Concrete contractor in Birmingham, AL - driveways and slabs that stay put
Alabaster Concrete is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for houses and small businesses in Birmingham, AL. We tear out what's cracked or sunk and rebuild it on packed ground.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Birmingham houses and the concrete around them
Birmingham is a big, older city. The older neighborhoods have houses close together on narrow lots, and the newer streets have more room. The calls we get here run from a crumbling set of front steps to a driveway patched so many times it's more patch than slab. We also hear from a few small business owners who need a lot or a shop floor poured.
We pour the same driveways and patios in Hoover and Vestavia Hills. In Birmingham, though, a lot of older houses sit above the street or on a slope, so steps, walls and drainage come into many of our jobs here.
Concrete work we do for Birmingham homes and businesses
Older Birmingham driveways that are patched, cracked or sunk at the street end usually need to come out, and we rebuild them on a dug-out, packed base.
A back patio on a small city lot has to shed water away from the house, so we check where the yard drains before we set a form.
Stamped concrete gives a Birmingham patio or walk the look of stone or brick, pressed into the surface while it's wet, so it suits a brick house.
Walks to the front door on older Birmingham lots often heave or break where roots get under them, so we pour new ones on a packed base.
An old Birmingham garage slab that's cracked, stained or sitting lower than the driveway can be torn out and poured new at the right height and thickness.
Colored or textured concrete suits a front entry or patio where plain gray would look out of place beside an older house in the city.
Where a Birmingham yard slopes toward the house or drive, a concrete wall on a solid footing holds the ground back and keeps it from creeping.
For shops, basements and additions in the city, we pour interior floors flat and level on a packed base, with steel where the load calls for it.
A deck around a Birmingham backyard pool needs a finish that isn't slick when wet and a slope that sends splash water away from the pool.
Many older houses here sit above the street with concrete steps up to the porch, and when those steps crumble we form and pour them new.
A slab for an addition or new house in Birmingham starts with the ground under it, so we dig out, pack and set steel before the pour.
When an older city house gets an addition or a new build goes on an infill lot, we form and pour the foundation to the plans.
Small business owners in Birmingham call us for lots and drives that carry cars and delivery trucks, poured thicker with steel and drained away from the door.
Footings carry porches, walls, decks and additions on older Birmingham lots, so we dig to firm ground and pour them before anything gets built on top.
When part of an older Birmingham slab has settled, we find out why before raising it, because lifting it without fixing the cause won't last.
On a tight Birmingham lot, we saw-cut out just the broken section of a drive or walk, or cut a clean line where new concrete meets old.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Birmingham property
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the job and the ground, and write up what's included, free and with no obligation.
(659) 901-5011- Based in
- Alabaster, AL 35007
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Working in Birmingham: permits, licenses and price
Most permits in Birmingham come from the city's Department of Planning, Engineering & Permits, so whether your job needs one is the city's call. We check with them before we put a pour on the calendar. Before you hire anyone here, check two things. The first is a state license for home work. The second is a current City of Birmingham business license, since a regular city license runs out every December 31 no matter when it was bought.
If your job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork, or walk you through it if you're acting as your own contractor. The price here mostly turns on what's under and around the job. That means how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, and whether a truck can back up close on a tight city lot or we have to wheel the concrete in. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather on pour day and curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before you use it. It's the same work we do out in McCalla and back home in Alabaster, and your written estimate spells out what's included in yours.
What wears out concrete around Birmingham houses
A lot of the concrete around older Birmingham houses has simply outlasted the ground under it. Walks heave, steps crumble at the edges and driveways crack into plates that rock when you drive over them, usually because the base was never dug out and packed. I'll tell you straight whether a section can be cut out and replaced or the whole thing needs to go, because patching a slab that's still moving just puts off the same call.
Water is the other thing we deal with here. The city's floodplain office says flooding in Birmingham can come from heavy rain, including hurricanes and tropical storms, from poor drainage and from new building nearby. On your property that shows up as water pooling against the house or washing out under a slab, so we check where your water runs and pitch the new concrete away from the house.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Birmingham
Here's how a job goes from your side, from the first call to the day you can use your new driveway, patio or slab.
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Call us or send the form
You call (659) 901-5011 or send a message, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. If the work is all outside, you don't have to be home, though it helps to walk it together.
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I walk the job with you
I look at the old concrete, the ground under it and where your water runs, then write an estimate that spells out what's included. You know what you're paying for before you say go.
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We line up the pour date
Once you say go, we check with the city on any permit and pick a pour date that fits the weather. Permits for minor projects can usually be handled over the counter, and a floodplain permit averages 3 to 5 business days of review.
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We pour, finish and clean up
I'm on site with the crew from prep through cleanup, and if the job holds a city permit, the city schedules its inspections between 7:30 and 8:30 am on weekdays. Once the concrete has cured, I'll tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it.
Questions about concrete work in Birmingham
How do I get a permit for concrete work in Birmingham, AL?
You apply through the city's Permitting Division, starting at the front counter in Room 210 of City Hall. Permits for minor projects and repairs can usually be handled right there, and trade permits can also be done online. We sort out the permit question before we set your pour date.
What do I need to know about concrete work on a floodplain lot in Birmingham?
If your lot is in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, the city wants a floodplain development permit application with any development there, and that includes retaining walls, grading and accessory structures. A new house on that kind of lot has to sit at least one foot above the 100-year flood level, which matters when we're pouring its slab. If you're not sure your lot is mapped, find out before we plan the job.
When does a concrete contractor need a state license in Alabama?
The Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board licenses residential construction and remodeling. In the board's own example, a $20,000 siding job signed directly with a homeowner needs a residential home builder's license because it costs more than $10,000. Construction and repair projects where labor and materials go over certain dollar amounts fall under the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. We're fully licensed and insured, and you can check any contractor with the home builders board before you sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Birmingham?
Your price comes from the size of the pour, how thick it is, whether it needs rebar and which finish you pick, so the real number is the one on your written estimate. Rebar is the steel set inside the slab that holds it together if it cracks. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you cut back on the finish than the base, because the base gets buried on day one and it's the part that decides whether the slab stays put.
What causes concrete driveways in Birmingham to crack and sink?
Usually the old driveway was poured on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled when the dirt did. Water running under it makes that worse. So do control joints, the grooves cut so the slab cracks along a line, when they're cut late or skipped. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, check the drainage and cut joints on time, so if the new slab cracks, it cracks where we chose.
How long will I be without my driveway after a concrete pour?
You're off it from tear-out until the new concrete has cured enough to take weight, and you can walk on it well before you can drive on it. How long that runs depends on the size of the job and the weather around pour day. I give you your dates when we schedule the pour, so you can plan where the car goes.
Get your Birmingham concrete job on the calendar
Concrete is hard to undo once it's poured, so have the ground looked at first by calling (659) 901-5011 or sending the form.
Alabaster, AL