Concrete Contractor in Montevallo, AL - Driveways, Patios and Slabs That Stay Put
Alabaster Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Alabaster, AL that pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs in Montevallo, starting with the ground under them so the new concrete stays flat and drains away from your house.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Montevallo homes and the concrete under them
Montevallo is a short drive from us. It's a smaller Shelby County city, with older houses near the middle of town and newer homes on lots farther out. Most of our calls here are for driveways, back patios, front walks and steps, plus some flatwork for shops and small businesses. That's the same mix we see in Calera and back home in Alabaster.
A lot of what we replace here was poured on raked dirt decades ago, and it shows as sunken corners, cracks across the drive and water sitting by the garage. Many yards also slope toward the house or the street, so most jobs here start with the ground and the grade, not the pour.
Concrete work we do around Montevallo
Older Montevallo driveways that have sunk or cracked usually sat on raked dirt, so we dig out, pack a real base and pour a new drive that drains.
A back patio on a sloped yard needs to fall away from the house, so we set the grade before we pour and keep water off your foundation.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, and it needs the same packed base underneath or the pattern cracks with the slab.
Front walks heave and trip people when roots or soft fill sit under them, so we dig those out and pour on packed ground.
A cracked or pitted garage floor in an older house can be broken out and repoured with control joints, cuts that tell the slab where to crack.
Color and texture can dress up an entry or patio, but on a sloped walk we'll often point you to a broom finish, brushed lines that grip wet soles.
On a sloped lot a retaining wall holds back the dirt so a drive or patio has level ground, and drainage behind it keeps water from pushing it.
Shops, sheds and small business spaces need a flat, even floor, so we check the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, before any concrete arrives.
A pool deck takes splash water all summer, so we slope it away from the pool and the house and give it a finish that isn't slick underfoot.
Front steps on older homes often pull away from the porch or settle at one corner, and we rebuild them on a packed base with steel set inside.
A new house, addition or shop on a slab starts with the ground, so we dig, pack and check the base before we set forms and pour.
Additions and new builds on sloped lots need a foundation set to the slope, with rebar, steel bars inside the concrete, tying it together.
For a shop or office lot, we build a parking area that carries cars without pooling water at the door, which comes down to base and slope.
Decks, porches, carports and block walls need footings poured on firm ground below the loose topsoil, so the weight above doesn't sink with the dirt.
When a slab or foundation has dropped on one side, we find out why it moved, because lifting it without fixing the cause just buys time.
We saw openings in old concrete for a wider drive or a plumbing run, and cut joints in new slabs before cracks pick their own spot.
Get a free written estimate for your Montevallo concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out, walk the job and the ground, and write a free estimate of what's included, with no obligation to go ahead.
(659) 901-5011- Based in
- Alabaster, AL 35007
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Working in Montevallo: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Montevallo sends its building inspections to Shelby County's Development Services Department, which also takes zoning and building code questions, so the county is who we check with before we set a pour date. Before you hire anyone here, ask whether they hold a business license with the city, which Montevallo's Finance / Revenue Department collects. On a bigger home job, also ask about a state license, because Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board licenses builders doing paid work on someone else's home when the job costs more than $10,000. We're fully licensed and insured, and 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.
What moves the price here is mostly what's under and around the slab, such as how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, how much the yard falls and whether you want a broom finish or stamped and colored work. On older streets with tight side yards, the truck sometimes can't reach the pour, and pumping or wheeling the concrete in adds to the cost. The schedule mostly turns on the permit check and the weather, and your written estimate spells out what's included for your job. We work the same way in Brook Highland and the other cities around Alabaster.
Why Montevallo driveways crack, sink and hold water
Most sunk or cracked slabs we see here sat on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the ground settled and the concrete went with it. Some also fall toward the house, so rain runs back at the foundation or sits by the garage door. We dig down to firm ground, pack a base and set the slope so water runs away from the house before any concrete goes in. I'd rather tell you a job isn't worth doing than pour one on bad ground.
Alabama summer heat is the other problem, because concrete poured in the middle of a hot day dries too fast on top and wears weak and dusty. We pour early and keep the slab damp while it cures, the wait while it gains strength, so the surface holds up.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Montevallo
From the first call to the last sweep, here's what happens on a Montevallo job and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
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Call or send a message
Call (659) 901-5011 or send the form with what you need and where. We'll call back to set a time for me to come out.
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I walk the job myself
I check the old concrete, the slope and where the water runs, then write an estimate that spells out what's included, so you see every part of the price before you decide. You don't need to be home, but it helps if you want to talk through options.
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We check permits and pick a date
Once you say go, we line up any permit with the county and pick a pour date the weather allows. If rain or a heat wave moves that date, we'll tell you as soon as we know.
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We pour, finish and clean up
I'm on site with the crew from prep through cleanup, so the person who wrote your estimate is the one watching the base and the pour. We haul off the old concrete and leave the site swept.
Questions about concrete work in Montevallo
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway or patio in Montevallo?
Ask Shelby County before anyone pours, because the county says calling its office is the only way to know for your project. Its list of projects that may not need a permit includes sidewalks and driveways, but it issues permits for all new construction, including accessory structures, so a slab under a new garage or shed is a different question. The county also holds you, the property owner, responsible for the work being done lawfully even when you hire a licensed contractor, so we check with it before we set a date.
Do I need a city permit to connect my new driveway to the curb in Montevallo?
If the work cuts, digs up, removes or replaces a city street, alley, curb or sidewalk, you need a street cut permit from the city's Public Works Director. That can come up where a driveway apron meets the curb, and questions about the process go to (205) 665-9208. I look at where your drive meets the street during the estimate so it's on the list from the start.
How do I find out which Alabama contractor license my concrete job needs?
Ask the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors, because it takes project questions before anyone bids on or starts the work. Recent changes to state law exempt the construction or repair of a residence from general contractor licensing, but the law doesn't spell out some routine maintenance cases, so the board is the place to settle a gray area. The home builder license for jobs over $10,000, covered above, is a separate rule.
What affects the cost of a concrete driveway in Montevallo, AL?
The size of the drive and how much digging and base the ground needs set most of the price. Tearing out and hauling off an old drive, building up a low side or adding a short retaining wall on a sloped lot, and a stamped or colored finish all add to it. If something has to give, cut the fancy finish and keep the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the slab stays put, and your estimate lists each part so you can see where the money goes.
How long will I be without my driveway when it's replaced?
You're without it from the day we tear out the old concrete until the new slab has cured enough to carry a car, and I tell you that day before we leave the site. You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, and hot or wet weather can move the pour date. Plan to park on the street or in the yard for that stretch.
What is the best way to keep a new concrete slab from cracking like the old one?
Start with a dug-out, packed base and cut control joints early, because concrete shrinks as it cures and the joints give it a straight line to crack along instead of a random one. We cut them before the slab picks its own spots and set steel inside where the slab carries weight. A hairline crack along a joint is normal, but a drive that sinks or splits across the middle usually traces back to the ground under it.
Get your Montevallo concrete job on the calendar
Call (659) 901-5011 or send the form, and I'll come look before a small crack or a low spot turns into a full tear-out.
Alabaster, AL