Concrete Contractor in Vestavia Hills, AL - Slabs Built for Sloped Lots
Alabaster Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Alabaster that pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slabs for homes and small businesses in Vestavia Hills, with the base dug out and packed before any concrete goes down.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Vestavia Hills lots climb, curve and drain downhill
Vestavia Hills sits on the ridges just south of Birmingham. It's mostly homes, with shops and offices along the main roads. The calls we get here are usually about an older driveway that's cracked or sunk, a backyard patio that holds water, or a front walk that's gone uneven. It's a lot like the hillside work we do in Hoover.
On a sloped lot, the ground under a slab is usually cut down on the high side and filled on the low side. Fill dirt that was never packed is what lets concrete settle and crack, so most of our time on a job here goes into the dig and the base.
Concrete work we do in Vestavia Hills
Sloped driveways here need a base dug out and packed hard, plus a pitch that sends water to the street instead of toward your garage door.
When a backyard falls away from the house, we set the patio grade first so rain runs off the slab instead of under it.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick. It holds up best on a base built as carefully as a plain slab's.
A walk that climbs from the driveway to the front door often needs a step or a gentle grade, so we lay it out before anything gets poured.
A cracked or sunken garage floor usually means the ground under it settled. We fix what's underneath first, then pour a new slab with joints cut in.
Colored, scored and exposed-aggregate finishes suit patios and entries on older and newer houses alike, and we'll tell you which ones wear well outdoors.
On a hillside yard, a concrete wall holds back the soil to make room for a flat patio or parking spot. Drainage behind it keeps water from building up.
We pour basement, workshop and addition floors flat and level on a packed base, so whatever flooring you choose sits right later.
A pool deck has to shed splash and rain away from the house. A broom finish, light ridges dragged into the top, gives bare feet some grip.
Steps on a sloped lot carry every trip in and out, so we pour them with steel inside and even risers that are easy on your knees.
A slab for a new house, addition or shed starts with the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, dug out and packed until it's firm.
Foundations for additions here often have to step down with the hill, so we set each level from the plans before any concrete goes in.
Small businesses here with a parking area to pave get the same base work we do on driveways. It's built thicker for heavier traffic and planned to drain.
Footings carry the weight of a wall, porch or addition. We dig to firm ground and set rebar, the steel that holds the concrete together.
If a slab or porch has sunk because the soil under it washed out or settled, raising it can level it again, as long as the concrete itself is still sound.
We saw out broken sections and cut openings for new drains. We also cut control joints, planned grooves that give a slab a place to crack.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Vestavia Hills
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, walk the job and the ground, and write a free estimate of what's included. 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
Permits and licenses for concrete work in Vestavia Hills
In Vestavia Hills, the city's Building Safety department issues permits. It requires one for all new construction, including additions, and for every commercial project. A slab or footings for an addition falls under that, and the permit has to be in hand before work starts, so it can move your pour date. The city's residential code lists sidewalks among the work that's exempt, but exempt work still has to meet code. Driveways and patios aren't named either way, so we check with Building Safety before we set a date. Any contractor working here needs a city business license. On home jobs over $10,000, they also need a state home builder license, so ask to see both. We're fully licensed and insured, and if your job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork.
We drive up from Alabaster for jobs here, the same way we head south to Montevallo. Many of the houses we see sit on curving streets, with driveways that climb or drop from the road. Most of the price comes from the ground and the slab itself. It depends on how much old concrete comes out, how much digging and packing the base needs, how steep the drive is, how thick the slab is and how much steel goes in, and which finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and the weather on pour day. Your estimate spells out exactly what's included in your job.
Sloped lots and runoff are hard on concrete here
Most driveways and walks here sit on a grade, so rain comes down the slope fast. If a slab tilts toward the house or the base was only raked level, water gets underneath and washes out the dirt. The slab then sinks and cracks. We set the grade so water runs toward the street or a drain, and we dig out soft soil and pack the base before any concrete shows up.
The city's residential code rates weathering here as moderate, so a slab's surface has to stand up to some freezing and thawing. A strong top comes from curing, which means keeping new concrete from drying out too fast while it hardens. We protect the slab while it cures and tell you when the wait is over.
What to expect from a concrete job in Vestavia Hills
Here's how it goes from your first call to cleanup. I handle your job myself, from the estimate through the pour.
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Call or send a message
Call (659) 901-5011 or send the form with a few lines about the job, such as a sinking driveway or a patio that holds water. We'll call back to set a time for me to come out. It helps if you can be there to walk the yard with me.
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I look at the ground
I check where the water runs, how soft the dirt is and what old concrete has to come out. Then I write an estimate that spells out what's included, so you see what you're paying for before you decide.
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We set the pour date
Once you say go, we line up any permit and pick a pour date around the weather. A weekend or after-hours pour needs a noise waiver from the city, and review takes at least two business days, so we ask for it early.
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We prep, pour and clean
I'm on site with the crew from the first shovel of dirt through cleanup. Before we leave, I tell you when you can walk on the new slab and when you can drive on it.
Questions about concrete work in Vestavia Hills
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Vestavia Hills?
On most driveways here, the biggest part of the cost is the ground work under the slab. You get your own figure in a written estimate after I walk the job. If the budget's tight, I'd drop a decorative finish before I'd cut corners on the base, because nobody can fix a bad base without tearing the slab out.
What happens if concrete work is done without a permit in Vestavia Hills?
Under the city's permit rules, work that needed a permit and started without one costs double the permit fee plus a $100 penalty. The contractor is responsible for getting the permit before work begins. The city also advises homeowners to check that their contractor has a permit and to get inspections as each phase is finished.
Can I be my own general contractor for a concrete job in Vestavia Hills?
Yes. Homeowners can act as their own general contractor here, and you don't need a city business license to do it. On work over $10,000, you sign a notarized exemption form. Anyone you hire needs a sub-contractor's city business license, and they need a state license once their part of the job is over $10,000. If that's your plan, I'll walk you through the paperwork for the concrete work.
How do I build a slab or foundation on a steep lot in Vestavia Hills?
On the steepest lots, where the average grade passes the limit in the city's residential code, a State of Alabama licensed engineer has to design the footings and foundation for a new house or an addition. A geotechnical engineer, the kind who studies soil, also has to evaluate the site and inspect the footings. We pour from their design and plan the schedule around those inspections.
Do I need a permit for a dumpster when an old driveway is torn out in Vestavia Hills?
Yes. The city requires a permit whenever a dumpster or portable storage unit is used on a job site. Tearing out an old driveway or patio usually fills one, so we plan for that permit along with the rest of the paperwork before demo day.
What causes concrete driveways in Vestavia Hills to crack, and will a new one crack too?
A new slab can still get hairline cracks. If it's built on a packed base with joints cut on time, it usually cracks only in the joints and stays level. Most old driveways we see here cracked for one of three reasons. The base was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, the joints were cut late or skipped, or the pour went down in midday heat and left a weak, dusty top. We avoid all three.
Ask for a concrete estimate in Vestavia Hills
Call (659) 901-5011 or send the form. If more than one slab around the house needs work, I can look at all of it in one visit.
Alabaster, AL