Concrete Contractor in Calera, AL - Driveways, Patios and Slabs That Stay Put
Alabaster Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Alabaster that pours driveways, patios, walks, garage floors and slab foundations for Calera homes, plus parking lots for small businesses, starting with the ground under the slab.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Calera homes, from newer lots to older slabs
Most of what we pour in Calera is flatwork, the driveways, patios, walks and garage floors that lie on the ground, along with some parking areas for small businesses. The houses run from newer homes on graded lots to older places where the driveway has done its time and is cracked, chipping or holding water by the garage. It's a short run from our base in Alabaster, and the calls look a lot like the ones we get from Montevallo.
On a newer lot, the dirt under the slab was often pushed in during grading and never packed hard, so it keeps settling. That's why we dig out the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, until we reach firm soil and pack a new base before we pour, and on older lots we pull the old slab and look at what failed under it.
Concrete work we do around Calera homes and businesses
When a Calera driveway has sunk at the edges or cracked across the middle, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour a new one.
Many newer Calera homes come with a small back stoop, and we pour a real patio there, sloped away from the house so rain runs off.
For a Calera patio or walk that looks like stone or brick, we press the pattern into fresh concrete, over the same packed base as plain work.
Front walks on older Calera lots heave once roots or settling get under them, so we replace the bad sections and pitch them to drain.
A garage floor that's cracked or sunk by the door can be broken out and repoured with steel inside to carry a parked truck.
Colored concrete, exposed stone and borders let a plain front entry or pool area match the house, and we keep the finish rough enough not to be slick.
Where a Calera yard drops off behind the house or along the driveway, a poured wall holds the dirt back and gives you flat ground to use.
Calera shops, sheds and additions need an inside floor poured flat and level, with a vapor barrier underneath so ground moisture doesn't come up through it.
A backyard pool deck takes splashing all summer, so we slope it to drain and give it a finish your feet can grip when it's wet.
Front and back steps that have pulled away from the house or cracked at the edges get torn out and rebuilt on footings dug to firm ground.
For a new house, addition or garage on a Calera lot, we pour the slab foundation over a packed base, with steel tied in before the pour.
On a sloped lot, a footing and wall foundation often works better than a flat slab, and we check the ground before we dig.
Small business owners in Calera call us for parking lots poured thick enough for delivery trucks, with drainage worked out before the first form goes in.
Decks, porches, carports and block walls all sit on footings, the buried concrete that carries their weight, so we dig them to firm soil.
When a sound slab or porch has dropped and left a trip edge, raising it can cost less than tearing it out and starting over.
We saw out a section for a new drain line, widen a driveway opening or cut clean joints, so the rest of the slab stays in one piece.
Get a free concrete estimate for your Calera job
We get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, walk the job and look at the ground, then write a free estimate with what's included, and there's 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 Calera: permits, licenses and what we check first
For an address inside the city, Calera's Building Inspections Department oversees building permits for construction, from new builds to renovations, so before we set a pour date I check with them, and the date waits on whatever they need. You can check two things on any contractor you hire here. Alabama requires a builder's license from the state Home Builders Licensure Board for paid work on someone else's home that costs more than $10,000, on homes up to three floors with no more than four units, and the city wants contractors and subcontractors to hold a Calera business license before the final inspector is called, which the city says it checks. We're fully licensed and insured, and if a permit is needed, we take care of the paperwork, or walk you through it if you're acting as your own contractor.
Calera is a short drive from us, so getting the crew and a concrete truck there is no trouble, and it's the same work we do up in Meadowbrook. What moves the price here is mostly what's under the old slab and what has to come out, so tearing out broken concrete, digging out soft dirt and packing a new base count for a lot, along with the size and thickness of the slab, the steel and any stamped or colored finish. The schedule turns on the permit and the weather, and your estimate puts your own job in writing with what's included.
Why Calera driveways and patios crack and pool water
Most of the cracked and sinking slabs we see in Calera started with water. A driveway or patio that tilts toward the house sends rain to the foundation and leaves puddles by the garage door, and water that runs under the edges washes out the dirt until the slab has nothing left to sit on. We check where the water goes before we set forms and pitch the new slab to carry it away from the house.
Driveways here also carry more weight than people plan for, with work trucks, trailers and boats parked on them. We pour those thicker where the load sits and tie in rebar, the steel bars inside the slab that hold it together, so a crack is far less likely to turn into a broken edge.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Calera
Here's how it goes from your first call to the day you can use the new slab, and who you'll deal with along the way.
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Call or send the form
Call (659) 901-5011 or send the form with a few lines about your driveway, patio or slab. We set a time for me to come out to your place in Calera.
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I walk the job with you
I look at the old concrete, the ground under it and where the water runs, and you don't have to be home, though it helps if you can walk it with me. Then I write an estimate that spells out what's included, so you can see what you're paying for before you decide.
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We line up the permit
If the job needs a permit, we get it before anything else, and the city says permits are ready for pickup 72 hours after the application goes in. We set the pour date after that, on a day the weather looks right.
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We pour, finish and clean up
I'm on site with the crew from digging out to cleanup, and we give the top a broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, then cut the control joints that steer cracks. Before we leave, I tell you how long to stay off the slab while it cures, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength.
Questions about concrete work in Calera
What do I need to get a permit for a new house slab in Calera?
For new residential construction, additions or alterations, Calera asks for a copy of a current homebuilders license, one set of drawings, a plot plan stamped by an architect or engineer and a fully completed application, as the city's permits page lays out. The city also wants form surveys done by an engineer turned in before the final slab inspection. We plan the pour around that so the slab isn't held up waiting on paperwork.
Do I need a licensed general contractor for a commercial parking lot in Calera?
For commercial new construction, additions or alterations, Calera asks for a copy of a current state General Contractor License with the permit. The state board applies that license to construction, repair or demolition where labor and materials run over certain dollar amounts, and it reports changes to that law taking effect October 1, 2026, so check the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors for where your job falls. I'll go over it with you when I look at your lot.
Which building codes does Calera use for concrete work right now?
Since September 1, 2026, Calera has used the 2024 editions of the International Building Code and International Residential Code, along with its other 2024 codes. For a slab or a foundation, those two are the ones the work gets built and inspected to. We build to whatever the city has in effect when your permit is issued.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Calera, AL?
The biggest swing in the price usually comes from the ground work under the slab, more than the size or the finish. It's also the first thing people want to cut, because nobody sees the base once the concrete is down, but I'd rather you go with a plain broom finish over a base that's dug out and packed than a fancy surface over raked dirt. You can change a finish later, and you can't fix a base without tearing the whole slab out.
How do I keep a new concrete driveway from cracking like the old one?
Concrete can still crack, so the goal is to keep cracks small and in places we chose, and that comes from the base, the steel and the joints. Control joints are shallow cuts that make the slab crack along a straight line instead of across the middle, and they only work if they're cut on time. We also pour early in the day when we can, because a slab that dries too fast in midday heat ends up with a weak, dusty top.
How do I plan a driveway or patio on a Calera lot with a septic system?
Start by finding where the tank and drain lines run, because a slab or a loaded concrete truck over them can crush the lines, and that's a costly dig to fix. For homes on a private septic system, the city's residential permit application needs a signed Health Department acceptance, so on a permitted build that paper has to be ready at the start. When I come out, I'll ask where your system is and lay the job out around it.
Get your Calera concrete job on the calendar
A cracked or sinking slab usually gets worse once water works under it, so it costs less to look at it now than after it breaks up.
Alabaster, AL