Concrete Contractor in Laguna Hills, CA - Driveways, Patios and Walks on a Packed Base
All Star Aliso Viejo Concrete is a concrete contractor building driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for Laguna Hills homes, along with footings and foundation work. We're based right next door in Aliso Viejo.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Laguna Hills homes, driveways and the slopes behind them
Laguna Hills is mostly established neighborhoods of single-family homes, with townhome and condo communities mixed in and shops and offices along the main roads. A lot of the houses have been here a few decades, and so have their driveways and patios, which is why most calls we get here are about a crack that keeps growing, a panel that's dropped at the garage or water pooling by the back slider. The city sits between Aliso Viejo, where our crew is based, and Laguna Woods, so the work here looks a lot like what we see every week.
The ground is the other half of the story. Plenty of lots here sit on a slope, so driveways climb to the garage, backyards step down and rain heads for the low side of every slab, which means we spend as much time on what's underneath and where the water goes as on the pour itself.
Concrete work we do on Laguna Hills properties
Concrete driveway building
A lot of original driveways here have cracked or sunk where they meet the garage. We tear them out, dig and pack a new base, and pour fresh.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are often sloped, so a patio has to shed water away from the house. We set that slope in the forms before any concrete arrives.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front entry the look of stone or slate. I'll tell you straight if a plain finish would serve the space better.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front paths and side yard walks here often get heaved up by tree roots. We replace the bad sections so the walk sits level and nobody trips.
Garage floor concrete
Older garage floors here pick up oil stains, pitting and cracks. We break out and repour the floor, or just the worst sections, so it sweeps clean again.
Decorative concrete
Color, a stone-like texture or a border can dress up a plain front entry. We match it to your house and keep it simple enough to age well.
Concrete retaining walls
A concrete wall holds back a slope so you get usable flat yard. We drain the back of it, because trapped water is what pushes walls over.
Concrete floor installation
An addition or a converted space needs an indoor slab poured flat for the flooring on top. We finish it so your flooring goes down on a true surface.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here take full sun and bare feet all summer. We give them a texture that grips when wet and a slope that carries splash water away.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on hillside homes take a beating and settle unevenly. We rebuild them with even step heights so nobody catches a toe on the way to the door.
Slab foundation building
Additions and backyard units start with a slab foundation. We pack the base and set the steel first, because that's the part you can't redo later.
Foundation installation
On sloped lots, a building often needs more than a flat slab, so we form and pour the foundation to the plans your designer or engineer drew up.
Concrete parking lot building
Office and retail lots in Laguna Hills take daily traffic and delivery trucks. We plan the slab and the drainage for that load, not just for cars.
Concrete footings
Patio covers and block walls sit on footings, the buried concrete that carries their weight. We dig to the depth your plans call for and pour them solid.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation on an older home has sunk, raising it can sometimes beat a full tear-out. I'll be honest about whether it's worth the money.
Concrete cutting
Saw cutting lets us remove one bad section, open a trench for a pipe or widen an older driveway without breaking up the whole slab.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Laguna Hills concrete job
Send the form and I'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I'll measure and look over the site for free, and there's no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
Permits, licenses and pricing for concrete work in Laguna Hills
Permits here go through the city's Building & Safety Division, and the city says projects that make significant changes to a site need a permit and an inspection. Whether your driveway or patio counts is the city's call, so I check with that office on every job, handle the paperwork when a permit's needed and tell you up front whose name it goes under. If one's required, the start date waits until it's issued, and any inspection gets worked into the schedule. On the contractor side, California's Contractors State License Board licenses anyone who builds or alters structures in the state, so that's the license to ask every bidder about. Laguna Hills doesn't issue a business license at all, though businesses inside the city do need a Certificate of Use and Occupancy.
Price here mostly turns on what's under and around the slab: how much old concrete we break out and haul, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, how steep the lot is, how close we can get the truck and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on the weather, and your written estimate puts your own figures on all of it. Tight cul-de-sacs and steep driveways are common here, same as in Mission Viejo and Lake Forest, so we plan where the concrete truck parks and how we get the concrete back to the yard before we book the pour.
Why older slabs here crack, sink and pool water
Most of the tired concrete we tear out here failed from the bottom up. When the original crew just raked the dirt level instead of digging it out and packing it, the subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, kept settling for years and took the concrete down with it, and on a sloped lot, water running under the slab washes out whatever's left. So we dig down to firm ground, pack a proper base and set the grade so water runs away from your house instead of toward it. That base is the first thing people want to cut from the budget, because you can't see it on day one, and it's the last thing I'd ever cut, because it's what decides whether the slab holds up.
Weather plays a part too. Laguna Hills gets long hot, dry spells and strong Santa Ana winds, and both pull water out of fresh concrete before it's ready, which leaves a weak, dusty top that chips. When it's hot we pour early in the day and keep the slab damp while it cures, the stretch where it slowly gains strength, so the surface comes out hard.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Laguna Hills
Here's how it goes from your first call to the day I walk the finished job with you, so you know what you're paying for at each step.
Call and talk to me
When you call (949) 619-8302 or send the form, you get me, and we set a time for me to come see the space. You don't need to know concrete, just tell me what's bugging you about the old slab.
Site visit and written estimate
I measure, look at the slope and drainage, and ask how you'll use the space, then you get a written estimate that spells out tear-out, hauling and the finish. That way you can see what's included and line it up against other bids.
Forms, pour and cure
If the city requires a permit, we have it in hand before the forms go up, then we set the forms, pour and finish the concrete. You don't have to be home for the pour, and during the cure I'll tell you when it's okay to walk on it and when you can drive on it.
Walk the finished job together
Before we pack up, I walk the finished work with you and answer anything you want to ask, so I'd like you there for this one. We haul off the debris and leave the site cleaner than we found it, a habit I got from my dad.
Questions about concrete work in Laguna Hills
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Laguna Hills?
The finish is the biggest choice you control, because a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps tires and shoes from slipping, costs the least, and stamping, color and borders each add to it. Size, tearing out and hauling the old driveway, and how much digging and base your ground needs make up most of the rest. Your written estimate breaks all of that out so you can compare it with other bids.
Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?
It may still get a hairline crack, since nearly all concrete does, but a well-built driveway cracks where we plan for it and stays level. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, as soon as the concrete can take the saw, and we set rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it does crack. The packed base underneath is what keeps it from sinking the way the old one did.
How long will I be without my driveway during a replacement in Laguna Hills?
You're off it from tear-out through the cure, and you can walk on new concrete well before you can park on it. Breaking out the old slab and pouring the new one goes faster than most people expect, and most of the wait is curing. I'll give you your walk-on and drive-on dates once the pour is set, so you can plan where to park.
Should I repair or replace a cracked driveway in Laguna Hills?
If the cracks are thin and the slab is still level, a repair or replacing just the bad sections is often the smarter money. If panels have sunk, tipped toward the house or keep breaking apart, the base underneath is the problem and a full replacement is usually the honest answer. I'd rather talk you out of a tear-out than sell you one you don't need.
What is the best way to build a concrete patio on a sloped yard in Laguna Hills?
Usually the best way is to cut the patio into the slope with a low retaining wall on the uphill side, or step it down in levels, rather than piling loose fill on the downhill side. Fill that isn't packed settles, and a patio sitting on it tilts and cracks. Either way the patio has to fall away from the house so rain and sprinkler water run to the yard.
When does a concrete contractor need a state license in California?
A contractor needs a California license when the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The state board doesn't allow a bigger job to be split into pieces under $1,000 to get around that, so if your project hits any of those, ask to see the license before you sign. We're licensed and fully insured.
Tell me about your Laguna Hills project
I look at every job myself and then work on site next to our crew, so the person who writes your estimate is there on pour day, and you can reach me at (949) 619-8302 or through the form.
Aliso Viejo, CA