Concrete Contractor in Helena, AL - Driveways and Patios Built on Solid Ground
Alabaster Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Alabaster that pours driveways, patios, walks and slabs for homeowners in Helena, AL, plus bigger flatwork like parking areas for small businesses, starting with the ground under every pour.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Helena homes and the ground we pour on
Helena is a Shelby County city just up the road from us, and most of our calls there are for driveways, patios and garage slabs on family homes. Some are on newer subdivision streets where the original driveway is starting to crack or sink. Others are older places around Old Town Helena, where Buck Creek runs under the bridge by the little train-car Welcome Center. It's the same kind of work we do next door in Pelham and up in Hoover.
On the older driveways around town, we usually find a thin slab sitting on dirt that was raked level and never packed, so the job starts with digging out whatever's soft. On newer lots, the job is more often fixing the fall of the drive so water runs away from the garage door and doesn't sit against it.
Concrete work we do for Helena homes
When a driveway has sunk at the garage or split down the middle, we tear it out, dig to firm ground and pack a new base.
A back patio on a yard that slopes or holds water needs the right fall, so rain runs off toward the lawn and away from your house.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, and we press the pattern in while the surface is still soft enough to take it.
A walk that's heaved or tipped where it meets the driveway is a trip waiting to happen, so we replace the bad sections on a packed base.
A garage floor that's cracked, pitted or holding puddles by the door can be torn out and repoured with a slight fall toward the opening.
Colored or exposed-aggregate finishes suit an entry or patio where plain gray looks flat, and they hold up best when the base under them is right.
On a sloped lot, a concrete retaining wall holds back the dirt so a patio, drive or yard can sit level, with drainage behind it so water doesn't push.
We pour interior slabs for shops, additions and basements, with rebar, the steel that holds a slab together if it cracks, set where the plans call for it.
A pool deck needs a finish that isn't slick when it's wet and a slope that carries splash water away from both the pool and the house.
Front or back steps that have pulled away from the house or crumbled at the edges get torn out and repoured with even rises you won't trip on.
For a new house, garage or addition, we build the slab foundation on a dug-out, packed base so the building has something solid to sit on.
We form and pour foundations for additions and new outbuildings, setting the depth and the steel to the plans so the walls above stay put.
Small business owners call us for parking areas, which carry heavier loads than a home driveway, so the base and the slab thickness go up to match.
Footings are the concrete pads under posts, walls and additions, and we dig them to the depth the plans call for so nothing above them settles.
When part of a slab or foundation has dropped, we find out why it moved first, because lifting it without fixing the cause only buys time.
We saw-cut concrete for new doorways, utility trenches and clean breaks where an old slab meets new work, so the edge is straight instead of jagged.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Helena job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the job and 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
Working in Helena: permits, licenses and what moves the price
In Helena, the city's Department of Building, Planning & Community Development guides residents through permits, and whether your job needs one is their call, not ours. That check comes before anything goes on the calendar, so we ask them about your address before we set a pour date. If a permit's needed, we take care of the paperwork, or we walk you through it if you're acting as your own contractor. While you're comparing bids, ask whoever you hire about a state home builder license and a Helena business license. Both are covered in the questions below.
We're a concrete contractor based in Alabaster, a short drive from Helena. What moves the price is what's under the old slab and how much of it has to come out, then the size, the thickness, the steel and the finish, plus how close the truck can get. The schedule mostly turns on that permit check and the weather on pour day, and the estimate shows what's included for your job. Around Old Town, Amphitheater Park draws crowds on warm-weather weekends, so we plan truck access there ahead of time. The city also has its own requirements for work in the public right of way, so when a driveway runs out to the street, we ask about that part too.
Why Helena driveways and slabs give out
The city maps parts of Helena as flood hazard areas and says they flood from time to time. Water is hard on concrete once it gets under a slab and softens the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on. On those lots, we set the slab to fall away from your house and give the water somewhere to go.
The other thing we see on cracked slabs around town is joints that were cut late or never cut. Control joints are the lines cut into fresh concrete so that when it shrinks and cracks, the crack lands in that line instead of wandering across the middle. We cut them on time, and we skip the midday pour in the heat, because a slab that dries too fast ends up with a weak, dusty top. If your budget's tight, I'll tell you to spend it on the base and keep a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives shoes and tires grip. You can redo a surface later, but you can't fix the ground once the slab is on it.
How a Helena concrete job runs, from call to cleanup
Here's how it goes once you reach out, from the first call to the day we haul off the forms.
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Call or send us a message
Call (659) 901-5011 or use the form and tell us what you've got, like a sinking drive, a new patio or a slab for a shed. We'll set a time for me to come out.
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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're welcome to walk it with me. Then I write an estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before anything gets torn out.
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Permit check and pour date
Once you say go, we line up any permit with the city and pick a pour date that fits the weather. Rain or heat in the forecast moves the date, never the prep.
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Prep, pour and cleanup
I'm on site with the crew from digging out and packing the base through the pour, the finish and the cleanup. Before we leave, I tell you when it's ready to walk on and when you can drive on it.
Questions about concrete work in Helena
How do I find out if my Helena property is in a flood zone?
You can search AlabamaFlood, which the state's ADECA floodplain page points to for regulatory FEMA floodplain data by address or county. It's worth looking before you plan a driveway or patio, because it tells you whether Helena's flood rules come into your job.
Do I need a permit to pour concrete on a Helena lot in a flood zone?
Helena requires a Development Permit before development in its flood hazard areas, so if your lot is mapped in one, that comes first. We sort it out with the city before we set a pour date, so the slab doesn't go in ahead of the paperwork.
Does a concrete contractor need a state license to work on my house in Helena?
For work on a home that runs over $10,000 in labor and materials, yes. The Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board counts anyone doing construction, remodeling, repair or improvement on a residential structure above that cost as a residential home builder, for work within its jurisdiction. Subcontractors working for a licensed builder don't need their own, and we're fully licensed and insured.
Does a contractor need a Helena business license?
The City of Helena says a business opening in the city needs a business license, and the city collects its business license tax across its police jurisdiction. When a trade is licensed by a state board, the state says the business should show that board's permit or certificate before a city license is issued, so ask any contractor you're considering about both.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Helena, AL?
A Helena driveway is priced off your lot, and the big swings come from tearing out and hauling off the old slab and from how much new base a low or soft spot needs. A flood permit, a stamped or colored finish or a long run out to the street adds to the cost, and a plain broom finish on a short drive keeps it down. I write all of that into the estimate after I've seen the ground.
How long until I can use a new concrete driveway in Helena?
You can usually walk on new concrete within a few days, and you'll need to wait longer before you drive on it while it cures, the slow hardening that gives it its strength. Driving on it early is how a lot of fresh slabs end up with cracked edges, so I'll give you the dates for your slab and help you plan where to park in the meantime.
Get your Helena slab looked at
A sinking spot only gets bigger once water finds its way under it, so call (659) 901-5011 or send the form and I'll come take a look.
Alabaster, AL