Concrete Contractor in Aliso Viejo - Driveways and Patios Built for Hillside Lots
Groundwork Oceanside Concrete is the concrete contractor I run out of Oceanside. We pour driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and foundations for homes in Aliso Viejo, CA, and I come out to every job myself.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Hillside homes and yards in Aliso Viejo
Aliso Viejo is a planned city, and you can see it on the jobs we look at here. Single-family homes, townhomes and condos sit on graded pads cut into the hills, so a lot of driveways climb or drop to the street and a lot of backyards end at a slope. Yards tend to be tight, and side access is sometimes only a gate wide, which matters when we're bringing in forms, a pump or a wheelbarrow line. The houses and lots look a lot like what we see next door in Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo.
That ground decides most of the job. On a sloped lot the water heads for the low corner, and fill dirt on a graded pad keeps settling if nobody digs it out and packs it, so the base and the runoff get more of my attention here than the surface does.
What we deal with on jobs in Aliso Viejo
Building permits and inspections here go through the city's Building & Safety department, and whether your job needs a permit is the city's call, not ours. When it does, our start date waits on the city's review and inspections. We check what the city needs before we start, and when a permit is called for, we pull it as the licensed contractor, handle the paperwork and meet the inspector. The city's starting point for business registration is its Business Registration Application, so it's fair to ask anyone you're hiring whether they've registered with the city. We're licensed and fully insured, based in Oceanside, and we work across San Diego County and south Orange County.
What you'll pay comes down to the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how close the truck can get on these hilly streets, how much base work the dirt needs, and the finish. A broom finish is a lightly brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip on a slope, and it costs less than stamped or colored work. The schedule turns on any permit, the weather on pour day and curing, the days a slab needs to harden before it takes weight, which is why you'll walk on a new patio well before you park on a new driveway. If the budget gets tight, I'll trim the finish before I touch the base, because the base is buried on day one and it's what keeps the slab from settling later. My written estimate puts each of those on its own line.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate for your Aliso Viejo home
Send the form or call (760) 400-7009, and expect a reply within one business day. I come out to your Aliso Viejo house myself, look at the job and follow up with a written estimate, free and with no obligation. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Call (760) 400-7009Services in Aliso Viejo, CA
Concrete driveway building
Sloped driveways here carry rain toward the garage when the grade's off. We dig out to firm ground, pack the base and pitch the slab toward the street.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards on graded pads tend to be small and end at a slope. We fit the patio to the space and slope it toward a drain, away from your walls.
Concrete retaining walls
Hillside lots here often need a wall to hold back a cut bank. We set it on footings with drainage behind it, so water doesn't push it out.
Concrete steps construction
Front entries on sloped lots often need steps from the walk to the door. We form even risers and reinforce them with rebar, steel set inside the concrete.
Foundation installation
Additions on graded hillside pads need a foundation that bears on firm soil, not loose fill. Our foundation installation work starts by digging down until we find it.
Concrete cutting
On sloped lots, pooling water can mean a drain cut into the slab instead of a new pour. We saw a clean line and leave the rest alone.
What happens after you call us about a job in Aliso Viejo
Call or send the form
Call (760) 400-7009 or send the form with a few lines about the job. We set a time for me to come out to your house.
I look at the site
I walk the old slab and the slope, check where the water runs, and tell you on the spot what I'd do and why. Then I send a written estimate you can compare line by line with anyone else's, so there's no guessing about what you're paying for.
We handle the city and prep
Once you say go, we sort out what the city needs, then dig out, pack the base and set the forms. We book pour days inside the city's construction hours, as early as they allow, to stay out of the midday heat.
I run the pour through cleanup
I'm on site for the pour, the finish and the control joints, the cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack. We clean up, and I tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it.
Common questions
When does a concrete project in Aliso Viejo need a Water Quality permit?
The city's permit application calls for a Water Quality permit when a project disturbs 250 cubic feet or more of soil or hard surface, or covers 250 square feet of flat work like concrete or pavers. Stockpiling dirt in front of the property brings it in too, which matters on a tear-out because the old base and dirt have to sit somewhere. Plenty of driveways and patios run past 250 square feet, so I check this before we schedule anything.
What hours can construction crews work in Aliso Viejo?
The city allows construction Monday through Friday from 7am to 8pm and Saturday from 8am to 8pm, with no work on Sundays or federal holidays. We start pours as early as those hours allow, because concrete placed in midday heat dries too fast on top and can end up weak and dusty.
How do I book or cancel a building inspection in Aliso Viejo?
You book inspections through the city's Customer Self-Service portal with a portal account, and requests made before 4pm are set for the next business day unless the city says otherwise. To cancel, you call the Building Department at 949-425-2540 between 7:30am and 8:30am. When we hold the permit, we handle the booking and meet the inspector.
Who holds the permit for a concrete job in Aliso Viejo?
The city issues a permit in the name of either the licensed contractor or the property owner, and whoever holds it is responsible and liable for the construction. When we do the job, we pull the permit as the licensed contractor. If you're building as an owner-builder, it's in your name, and I'll walk you through it.
How much does it cost to replace a concrete driveway in Aliso Viejo?
Your price here turns mostly on the slope, how close the truck can park, and how much old concrete has to come out first. Broken-out concrete is heavy, and the city requires a Construction and Demolition permit on residential projects once total waste goes over 3.4 pounds per square foot of construction area, with CR&R as the only hauler allowed to take waste out of the city. You'll find that permit on the city's forms page, and I list the tear-out and hauling as their own lines on your written estimate.
How do I keep a new concrete driveway from cracking in Aliso Viejo?
Get the parts nobody sees later right: a dug-out, packed base, water that runs off the slab instead of under it, and control joints cut on time. The city's design criteria for building work list a rainfall rate of 2 inches per hour, and on a sloped lot that much water can wash out loose fill under a slab that falls toward the house. We pack the base, set the fall away from your walls and cut the joints so that if the slab cracks, it does it where we planned.
Talk to us about your Aliso Viejo concrete
We take calls every day from 7 AM to 11 PM, so call (760) 400-7009 or send the form whenever you've got a minute.