A driveway torn out and poured again over a dug-out, packed base, for homes where the old one has cracked, sunk or tipped water toward the garage.
Concrete Contractor in Placentia, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Cornerstone Orange Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Placentia, CA. We build driveways, patios, steps, walls and slabs for homes here, and I come out to look at each job myself before we price it.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work we do in Placentia
Most calls from Placentia are about driveways, patios and walks that have cracked or settled, plus steps and walls on lots where the ground isn't flat.
A backyard patio slab shaped to your yard and sloped to carry rain away from the house, finished plain or smooth, whichever look you choose.
Concrete pressed with a pattern and colored while it's still soft, for homeowners who want the look of stone or brick on a patio or walk.
Front walks and side paths poured on a packed base and set to the right height, so they meet the driveway and steps without a trip edge.
A new garage slab poured true over a prepared base, for floors that have cracked, heaved or worn rough under years of cars and storage.
Colored, scored and textured finishes for driveways, patios and walks, for homeowners who want concrete that suits the house instead of plain gray.
Poured concrete walls on proper footings, with steel inside and drainage behind, for yards where a slope needs holding back or a flat spot needs making.
Interior and outbuilding floors poured over a packed base with a moisture barrier underneath, for additions, workshops and rooms that need a solid, flat floor.
Deck slabs around a pool with a broom finish, a light brushed texture that grips wet feet, and slopes that carry splash water away from the pool.
Front and back steps formed with even step heights and steel inside, for homes where the old steps have cracked, settled away from the house or turned uneven.
The concrete slab a new house, addition or ADU sits on, poured over packed ground with the steel and footings the approved plans call for.
Foundations for new homes, additions and outbuildings, built to the approved plans for builders and property owners, from layout and forms through steel and the pour.
Concrete lots and drive aisles for small commercial and multifamily properties, poured thick enough for the traffic and sloped so water reaches the drains.
The buried concrete that carries a wall, patio cover, deck post or addition, dug to the depth the plans call for and set with steel.
Lifting a sunken slab or foundation back toward level, for homes with sloping floors or sticking doors, once we've found what let it sink.
Saw-cutting slabs, walls and driveways for new openings, plumbing trenches or removing a damaged section, with clean edges so the patch or new pour lines up.
Why Placentia homeowners call us for concrete
We're a concrete contractor based in Orange, CA, and Placentia is one of the cities around it where we work, along with Fullerton next door and Westminster farther out. Most of the calls here come from homeowners, and they sound alike. There's a driveway cracked across the middle, a patio that's dropped away from the back door, or a front walk that's lifted enough to catch a toe. On a lot of the older houses, that concrete is the original, and it's had decades to settle.
So most of our work here starts below the surface. Before I put a price on a new slab, I want to know what the old one sat on and how the lot drains, because those two things decide whether the new one stays flat.
- I look at every job myself
- Our own crew, first form to cleanup
- Estimates that say what's included
How we handle a Placentia concrete job
What sets your price
Size, tear-out, base work, the finish and truck access set the price, and I write down what your estimate covers and what it doesn't.
What sets the schedule
Your schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit, the weather on pour day and curing, which is the wait while the concrete gains strength before you use it.
The base comes first
We dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, because a slab only stays flat if what's under it does.
Permits pulled by us
When your job needs a permit, we pull it, book inspections and keep approved plans on site, and I tell you what the city's Building and Safety office will want.
- String line down every form
- Base dug out and packed, not raked
- Drainage checked before forms go in
- Pours timed to miss midday heat
- Joints cut on time, where planned
- Steel set where the slab needs it
- Old concrete broken out and hauled off
- Fully licensed and insured
If the budget gets tight, I'd rather cut the finish than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but everyone sees it when it settles.
Is your Placentia driveway or patio due for work?
These signs usually start small and grow with every rain, and several of them point to settling or water that's easier to deal with before the slab breaks up.
- Cracks that keep getting wider
- One side of a crack sitting higher
- Water pooling after it rains
- Slab sloping toward the house
- Gap between slab and foundation
- Chipped or flaking top surface
- Steps pulling away from the house
- Walk edge that catches your toe
Our office serving Placentia
Call (714) 787-1676, email us or use the form to tell us about your job, and expect a reply within 1 business day to set up a free estimate.
- Phone
- (714) 787-1676
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
- Location
- Orange, CA 92866
Placentia concrete questions
What does a new concrete driveway cost in Placentia?
Most of a driveway's price comes from its size and what's underneath, so I put a number on it only after I've seen yours. The biggest swings are how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground and whether you want a broom finish or stamped or colored work, which costs more. A tight side yard the truck can't reach adds labor. Your free on-site estimate spells out what the price covers and what it doesn't.
How long until I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Placentia?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because the slab keeps gaining strength while it cures. I'll tell you both points when we set the pour date, since the weather that week can move them. Plan on parking somewhere else for that stretch, and we'll block the slab off so nobody drives onto it early.
Will a new concrete driveway in Placentia crack like the old one?
It can still get fine cracks, because concrete shrinks as it cures, but a slab on a packed base with joints cut in time usually cracks along those joints and stays level. We add rebar, the steel that holds the pieces together if a crack opens, where the job needs it. What I won't do is promise you a slab that never cracks.
Which concrete jobs are on Placentia's no-permit list?
The city's list of work that needs no building permit names driveways, walks and platforms no more than 30 inches above the ground and not over a basement or a room below. Raised work, retaining walls, foundations and anything else outside that list are worth checking with the building division, and I check your job against the list before we price it.
How do I know if my shed pad needs a permit in Placentia?
Start with the shed, because the city's no-permit list covers a one-story detached tool or storage shed with no more than 120 square feet of floor area. If you run power or water out to it, the city still requires separate electrical or plumbing permits. A bigger shed is worth asking the building division about before we form the pad.
Does a concrete contractor need a license to work in Placentia?
Yes. The state requires a license from the Contractors State License Board for any job that needs a building permit, uses hired workers or comes to $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials, and Placentia requires every business working in the city to hold an annual city business license. The city asks for that number on a building permit application, so ask any contractor for both. We're fully licensed and insured.
Don't see your city? Call us.
If your city has its own page below, start there, and if it doesn't, call (714) 787-1676, because we work across the cities around Orange.
Start your Placentia quote with Cornerstone Orange Concrete
Send the form or call, and expect a reply within 1 business day to set up your free on-site estimate.