T&M Norwalk Concrete CompanyT&M Norwalk Concrete Company

Concrete Contractor in Santa Ana - Solid Slabs for Older Homes and Tight Lots

T&M Norwalk Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Santa Ana, CA. We tear out and pour driveways, patios, walkways, retaining walls and foundations, starting with the ground underneath so the new slab has something solid to sit on.

Request a quote(562) 307-9138
Concrete driveway of large rectangular slabs separated by grass strips, leading to a black gate at a modern white house.
  • Licensed and insured.
  • Free quotes on site.
  • We respond within 1 business day.

About Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana is one of the older, denser cities we work in, and a lot of our calls here come from houses on narrow lots with a driveway running down the side to a garage out back. Plenty of that concrete has been patched, poured over or added onto over the years, so it's common to find three different slabs meeting in one yard. The city is a mix of houses, small apartment buildings and shops, and we hear from small property owners as often as homeowners. It sits right next to Orange and Garden Grove, where we do the same kind of work.

Those tight lots shape the job. Getting a truck close can be hard, so I plan how the concrete comes in and the old rubble goes out before I write a number down, and the slope from the house to the street often has to be fixed, not copied, so water runs away from your walls.

Services in Santa Ana, CA

  • Concrete driveway building

    Long, narrow driveways here have often settled or cracked where the old slab sat on raked dirt. We break it out, dig down to firm ground, pack a new base and pour.

  • Concrete patio construction

    Small backyards mean a patio often sits against the house, so its slope matters. We tilt it away from your walls so rain runs to the yard, not under the door.

  • Concrete retaining walls

    Where a yard steps down or a neighbor's grade sits higher, the old block or wood wall is often leaning. We build concrete walls with footings and drainage behind them.

  • Foundation installation

    Room additions and detached units going up on Santa Ana lots need new footings and slabs under them. Our foundation installation work starts with the ground and the plans the city approved.

  • Concrete cutting

    Tight yards often leave no room to break out a slab with a machine. We saw-cut old concrete into pieces we can carry out, or cut openings for new drains.

  • Foundation raising

    On older houses here, when a corner has dropped, the first job is finding out why the ground moved. We look at drainage and soil before we raise anything.

What we know about permits, licenses and pricing in Santa Ana

In Santa Ana, permits come from the city's Building Safety Division, which also reviews plans and inspects the work it permits, and most applications need Planning Division approval before they go to building, so that review can set your start date. The city requires every business working inside city limits to hold a current City of Santa Ana business license, contractors included, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring for theirs. We're licensed and insured. Before work starts we check whether the city wants a permit for your address, and if one's needed we pull it and handle the paperwork for our part of the job.

What moves the price is mostly what you can't see in a photo. That means how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging and base the ground needs and how far we haul to and from the street, and after that the size, thickness, steel and finish. The schedule turns on the permit step, the weather and curing, which is the wait while fresh concrete gains strength before it can take feet or a car. I put all of that in the written estimate so you can see where the money goes. We're a concrete contractor based in Norwalk, CA, and we work across the cities around it in southeast Los Angeles County and north Orange County.

Santa Ana, CA properties and local conditions

A lot of the concrete we tear out here was poured straight onto dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settled with the ground, cracked and tipped toward the house. That's usually where the pooling water by the back door starts. We dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab actually rests on, pack a base over it and check where the rain will run before we set a form. It's the part you won't see on day one and the first thing a low bid cuts, and I'd rather spend your money there than on a fancier finish.

Summer afternoons get hot here, and concrete poured in the midday heat can dry too fast on top, which leaves a weak, dusty surface a year or two later. In the warm months we start pours early and keep the surface damp while it cures.

Get a free written estimate for your Santa Ana concrete job

We reply within one business day. I come out to Santa Ana to look at the job myself, the visit and estimate are free, and there's no obligation. After that you get a written estimate you can take your time with.

What happens when you call us about a Santa Ana job

  1. Call or send the form

    Tell us about the driveway, patio or wall, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. If you can be there for the visit, you can show me where water sits after it rains.

  2. I look at the site

    I check the ground, the slope, the access and the old concrete, and ask what you need the slab to do. Then I send a written estimate that breaks out tear-out, base, concrete and finish, so you can see what's driving the cost.

  3. Permit, tear-out and ground prep

    If the city wants a permit, we pull it, and the city's review is the step that sets the start date. Then we break out the old slab, dig to firm ground and pack the base.

  4. Pour, cure and walk through

    I'm on site with our crew for the pour and finishing, and then the slab sits while it cures. When it's done I walk the job with you and tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for your car.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway or patio in Santa Ana?

The city's permit rules don't answer that directly for a driveway or patio, so we ask the city about your address before any work starts. Santa Ana requires permits to build, alter, repair or demolish a building and to install or replace regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and it exempts finish work like painting, tiling and counter tops. The city's permit FAQ lists the 2022 California codes along with the city's own code, so ask the Building Safety Division which edition applies today.

Is a short retaining wall or fence exempt from a permit in Santa Ana?

A retaining wall up to 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of its footing to the top, is exempt from a building permit unless it carries extra load behind it, like a slope or a driveway, or holds back certain liquids. Fences up to 7 feet are exempt too, but a front-yard fence still needs a fence permit from the Planning Division, and an older city handout says walls, retaining walls included, go through Planning review. We confirm both before we dig footings.

How long does a Santa Ana building permit stay valid?

A Santa Ana permit becomes invalid if work doesn't start within 180 days of being issued. It also lapses if the work is stopped or abandoned for 180 days after it starts. We schedule your job with that clock in mind.

Can I get a concrete permit the same day in Santa Ana?

Some Santa Ana permits are issued over the counter the same day, but the city's examples are things like water heater swaps, patio covers and swimming pools, not driveways or walls. Other projects may need plans submitted for review, and we find out which path yours takes when we check the permit.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Santa Ana?

Your price comes from a written estimate after I've walked the site, because what's under and around the old slab moves it more than size alone. On Santa Ana lots the big swings are usually how much old concrete comes out, whether the ground underneath needs digging and new base, and how close a truck can get. Finish is the choice you control most, since a plain broom finish, a light swept texture that gives shoes and tires grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete.

What causes concrete driveways to crack, and will a new one crack too?

Concrete shrinks as it dries, so some cracking is normal, but a slab on packed base with its joints cut in time usually cracks where we planned instead of across the middle. Control joints are the grooves we cut to give the slab a weak line to crack along, and rebar, the steel laid inside, holds the pieces together if a crack opens. The ugly cracks on old driveways here mostly come from soft ground and water underneath, which is why I look for the reason before I quote a fix.

Service areas

Explore the services

Norwalk, CA

Ask about your Santa Ana concrete project

Call (562) 307-9138 or use the form if a slab cracked or sank and nobody's told you why yet, because that's a question I like getting to the bottom of.

Request a quote(562) 307-9138
(562) 307-9138Request a quote