Concrete Contractor in Costa Mesa, CA - Slabs Built to Drain and Hold Up
Complete Lake Forest Concrete Company is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for homes in Costa Mesa, CA. We dig out and pack the base and set the slope so water runs away from your house.
We're a concrete company out of Lake Forest, and we pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for homeowners in Costa Mesa and the cities around it. I come out to look at the job and explain it before I price it, and our own crew does the work. Most calls are for a new driveway or patio, or a slab that's started to move.
- Base dug out and packed first
- Job explained before it's priced
- Site cleaned up after the pour
Driveways, patios and walks for Costa Mesa homes
Most calls we get are for flatwork, the driveways, patios, walks and garage floors that sit flat on the ground. Where an old slab has cracked or sunk, the cause is usually underneath, so we look at the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, before we talk about a new top. A raked base looks fine right up until the slab drops.
Where water pools by the garage door or a patio tips back toward the house, the fix starts with the grade, not the finish. We check where water runs across your lot and set the forms so the new slab carries it away from your walls.
What we pour in Costa Mesa
Pick the job you have in mind for your Costa Mesa home, and its page explains how we build it and what changes the work.
Concrete driveway building
A new driveway on a packed base, reinforced with rebar, the steel bars that keep a cracked slab from separating.
Concrete patio construction
Backyard patios sloped away from your house and given a broom finish, a brushed texture for grip, or a smoother top.
Stamped concrete services
Where you want the look of stone or brick, we press a pattern and color into fresh concrete.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks and side paths replaced where old panels have lifted, sunk or turned into a trip hazard.
Garage floor concrete
If your garage slab is cracked, stained or uneven, we break it out and pour a new floor.
Decorative concrete
Colored, exposed-aggregate and specialty finishes for walks, patios and entries that need to look as good as they work.
Concrete retaining walls
Walls that hold back soil on a sloped yard, with drainage behind them so water doesn't build up and push.
Concrete floor installation
Interior slab floors for additions, workshops and rooms that need a solid, level surface underneath.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks with a finish that grips wet feet and a slope that sends splash water to the drains.
Concrete steps construction
Front and back steps formed with even rises, so nobody misses one on the way to the door.
Slab foundation building
Slab foundations for additions, garages and outbuildings, built on a compacted base and checked before the pour.
Foundation installation
New foundations dug and formed to your plans, with the steel and forms checked before any concrete arrives.
Concrete parking lot building
Parking areas for small properties, poured for steady car traffic and sloped so rain drains off.
Concrete footings
Footings for walls, posts, patio covers and additions, the buried concrete that spreads the weight into the ground.
Foundation raising
When a slab or foundation has settled, we find out why first, then lift it back toward level.
Concrete cutting
Saw cuts for new openings, plumbing trenches, joint lines or taking out a damaged section without breaking the rest.
Serving Costa Mesa from Lake Forest
We're based in Lake Forest and work in cities across Orange County, including Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and Irvine. If your city isn't listed on our site, call and ask, because the list isn't everywhere we go.
The price here turns on the size of the slab, how much old concrete and dirt comes out, how much base goes back in and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit and on curing, the wait while concrete hardens before you use it. Your own figure comes with the estimate.
What to settle before we pour in Costa Mesa
Permit rules differ from one city to the next, so we check with the building office before work starts. In Costa Mesa, that's the city's Building Safety Division, which issues building permits, and if your job needs one, we handle the application with you.
The bigger choices are yours to make early, like how far the slab runs, whether old concrete comes out and what finish goes on top. If the budget's tight, I'd keep the base and simplify the finish, because the base is the part you can't fix later without tearing the slab out. Make sense?
- Where the slab runs, how thick it is and what it carries
- Where rain and sprinkler water should go once it's poured
- Where control joints go, the cuts that tell cracks where to run
- How cars and trash bins get around while the slab cures
How a Costa Mesa job runs
I come out and look
You call or send the form, and I come out to walk the site with you, check the grade and see where the water runs.
Options and estimate
I walk you through the options and why one fits your yard better, then leave you with an estimate. If a permit's needed, we start the application with you.
Prep, pour and walk-through
Our crew handles the prep, forms, pour and finish, I check the work at the key steps, and we walk the finished slab together at the end.
Costa Mesa concrete questions
Do I need a licensed contractor for concrete work in Costa Mesa?
You need one if the job needs a building permit, uses hired workers or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials, under the California Contractors State License Board's rules. A bigger job can't be split into smaller contracts to slip under that line. We're fully licensed and insured.
How do I apply for a building permit in Costa Mesa?
You apply online through TESSA, the city's permit system, where plans are uploaded and every detail is typed in directly. The city ignores paper forms and sends incomplete applications back, so it pays to have everything ready before you submit.
Is there a quick Insta-Permit for concrete work in Costa Mesa?
Not that the city lists. Its Insta-Permits cover simple residential jobs like HVAC, re-piping, water heaters, EV chargers, panel upgrades and re-roofs, each with a version for licensed contractors and one for owner-builders. Concrete isn't on that list, which is why we check with Building Safety first, as noted above.
What are the penalties for unlicensed contracting in California?
A first offense for contracting without a license is usually a misdemeanor, with up to six months in jail, a $500 fine or both. The state board can add an administrative fine of $200 to $15,000. Ask any bidder for their license before you sign.
Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?
Concrete can crack, but you get to decide where. Control joints give the slab a planned line to crack along, and a dug-out, packed base keeps it from settling and breaking in odd spots. Most of the ugly cracks we tear out came from a raked base or joints cut late.
Tell us about your concrete job
Call (949) 619-8295 or use the form and tell us what you want poured and where. We reply within one business day, then I come out for a free, no-obligation estimate.
Call (949) 619-8295