Concrete driveway building in Aliso Viejo CA - a slab that drains away from your house
Cracked, sinking or puddled driveway? We dig out the soft spots, pack the base and pour a new slab sloped to shed water.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a new concrete driveway in Aliso Viejo?
Concrete driveway building in Aliso Viejo means breaking out the old slab if there is one, digging out soft ground, packing a firm base and pouring a new slab sloped so water runs off it. Most of the work goes into the ground prep and the cure, which are the parts you can't see once it's done.
Most folks call us when the old driveway has cracked, sunk or just worn out, and they're tired of patching it. The price mostly comes down to the size of the slab, whether there's an old one to tear out and haul away, how much soft ground has to come out, how thick it needs to be for what you park and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on HOA approval, the tear-out and the cure, and if you're in an HOA, I help you get that approval in order before we pour. You'll get your own figure in a written estimate after I've seen the site.
How can you tell your driveway needs replacing?
Cracks that keep widening
A crack that gets wider each year usually means the ground under the slab is moving, not just the surface. Patching the top won't fix what's underneath, and every rain that gets in washes out a little more of the base.
Sections sinking or tipping
When a section drops or tips, the base was often just raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled along with the dirt. A tipped edge turns into a trip spot and a place for water to sit, and it only gets worse.
Water running toward the garage
If rain runs back toward the garage or sits in puddles, the slab was probably poured too flat or sloped the wrong way. Water against the house costs a lot more to fix than a driveway does, so this one's worth a look sooner.
How we handle concrete driveway building
A good driveway starts underneath, so that's where I spend the most time. Before anything else I ask what you park, because a work truck and a hatchback need different slabs. If there's an old slab, we break it out and haul it off, then dig out the topsoil and any soft spots and compact the subgrade, the soil and gravel the slab sits on, until it's firm. We set the forms so the slab slopes away from your house, place rebar or mesh, the steel that holds the slab together, where the job calls for it, and plan the pour so midday heat doesn't leave you with a weak, dusty top. Then we give it a broom finish, a light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along instead of a random one, and keep it moist while it cures, which is the wait that lets it harden before you use it. Here's the trade-off I'll name every time. The base is buried on day one and the finish is what you look at, so the base is the first thing people want to cut, and I'd rather you get a plain finish over a well-packed base than a fancy surface that settles.
A driveway is often the first piece of a bigger plan. If you want a spot to sit out back, concrete patio construction uses the same dig-out and base work, and if plain gray isn't the look you want out front, stamped concrete can give the driveway a pattern.
Get a free on-site estimate for your driveway
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, measure and write your estimate, free and with no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about a new driveway?
From the first call to the final walk-through, you're dealing with me, and here's how a driveway job usually runs.
Call and set a visit
When you call (949) 619-8302, you talk to me, and we pick a time for me to come out. I measure, look over the ground and the slope and ask how you use the driveway day to day.
Get your written estimate
It spells out what's included, like tear-out, hauling and the finish, so you can line it up against other bids. That makes it easy to see where two prices really differ.
We pour, cure and walk through
We set the forms, pour and cure the slab inside the city's construction hours, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or federal holidays. When it's done, I walk the finished driveway with you before we pack up.
Why Aliso Viejo homeowners call All Star Aliso Viejo Concrete for driveways
The owner writes every estimate
I come out to look at every job and write the estimate myself, then I'm on site working alongside our crew. The person who promised you a packed base is the one standing on it while we pour.
Raised on my dad's crew
I spent years on my dad's crew before starting this business in 2023, and we're best known for flatwork, the driveways, patios, walks and steps that sit flat on the ground. He taught me the work nobody sees matters most, and I still build every job that way.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. California contractor law counts building or replacing the driveway at a home as home improvement work, which is exactly the work we do.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise, and part of keeping it is telling you straight when an upgrade isn't worth the money. My dad taught me to leave a site cleaner than we found it, and we still do.
If you're comparing bids, tell us about your driveway or call (949) 619-8302, and I'll come out and take a look.
Driveway approvals and tear-out in Aliso Viejo
If your house is in the Aliso Viejo Community Association, the HOA's sign-off comes before the pour. The association's architectural guidelines cover building, changing, removing or tearing out a driveway, and work done without the committee's approval may have to be removed or changed at your expense. Your request goes to your subassociation first, and once they approve it, the association's architectural committee reviews it. If there's no subassociation, the plans go straight to that committee. We help you get the approval in order before any forms go up, and we check with the city's building office on each job, handle the permit paperwork when one's needed and tell you up front whose name it goes under.
On a replacement, the old concrete has to go somewhere, so we plan its hauling into the tear-out and get it off your lot before the new base goes in. The city points owners to CR&R, its waste hauler, for construction and demolition debris at 800-826-9677. We're based in Aliso Viejo, and plenty of the driveways we pour in Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo sit in planned neighborhoods too, so who has to sign off is usually my first question there.
Questions about concrete driveways in Aliso Viejo
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Orange County?
A new concrete driveway in Orange County usually costs about $7 to $14 per square foot, going by one county cost guide, not counting removal of an old driveway. Where yours lands in that range comes down to thickness, reinforcement, the finish and how much soft ground has to come out, and I'll walk you through each one at the estimate.
Will my new concrete driveway crack?
Probably a little, because all concrete tends to crack and a fully crack-free slab isn't possible, according to a national concrete group's guidance. What a good job controls is where it cracks and how much, which is what the packed base and the control joints are for.
How do I choose the right thickness for my concrete driveway?
Go by the heaviest vehicle you park. One Orange County cost guide calls four to five inches standard for everyday cars and says owners with trucks or RVs may want six to eight inches, so tell me about the work truck or the RV when I come out.
Does rebar or wire mesh stop a driveway from cracking?
No, but it can keep cracks narrower. The same national concrete group says mesh or other reinforcement in the proper spot reduces how wide cracks get without preventing them, and the county cost guide prices reinforced concrete a little higher per square foot than plain, so I'll tell you straight whether your driveway needs it.
How long does a new concrete driveway take to cure?
The surface should stay moist for at least 3 days, according to a national concrete group's guidance, starting as soon as possible after the pour with a sprayed curing compound or damp burlap. You can ask which method we'll use on yours, and I'll go over when it's ready for feet and tires before we pour.
Does it cost more to replace an old driveway than to pour a new one?
Yes, tearing out an existing driveway adds to the cost per square foot of the new one, according to the same county cost guide. Tear-out and hauling are spelled out on your written estimate, so you can see that part of the price plainly when you compare bids.
Other concrete work that goes with a new driveway
Concrete patio construction
If the driveway runs out to a side yard or backyard, a patio poured on the same kind of packed base gives you a level place to sit.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a pattern like stone, brick or tile into the wet surface, for owners who want more than plain gray out front.
Service areas for driveway building near Aliso Viejo
All Star Aliso Viejo Concrete is based in Aliso Viejo, CA, and we pour driveways across the cities around it. The 12 cities listed here, including Irvine and Lake Forest, each have their own page, and we work beyond them too.
Plan your new concrete driveway with us
Have the rough size in square feet, the vehicles you park and your HOA or subassociation name handy, and the first call goes quicker.
Aliso Viejo, CA