Concrete driveway building in Ridgecrest CA - a slab that sits flat and drains
Cracked, sinking or puddled driveway? We dig out, pack the base and set the slope first, so the new slab stays put.
The owner gives your estimate
I answer my own phone and come out to give your estimate myself. That way the person you ask about base, slope and cost is the same one who runs our crew on your job.
In business since 2017
I learned concrete as a helper hauling forms and pouring slabs, one pour at a time, before starting this business in 2017. We're still a small crew, and we're known for doing the slow work under the slab right.
Licensed and fully insured for driveways
The state licensing board only lets someone without a license take jobs worth up to $1,000 that need no permit and no hired help, so a driveway built by a crew calls for a licensed contractor. Call (442) 294-1117 to set up a visit.
Concrete driveway building in Ridgecrest
Concrete driveway building means digging out the old surface, packing a solid base and pouring a slab into forms that spreads your car's weight across the slab, so it holds its shape in heat. We're based in Ridgecrest and build driveways here and in the cities around it.
Most calls we get start with a driveway that's cracked, sunk at one corner or holding a puddle by the garage, and most of that started under the old slab. Your price turns on the size, how thick it has to be for what you park, whether there's old concrete or asphalt to break out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. I'll walk the site and give you your own number at the estimate.
The schedule turns on the ground work, the weather and curing, the days new concrete needs to gain strength before it takes weight, so plan on parking somewhere else for a while. Hot weather makes concrete set faster, which makes it harder to finish and more likely to shrink and crack, and national concrete guidance notes wind makes that worse any time of year. That's why we start summer pours early instead of fighting midday heat.
Concrete driveways, from the base to the finish
Built for the heaviest thing you park
The first thing I ask is what's the biggest thing you'll ever park on it, whether that's a commuter car, a work truck or an RV, because that decides how we build it. Driveways that carry heavier loads or sit on poor soil are commonly poured thicker than ones for passenger cars. Rebar, the steel bars set inside a slab, keeps cracks narrower, though I'll be straight with you that a slab with rebar can still crack.
Base and slope set before the pour
This is the part you'll never see once the concrete's down, and it's the first thing people want to cut from the budget. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, so it stays firm instead of settling the way raked dirt does. The fall away from your garage gets set in the forms well before the concrete arrives, so water runs off the drive instead of toward the house. If money's tight, I'd rather you spend it here than on a fancier finish.
The finish, and work done alongside
Most driveways get a broom finish, a light texture dragged across the fresh concrete so tires and shoes grip when it's wet, and it's what I'd pick for most homes. If you want pattern or color out front, we do stamped concrete, which costs more and takes extra care at the pour. While our crew is already set up, plenty of homeowners have us add a concrete patio out back so the work gets done in one stretch.
Get a driveway estimate at your property
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come look. The estimate's free, done at your property, with no obligation.
(442) 294-1117How your driveway job goes
I come out and look
Once you've reached us, I come out, look at the ground, ask what you'll park there and go over your estimate in person. Ask anything you like, and if the job needs a permit, I'll tell you then and we'll pull it before we start.
Our crew builds, I run it
Our crew does the work, and I'm there running it from the ground work through the pour. If you want to see how the slope's set or why we're doing something, ask me any time, because I'd rather explain it twice than have you guess.
Cure, walk-through and cleanup
When the finish is done, the slab has to cure before it takes cars, so line up other parking for the wait. We walk the finished driveway with you and clean up before we pack up, and the job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Driveway questions we hear in Ridgecrest
Is concrete or asphalt better for a driveway in Ridgecrest?
Concrete is usually the better buy if you plan to stay, because it routinely lasts decades with little more than joint upkeep and an occasional seal. Asphalt costs less and you can drive on it in a day or two, but it softens in summer heat, needs seal coating and wears out sooner.
Will my new concrete driveway crack?
Yes, concrete driveways crack, and good work steers each crack down into the control joints we cut across the slab, where it stays tight and out of sight. You can plan on cracks that follow the joints, not a slab with none. We cut joints on time, because a late cut lets the slab pick its own spot.
How soon can I drive on a new concrete driveway?
Cars usually stay off a new driveway for about 7 days, and heavier trucks and RVs wait closer to 28 days while the concrete keeps gaining strength. Plan street parking or a spot at a neighbor's for that stretch, and if you keep an RV, tell me at the estimate so we can plan around it.
How much does a concrete driveway cost to put in?
A 500 square foot concrete driveway in Bakersfield usually costs about $5,100 to $6,800 for the whole job, which is the closest market figure I can point you to. Yours comes down to the size, thickness, tear-out and base work covered above, and I'll give you that number at the estimate.