloped so splash water drains away from the pool and the house.
Front and back steps formed and poured so every rise is the same height, which matters more than looks when someone's carrying groceries or a toddler.
For builders and property owners putting up a house, addition or garage on a slab. We set the base, forms and steel to the approved plans.
Foundations for new structures and additions, dug, formed and reinforced to the engineer's plans so the walls above have something solid to stand on.
Concrete lots and drive aisles for small commercial and multi-unit properties, built thicker where trucks turn and sloped so rain runs to the drains.
The concrete pads and strips under posts, walls and patio covers, dug down to solid ground so the weight above doesn't push them down over time.
For a slab or foundation that has sunk at one side. We look at why it moved first, then lift and support it if raising makes sense.
Saw-cutting existing concrete for a new door, a drain line, a wider driveway or control joints, the cuts that tell a slab where to crack.
Why Costa Mesa homeowners call us for concrete
Most calls we get from Costa Mesa are for a driveway that's sunk at one corner, a patio that holds water after the sprinklers run, or front steps that have started to pull away from the house. I come down from Orange to look at each one myself, the same as I do in Santa Ana or Norwalk. The price mostly turns on how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs, and the schedule turns on any permit, the tear-out and the wait before you can use the new slab. Your free estimate puts your own figure in writing, with what it covers and what it doesn't.
Plenty of lots here have a driveway that's most of the front yard and a backyard patio that's been patched more than once. On a lot like that, where the water goes and how we get the old concrete out shape the job as much as the new slab does.
- I come out to see it myself
- A written price listing what's included
- Honest advice, even when it's no
How our crew handles a Costa Mesa pour
Base before finish
If the budget's tight, I'd rather trim the finish than the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, because a fancy top on soft ground still sinks.
Steel and straight forms
We set rebar, the steel that holds a slab together if it cracks, and run a string down every form before the truck backs in.
Joints cut on time
We cut control joints soon after the pour, while the slab is still young, so any cracking follows our lines instead of running across the middle.
Our crew, start to finish
Our own crew does the work from first form to final cleanup, and before we leave you'll know when you can walk on it and when you can park.
- Old concrete hauled away, not buried
- Base dug out and packed firm
- Forms checked with a string line
- Rebar set up off the dirt
- Slab sloped away from the house
- Pours timed around the heat
- Curing time explained before we go
- Street and walks swept before we leave
- Written estimate listing what's included
Most of what makes a slab last is done before the truck shows up, so that's where I spend your money first.
When does a Costa Mesa driveway or patio need work?
Most of the concrete we replace here gave warning for years. If you see any of these on your driveway, patio or walk, it's worth having someone look.
- Cracks that keep getting wider
- One edge sitting lower than the rest
- Water pooling against the house
- Chipped or flaking top layer
- Steps pulling away from the porch
- A slab lifted near a tree
- Dusty surface that never sweeps clean
- A gap where slab meets garage
Our office serving Costa Mesa
Send the form to set up a free on-site estimate, or call (714) 787-1676 or email hello@orangecaconcrete.com. Expect a reply within 1 business day.
- Phone
- (714) 787-1676
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
- Location
- Orange, CA 92866
Costa Mesa concrete questions
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Costa Mesa?
Your driveway's cost comes down to how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away, how much the base needs digging and packing, the size and thickness of the new slab, and the finish. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored work, and tight access or tree roots add labor. I'll come out, measure and give you a free written estimate that lists what's in it and what isn't.
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Costa Mesa?
Ask the city's Building Safety Division before you pour, because the quick Insta-Permits the city lists for simple jobs cover HVAC, re-pipes, water heaters, EV chargers, panel upgrades and re-roofs, not concrete, and that list doesn't settle whether your job needs a full permit. When it does, we pull the permit, schedule the inspections and keep the approved plans on site, and I'll tell you up front what the city will want to see.
How do I apply for a building permit in Costa Mesa?
You apply online through TESSA, the city's permit system, and you enter everything there directly. The city ignores paper forms and sends incomplete applications back, so have your plans and details ready before you start. The city's building line is (714) 754-5273. On a job we're doing, the application is our part, not yours.
Does my concrete project in Costa Mesa need a licensed contractor?
It does if the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials, under California's Contractors State License Board rules. A license isn't needed only when there's no permit, no employees, under $1,000 combined and no advertising as licensed, and a bigger job can't be split into small contracts to get under that line. A contractor should hold the license before bidding, and we're fully licensed and insured.
What happens if a contractor does concrete work without a license in California?
A first offense is usually a misdemeanor, which can mean up to six months in jail and/or a $500 fine, and the board can add an administrative fine of $200 to $15,000. That falls on the contractor, but it shows how seriously the state takes it. Ask to see a license before you sign anything.
How long until I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You'll walk on a new driveway well before you drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for days while it cures, the slow hardening that needs time and moisture. A tire puts far more weight on a young slab than a foot does, so I'll tell you the day for each before we leave. The tear-out, any inspections and the weather set the rest of the schedule.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack, and will a new one crack too?
Most cracks come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled with the dirt, or from control joints cut late or skipped. Concrete shrinks a little as it hardens, so some cracking is normal on any slab. We pack the base and cut the joints early so any cracks land in those lines instead of across the middle of your driveway.
Don't see your city? Give us a call
If your city has its own page, you'll find it below. If it doesn't, call (714) 787-1676, because we work across the cities around Orange, not just the ones listed.
Your Costa Mesa quote from Cornerstone Orange Concrete
Call (714) 787-1676 or send the form for a free in-person estimate, with no obligation.