Concrete Contractor in Brook Highland, AL - Slabs Built to Stay Put
Alabaster Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Alabaster, AL. We pour driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slabs for homes in Brook Highland, and we dig out and pack the dirt before any concrete goes down.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Brook Highland homes and what they mean for concrete
Brook Highland is an established neighborhood of single-family homes in the north end of unincorporated Shelby County, and it all falls under one homeowners association. Most of the houses are medium-sized and one-and-a-half or two stories. The lots run about half an acre or larger, so driveways, front walks and back patios here tend to be bigger than what we pour on tighter lots.
We're based in Alabaster and do the same work in Meadowbrook and Chelsea. On a bigger lot, the job usually starts with how we get the truck or the wheelbarrows to the back of the house without tearing up the yard, and with where the water runs off a long drive.
Concrete work we do for Brook Highland homes
Long drives on bigger lots carry cars and delivery trucks for years, so we dig out the soft dirt and pack the base before a new one goes down.
A back patio gives a two-story house a real place to sit outside, and we set its slope so rain runs to the yard instead of the back door.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or entry the look of stone or brick in one pour, for homeowners who want pattern and color without laying pavers.
A front walk that has heaved at a joint is easy to trip on, so we take out the bad sections and pour new ones on a packed base.
Garage floors in older homes crack and stain from years of cars and leaks. A new slab gives you a flat, solid floor that sweeps clean.
Colored, exposed or textured finishes let a patio, walk or entry match the brick or siding on your house instead of reading as a plain gray slab.
Where a yard steps down toward the back or side, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil in place so a patio or drive can sit level above it.
Workshops, storage buildings and additions need a floor poured flat and thick enough for what goes on it, on a base packed so it won't settle unevenly.
If you're putting in a pool, the deck needs a finish that grips wet feet and a slope that sends splash water away from the pool and the house.
Front and back steps that have cracked, shifted or pulled away from the house get torn out and formed again with even, comfortable rises.
An addition, garage or outbuilding on a bigger lot starts with a slab foundation, and we dig out, pack and set steel before any concrete goes in.
When you're building an addition or a detached garage, we pour the foundation the walls sit on, sized to the ground we actually find when we dig.
For small business owners with a lot to pave, we pour parking areas thick enough for steady traffic, with the drainage worked out before the forms go up.
Decks, porches, columns and garden walls sit on footings, the concrete pads under the load, so we dig and pour them deep enough that they stay put.
When part of a slab or a house has sunk, we find out why before we raise it, because lifting it without fixing the cause only buys time.
We cut concrete clean for a new doorway, a utility line or a section that has to come out, so the rest of the slab stays whole.
Get a free estimate for your Brook Highland concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, walk the job, look at the ground and write a free estimate with no obligation.
(659) 901-5011- Based in
- Alabaster, AL 35007
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What working in Brook Highland means for your job
Since Brook Highland is outside any city, building permits here come from Shelby County's permit office, which issues one permit per project. Which office handles a job depends on the address, so we check with the one over yours before we set a pour date, and that way a permit question never catches us with the forms already set. You can check two things about any contractor before you hire. The state's Home Builders Licensure Board covers work on a home costing over $10,000 in labor and materials, so on a job that size ask about that license, and ask to see a state business license, which the county sells at its license offices. We're fully licensed and insured.
Price here turns on how big the slab is, how much bad dirt has to come out, how close the truck can get and the finish you pick, whether that's a broom finish, the light texture that gives your shoes grip, or something stamped or colored. The schedule turns mostly on the permit, any HOA approval and the weather, because I won't pour into conditions that weaken the top of the slab. Your estimate spells out what's included so you're not guessing. We pour the same way in Birmingham and the other cities around Alabaster.
Why driveways and patios here crack and sink
Brook Highland was built out in phases over many years, so a lot of the driveways, walks and patios in the older sections are original and have had a long time to settle. When the base under a slab was raked level instead of dug out and packed, the dirt compresses, the concrete sinks with it and cracks open wherever it wants. We dig down to firm ground, pack the subgrade, which is the dirt and stone the slab sits on, and set rebar, the steel that holds the pieces together if a crack does form.
The other thing we see is water. A drive or patio that falls toward the garage or the back wall sends rain at the house, and water that gets under a slab washes out its base. We check where the water runs before we set the forms, then cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, before it has a chance to crack somewhere else.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Brook Highland
Here's how it goes from your first call to a cleaned-up site, with me on the job from the estimate through the pour.
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Call or send a message
You call (659) 901-5011 or send the form, and we get back to you to set a time to come out. You don't need measurements or a plan yet.
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I walk the lot with you
I look at the old slab, the ground under it and where the water goes, then write an estimate that spells out what's included. It helps if you're home so I can hear what you want, and you'll know what you're paying for before you decide anything.
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Line up permits and pour date
Once you say go, we check with the permit office over your address and handle any paperwork, while you get any HOA approval in hand. Then we pick a pour date that fits the weather.
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Pour, finish and clean up
I'm on site with the crew from digging out and packing the base through the pour, the finish and cleanup. Before we leave, I tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it.
Questions about concrete work in Brook Highland
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Brook Highland, AL?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen your lot, because the dig-out, the access and the finish change from house to house. If the budget gets tight, cut the fancy finish and keep the base, since the base is what you can't see on day one and what decides whether the slab stays put. Your written estimate shows both, so you can choose.
Do I need a Shelby County permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Brook Highland?
You might, and the county says the only way to know is to call its permit office at (205) 620-6650, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. The county lists driveways, sidewalks and retaining walls under four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, among projects that may not need a permit, but it also says any project over 200 square feet will need one, and most driveways are bigger than that. We check before we set a pour date.
Who is responsible for permits when I hire a concrete contractor in Shelby County?
You are, because the county holds the property owner responsible for making sure the work is done lawfully, even with a licensed contractor on the job. If a permit is needed, we take care of the paperwork, or walk you through it if you're acting as your own contractor. State law lets you do this work on your own home, but any subcontractor you hire whose part runs over $10,000.00 has to be licensed.
Do I need HOA approval for a new patio or driveway in Brook Highland?
Check with the HOA first, because homes here fall under the Brook Highland Homeowners Association covenants, and it points owners to arctracker.com for approvals and information on exterior changes to a home or yard. Get that answer before we set a pour date, since concrete is hard to undo once it's down.
How long will I be without my driveway after a new pour?
You can usually walk on new concrete well before you can park on it, because it keeps gaining strength for days after the pour while it cures. I'll give you the dates for your slab on pour day, and it pays to wait them out, since a car on green concrete can leave marks or cracks that stay for good.
What is the best way to keep a new concrete slab from cracking?
Concrete can still crack, so the real goal is a slab that cracks in the joints instead of across the middle and doesn't sink. Along with the packed base and the joints, timing matters, because a pour that finishes in the midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top, so we plan our pour hours around that. Keeping the new slab damp and covered while it cures helps too, and I'll show you how.
Get your Brook Highland concrete job looked at
Call (659) 901-5011 or send the form and bring your permit question along, because it's easier to settle once I've measured how big the slab will be.
Alabaster, AL