Santa Paula ConcreteSanta Paula Concrete(805) 873-8640
Santa Paula Concrete
(805) 873-8640Get an estimate

Concrete Contractor in Ventura, CA - Slabs Built on a Base That Holds

Santa Paula Concrete is a concrete contractor serving Ventura, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps, retaining walls and slab foundations for homeowners and small businesses, and we start every job with the base and the drainage.

Get an estimate(805) 873-8640
A curved concrete pool deck surrounds a blue swimming pool and attached spa, beside covered outdoor seating areas.

Ventura homes as we see them on the job

We're based in Santa Paula, and Ventura is one of the cities we work in, along with Oxnard down the coast and Oak View up the valley. Calls here usually start with something you can see from the curb, like a driveway cracked across the middle, a patio that's dropped away from the house, or water that pools by the garage after a rain.

The houses run from older homes with their original walks and driveways to newer places on hillside lots. On an older property we're usually breaking out tired concrete and finding out what it sat on, and on a slope the first questions are where the water goes and whether the ground needs a wall to hold it.

Concrete services we offer in Ventura

We offer every one of our concrete services in Ventura, from a new driveway or patio to a retaining wall on a slope or a slab foundation for an addition. Each job gets planned the same way. I come out, look at the ground, ask where the water runs and what the slab has to carry, and then we decide how deep to dig, how to pack the base and where the joints go. Here's how each service usually fits Ventura properties.

  • Concrete driveway building

    Older driveways here often crack and sink when the base under them wasn't packed. We dig out, compact the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and add rebar so the slab holds together.

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  • Concrete patio construction

    A patio that tips toward the house sends rain against the wall. We set the new slab to drain away and cut control joints, grooves that give cracks a straight place to go.

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  • Stamped concrete services

    Stamped concrete suits Ventura homes where the patio or front walk should look like stone or brick. We press the pattern while the concrete is soft and seal it so the color holds.

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  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Walks on older lots often lift where roots push a section up. We replace the bad panels on a rebuilt base with a broom finish, a light texture for grip when wet.

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  • Garage floor concrete

    Garage floors in older Ventura homes are often cracked, stained or sloped the wrong way. We break out the old floor, rebuild the base and pour a slab that drains toward the door.

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  • Decorative concrete

    Decorative concrete fits Ventura homes where a plain gray slab would look out of place next to the house. We work with color, exposed stone and finishes, and keep the same base work underneath.

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  • Concrete retaining walls

    Sloped lots here often need a wall to hold the yard or make room for a patio. We dig footings, set steel and drain the back so water doesn't build up behind it.

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  • Concrete floor installation

    Workshops, sheds and small shops here need floors that stay flat under real weight. We pack the base, size the slab to the load and finish it smooth or textured.

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  • Concrete pool decks

    Pool decks in Ventura backyards take splash water and bare feet all summer. We slope the deck away from the pool and the house and finish it with texture for grip.

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  • Concrete steps construction

    Entry steps on older homes often crack at the edges or pull away from the house as the ground settles. We form new steps with every step the same height, on a packed base.

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  • Slab foundation building

    Additions, garages and backyard units on Ventura lots need a level slab that carries the walls above it. We pack the ground, set the steel and pour to the building's plans.

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  • Foundation installation

    New construction and larger additions on sloped or uneven Ventura lots need a foundation built to the ground it sits on. We dig, form and pour the footings and walls to the building's plans.

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  • Concrete parking lot building

    Small businesses in Ventura often have parking areas worn by delivery trucks and standing water. We dig out soft spots, build a thicker base and slope the slab so rain runs to the drains.

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  • Concrete footings

    Decks, patio covers, fences and garden walls in Ventura yards rest on footings, buried concrete that spreads their weight. We dig to firm ground and size each one to the job.

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  • Foundation raising

    On older homes a dropped slab shows as sticking doors, sloping floors or a gap at the step. We find out why it sank, then raise and support it and deal with the cause.

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  • Concrete cutting

    Remodels on older Ventura houses often mean cutting an old slab for a drain line, a doorway or a section that's coming out. We saw clean, straight lines so the patch fits.

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What good concrete work looks like up close

These photos show the kind of work we do, from forms and steel before a pour to finished driveways, patios and walls. They show the trade in general, not particular jobs in Ventura.

  • Stamped concrete entry patio with a textured gray finish and a raised brown step below a doorway.

  • A swimming pool is surrounded by a broad gray paver deck, with metal ladders, lounge chairs, and dark pergolas.

  • A curved concrete driveway leads to a large white house, edged with light brick pavers and landscaped grass.

Working in Ventura: permits, price and the schedule

Before we pour anything in Ventura, you should know who handles the permit and what drives the price and the schedule. This is what I walk through with homeowners at the estimate.

How permits work for concrete in Ventura

Permits in Ventura go through the city's Permit Services office. Its simple permits, the kind filed without plans, cover work like water heaters and re-roofs, and the list doesn't name driveways or patios, so we check with the office before we set a date. A slab that's part of an addition or new construction falls under the city's complex permits, which go through plan review.

That can change the schedule more than the pour does. A slab for an addition can't start until the plans clear review, so we set the date around the city's approval, while a driveway or patio turns on what the office tells us. Before you hire anyone for concrete work, ask to see that they're licensed and insured.

  • At the estimate we work out whether a permit applies and who files it.
  • When we file, we handle the paperwork with the city's office for you.
  • A slab that's part of a bigger build follows the building's approved plans.

What moves the price and the schedule

The size of the slab and how thick it has to be drive most of the price, because they decide how much concrete, steel and digging the job takes. Breaking out and hauling away an old slab adds to it, and so do a tight side yard, a slope that needs forms or a wall, and a stamped or colored finish. Your own figure comes from the on-site estimate.

The schedule turns on the permit question, the weather on pour day and curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before you walk or drive on it. I'll tell you at the estimate when you can expect to use the driveway or patio again, because that's usually the first thing people ask about. Driving on a slab before it's ready is an easy way to crack it.

  • On hot days we pour early so the top doesn't dry weak and dusty.
  • Rain in the forecast can push a pour date back.
  • Thickness, steel and finish are agreed at the estimate before any digging starts.

Get a free on-site concrete estimate for your Ventura property

Send the form or call (805) 873-8640, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Ventura property myself to look at the ground, the drainage and the job. The estimate is free and there's no obligation.

(805) 873-8640

What we run into on Ventura houses and yards

Most cracks and puddles start below the surface, with the base or the water. These are the conditions we look for on houses and lots here before we plan a pour.

  • Driveways that have done their time

    Plenty of older Ventura homes still have their first driveway, and by now it's usually cracked, sunk at a corner or chipping on top. We break it out and look at what it sat on before anything new goes down, because a new slab on the same base ends up with the same problems.

  • Yards that drain toward the house

    Water pooling by the garage door or along a wall is one of the most common things we see. It usually means the old slab settled or was poured flat, so we look at how water crosses the whole yard and set the new concrete to carry it away from the house.

  • Lots built on a slope

    Some Ventura properties sit on a hillside, where a patio or driveway needs ground cut back or filled before it can go in. Fill has to be packed in thin layers or it settles under the new slab, and a steep cut usually needs a wall to hold it.

  • Narrow side yards and shared driveways

    On many Ventura lots the only way to a backyard patio is a narrow side yard or a driveway shared with a car that has to come and go. We plan the route for forms, steel and concrete before pour day, so the truck, the crew and your car aren't in each other's way.

  • Additions next to an older house

    When a new room or garage goes in next to an older house, the new slab has to meet the old floor at the right height and not trap water where they join. We check the existing foundation and how the ground slopes before we form, because that's where an addition's slab usually goes wrong.

How we work on every concrete job

We're a small concrete contractor in Santa Paula, CA, and concrete has been the whole business since 2013. Here's how we work on every job, in Ventura and the cities around it.

We start with what's under the slab

I care most about the parts you can't see once the concrete is down, because that's where most cracks and puddles start. We dig out to firm ground, pack the base in layers and check where the water runs before we set a single form. No amount of care on the surface makes up for a soft base or a slab that drains toward your house.

When a budget gets tight, the base is usually what people want to trim first, because nobody sees it on day one. I'd rather trim the finish. A plain broom finish on a solid base usually outlasts a stamped pattern on loose dirt. We also cut control joints soon after the pour, so the cracks concrete makes anyway land on lines we chose.

  • I come to every estimate

    I come out for every estimate myself, so the person looking at your ground is the person who answers for the job. I ask a lot of questions about how you use the driveway or patio and where the water goes, because the answers change how we build it.

  • Our crew pours, I check in

    Our crew does the prep, the forming and the pour. I check in on the work as it goes, so if the ground under an old slab turns out different from what we expected, I can make the call with you before the concrete truck shows up.

  • Concrete only since 2013

    I ran a landscaping business in Santa Paula before concrete, and the walks and pads were the part I liked best. I learned beside an experienced finisher and made concrete the whole business in 2013, so concrete is all we do.

  • Licensed, insured, satisfaction guaranteed

    We're fully licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, and you can ask me about either one at the estimate. When you're ready, call (805) 873-8640 or use the form to set up a time for me to come out.

Questions about concrete work in Ventura

These are the questions Ventura homeowners usually ask about permits, inspections, price and cracks. If yours isn't here, ask me when I come out to look at the job.

How do I apply for a building permit online in Ventura?

You need a Ventura OPS account, the city's Online Permit Services login, before you can apply for a permit online. Set that up first, then submit the application through it.

How early do I need to request a building inspection in Ventura?

Your inspection request has to reach the city by the business day before you need the inspection. The city's Building and Safety Division handles inspections on new construction, so on a permitted job we put the request in ahead of each stage instead of leaving the crew waiting.

When is the Ventura permit counter open?

The Permit Services counter takes walk-ins Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and from 1 to 3 PM those days by appointment only. It's closed every Friday. The counter is at 501 Poli Street, Room 117, and the phone is 805-654-7869.

Which building codes does Ventura enforce for concrete work?

The city's building division enforces the California construction codes along with the city's own amendments. If you have a code question about a slab, step or wall, Permit Services is the place to ask, and we go over what applies to your job at the estimate.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Ventura?

A Ventura driveway is priced on its size and thickness, how much old concrete has to come out first and the finish you choose, so your own figure comes from seeing it. Two driveways the same size can land far apart if one needs a rebuilt base or forms on a slope and the other sits on ground that's already firm. I'll walk you through what's driving your number when I come out.

What causes concrete driveways to crack and sink in Ventura?

Most cracking and sinking starts under the slab, with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or water running under the edge and softening the ground. Control joints cut late or skipped let cracks wander wherever they like. We rebuild the base and fix the drainage first, which is why a new slab usually holds up better than the one it replaces.

Service areas

We're based in Santa Paula and work in Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Oak View, Carpinteria and the other cities listed here. If you're a bit farther out, call (805) 873-8640 and ask.

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(805) 873-8640Get an estimate