Concrete Contractor in Loma Linda - Driveways, Patios and Walls Set on Solid Ground

Loma Linda takes permit applications through its Online Permit Portal, and when your job needs one, we file it and set up the inspections for you. The city's permit page also has standard handouts for patios, block walls and retaining walls if you'd like to read up first. Whether your particular job needs a permit is something I check with the city for your address before we start.

Yes for permitted work, because the state licensing board says any city that requires a permit also requires a licensed contractor's signed statement that the license is in full force. The city also asks a contractor applying for a Loma Linda business license to show proof of that state license. Ask any contractor you're considering for both before you sign.

The city adopted the fire hazard zones the State Fire Marshal recommended, based on CAL FIRE maps that rank parts of Loma Linda as Moderate, High or Very High. The ranking weighs vegetation, the lay of the land, weather, crown fire potential and how embers travel, and if your parcel falls in more than one zone, the highest one covers the whole parcel. The map is on file at the City Clerk's office and you can ask to see it, and I look up the zone before we plan work near your house because building and fire safety rules apply in those zones.

There's no honest number until I've seen your lot, because tear-out, base work and slope can change the price as much as the size of the slab does. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you go plainer on the surface than cut corners on the base, because nobody sees the base once the concrete's down but it's what keeps the slab from sinking. You'll get your figure in writing after the site visit.

You'll be walking on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps getting stronger long after it looks dry, and a car is a lot more weight than a person. Rushing that curing time is how you end up with tire marks and early cracks. I'll tell you the day it's safe to walk on and the day it's ready for the car, so you can plan where to park in the meantime.

Most cracks come from a base that settled, water getting under the slab, or no control joints, the grooves cut in so the slab cracks along a straight line you chose. Concrete shrinks as it cures, so a hairline crack can still show up, but along with the packed base we cut those joints on time and add rebar, steel bars that hold the pieces together, where the job calls for it. That way any crack lands in a groove instead of wandering across the middle.