Concrete Contractor in San Juan Capistrano - Slabs Built for Hillside Lots
All Star Aliso Viejo Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Aliso Viejo, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations in San Juan Capistrano, on everything from older homes to sloped hillside lots.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
San Juan Capistrano houses and the ground under them
San Juan Capistrano has a mix of properties you don't find in many places in south Orange County. Close to downtown there are older houses with driveways and walks that have been patched for decades. There are ranch and horse properties with long drives and barns, and newer neighborhoods climb the hills toward Laguna Niguel and run down toward San Clemente. A lot of the calls we get here are to replace the first concrete ever poured on the lot, and once we look at it, it's usually easy to see why it gave out.
The house tells me a lot about the job before we start. On the older lots, the old slab usually sits on raked dirt instead of a base that was dug out and packed, so part of the work is rebuilding the subgrade, the ground the concrete rests on. Up on the hillsides, the slope and the way into the yard decide how we form and pour.
Concrete services for San Juan Capistrano homes and lots
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here often crack and sink because nobody packed the dirt under them. We tear out, rebuild the base and pour a new slab.
Concrete patio construction
Big backyards here get a lot of use, so we ask how you'll use the patio before we size it and set the slope away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete can give a patio, walk or entry the look of stone or tile that suits a Spanish-style or ranch house here.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots here get lifted by tree roots and settle at the joints. We replace the bad sections and pour them level with the rest.
Garage floor concrete
A cracked, stained garage floor in an older house often comes from a thin slab on a loose base. We break it out and pour a solid one.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns let a slab match the tile roofs and stucco walls you see on so many houses here.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards here often need a wall to hold back the hill and make room for a flat patio or lawn. We build in drainage behind it.
Concrete floor installation
For barns, workshops, casitas and add-ons on larger lots, we pour floors on a base we pack solid first, because that's what keeps a floor flat.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here bake in the sun and stay wet near the water's edge, so we use a finish with grip and slope it toward drains.
Concrete steps construction
Older front steps here often pull away from the house or crumble at the edges. We rebuild them with steel inside and even step heights.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or casita on a sloped lot, the slab starts with cutting the ground level and packing the base, because everything above depends on it.
Foundation installation
Hillside lots and fill dirt can need deeper or stepped foundations. We look at the ground first and build what your lot and plans call for.
Concrete parking lot building
Shops, offices and churches here need lots that take daily traffic and shed rain. We pour heavier slabs where trucks turn and slope it so water runs off.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, block walls and gate posts need footings that carry their weight down to firm ground. We dig and pour them to fit what sits on top.
Foundation raising
When a corner of an older house or garage has settled, we find out why it sank before we lift it and support it.
Concrete cutting
Adding a drain line, a doorway or a wider driveway often means cutting old concrete. We saw-cut clean, straight lines so the new work meets the old neatly.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in San Juan Capistrano
Send the form and you'll hear back within one business day. Then I come out to measure, look over the site and write up a free estimate, with no obligation to book.
- Based in
- Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
Working in San Juan Capistrano, from permits to tight streets
In San Juan Capistrano, building permits come from the city's Building Department, and its reach is broad. It covers construction from grading the site to most repairs, unless the state building code or the city's own code exempts the work. I check with the Building Department on every job, handle the paperwork when a permit's needed and tell you up front whose name it goes under. When one is needed, that wait comes before we dig, so it's often what sets the start date. The city also requires anyone doing business in the city, contractors included, to get a City Business License first, so it's a fair thing to ask about before you sign with anyone.
What moves the price here is mostly what you can't see on day one: how much old concrete has to come out and be hauled off, how much digging and packing the ground needs, and how easy the work is to reach. On the narrow older streets near downtown, a concrete truck can't always back up to the work, so we sometimes pump or wheel the concrete in. The finish matters too, since a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives shoes and tires grip, costs less than stamped or colored work. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, the days the new concrete needs to gain strength before you use it, and your estimate puts your own numbers on all of it. We do the same kind of work up the coast in Newport Beach, and here it's the ground that usually sets the job apart.
Why driveways and patios here crack, sink and hold water
Most of the cracked and sunken slabs we look at here come down to water. On a sloped lot, rain runs downhill across the yard, and if the old patio was poured flat or tipped toward the house, water pools against the wall and soaks the dirt under the slab until it settles. We check where the water goes before we set a single form, dig out to firm ground, pack the base in layers and give the new slab enough fall to carry water away from the house. Then we cut control joints, the straight grooves you see across a slab, so when the concrete shrinks and cracks the way all concrete does, the crack runs along a groove instead of across the middle.
Summer is the other thing. Long, hot, dry afternoons pull water out of fresh concrete too fast, which leaves a weak, dusty top that chips. In warm months we start pours early in the morning and keep the slab damp while it cures, because that's an easy step to rush and you can't fix it later.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in San Juan Capistrano
Here's how it goes from your first call to the final walk-through, with me on the job from the estimate to the cleanup.
Call and talk to me
When you call (949) 619-8302, you talk to me, and we set a time for me to come out to your place. It helps if you're home for the visit so I can hear how you plan to use the space.
I measure and write it up
I measure, check the slope and where the water runs, and look at what's under the old slab if there is one. You get a written estimate that spells out tear-out, hauling and the finish, so you can compare it with other bids and see what you're paying for.
We form, pour and cure
Our crew and I set the forms, pour and finish, and if the city requires a permit, the pour waits until it's issued. Then the concrete cures, and I'll tell you when it's ready to walk on and when it's ready to drive on.
We walk the finished job
Before we pack up, I walk the slab with you so you can see the joints, the finish and where the water will run. It's satisfaction guaranteed on every job, and like my dad taught me, we leave the site cleaner than we found it.
Questions about concrete work in San Juan Capistrano
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in San Juan Capistrano?
A retaining wall up to 48 inches tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, is on the city's list of work exempt from a permit, unless it carries the weight of a building or a slope above it, or sits at the top of a slope. On hillside lots, that exception catches a lot of walls, so a short wall can still need a permit. Low concrete or block garden walls are exempt up to 36 inches, measured from the top of the footing, and for anything not on the list, the city says to assume you need a permit.
Do I need HOA approval before pouring a new driveway in San Juan Capistrano?
If your house is in an HOA and the work needs a city permit, yes, because the city wants the HOA's written approval for exterior work before it issues the permit. You'll need a copy of the approval letter or plans stamped by the HOA by the time the permit is issued. Start that request as soon as you've settled on the design, and I can give you the measurements and finish details they'll ask about.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in San Juan Capistrano?
The price for your driveway comes from an on-site look, because what drives the cost here is less the size than the tear-out, the base work and how easy the site is to reach. On many older driveways here, the base is where the money goes, since the old slab sat on raked dirt. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you go with a plain broom finish than skimp on the base, because you can dress up a surface later but you can't fix a bad base without tearing it all out again.
How do I keep a new concrete patio from cracking like the old one?
Build it on a dug-out, packed base, put steel in it and cut control joints so the cracks land in the grooves instead of across the middle. Rebar, the steel bars tied in a grid inside the slab, holds the pieces together if a crack does form, and a patio slab is usually about 4 inches thick, with driveways often a little thicker for the weight. Nobody honest will tell you concrete won't crack at all, but we can pick where it cracks and keep the pieces from moving.
How long do I have to stay off a new driveway in San Juan Capistrano?
You can usually walk on new concrete after a day or two and drive a car on it after about a week, longer for heavy trucks. That wait is curing, and cutting it short is how edges chip and slabs crack early. In cool, damp winter weather here it can run a little longer, so I'll tell you the dates to plan around when we pour.
Can you add on to an old driveway without it looking patched in San Juan Capistrano?
You can, but new concrete won't match the color of a slab that's weathered for decades, so the cleanest look comes from cutting back to a straight line or an existing joint. We saw-cut the old slab clean and tie the new pour to it with steel so the two move together. On some older homes I'll suggest replacing the whole front section instead, because a seam right across the middle can look worse than the bigger job costs.
Talk through your San Juan Capistrano concrete project
Call (949) 619-8302 or send the form, and I'll tell you straight whether patching the old slab or replacing it makes more sense for your house.
Aliso Viejo, CA