Concrete Contractor in Highland, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on Packed Ground
Loma Linda Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Loma Linda, and we pour driveways, patios, walkways, steps and garage floors for homes in Highland, CA, and build low retaining walls on sloped yards.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Bungalows and newer homes across Highland
Highland is mostly homes, with shops and offices along the main roads, and its houses cover a long stretch of years. Around the Highland Historic District you'll find early 1900s houses, many of them Craftsman bungalows with front porches and narrow driveways. Farther out, the streets fill with tract homes built much later, with two-car garages and wider drives. The city sits right beside San Bernardino and Redlands, and the driveways, walks and patios we see there are much the same.
That age shapes the work. At an older house, the walk or driveway we're asked to replace has often been patched more than once and was poured over ground nobody packed, so it sank and cracked along with the dirt, and we dig it out instead of pouring over it. On newer lots the ground was usually moved around when the tract was graded, and fill like that needs packing before it can hold a slab. Either way, the subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, gets most of our attention before any concrete arrives.
What to know before a concrete job in Highland
The City of Highland's Building Department decides whether your concrete job needs a permit. Its list of work that needs a permit names pools, decks, fences and new buildings but doesn't spell out driveways or patios, so I check with the office for each job instead of guessing, and if a permit is needed I tell you at the estimate and we take care of the application. A permit has to be approved before we dig, so it can move your start date. When you compare contractors, two licenses are worth asking about. California requires a license from the Contractors State License Board when the work needs a building permit, brings in other workers or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and the city requires a business license before anyone does business in Highland, including contractors based outside its limits, as we are in Loma Linda. We're licensed and fully insured.
Highland is a short drive from our base in Loma Linda, as is Colton in the other direction, so getting our crew and a concrete truck here early in the day is routine for us. Many streets here climb toward the foothills, so I check which way water runs on your lot before we set any forms, because a slab that falls toward the house sends rain to your foundation. What moves the price is mostly what's under and around the slab: how much old concrete has to come out, how deep we dig and pack the base, whether a truck can reach the forms or we wheel concrete back to the yard, how thick the slab is and how much rebar, the steel that holds it together, it needs, and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, the days the new concrete needs to harden and gain strength before you use it. The written estimate I leave you spells out your price and what it covers.
Get a free written estimate for your Highland concrete
We reply within one business day to set up a visit, and I come out to your Highland property myself to look at the ground and write the estimate. It's free and carries no obligation, and it lists exactly what the price covers, so you aren't left guessing about any part of the job.
Call (909) 760-1346Services in Highland, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older Highland driveways often crack and lift over roots or soft fill. We tear out the old slab, pack a fresh base and pour a new one.
Concrete patio construction
Most Highland patios sit right against the house. We slope the slab so rainwater runs out to the yard instead of pooling at your walls.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on Highland's older lots are often patched and uneven. We pour a new concrete sidewalk on packed base, so it sits level with your steps.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped Highland yards often need a low wall to hold a level patio or bed. We pour a footing and set steel inside so it holds the soil.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on Highland's bungalows have often settled away from the porch. We break them out and form new steps of even height on solid footing.
Concrete pool decks
Highland's long summers mean lots of wet, barefoot traffic around the pool. We pour decks with a textured finish for grip and a slope that drains water off.
How a Highland concrete job goes, start to finish
Call us or send a request
Thank you for reaching out, whether by phone at (909) 760-1346 or through the form. We set a time for me to visit your Highland property, and it helps if you can be there.
Walk the site with me
I look at the old concrete, the ground and where the water runs, and ask how you'll use the space. You get a written estimate that says what the price covers, so you know what you'd be paying for before you decide anything.
We prepare, pour and finish
If the city needs a permit, we apply for it, and its review has to clear before we start. Then I work on site with our small crew as we dig out and pack the base, set the forms, pour, finish and cut the joints.
Walk the finished job together
I go over the finished work with you and tell you when it's ready to walk on and when it's ready to drive on. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Common questions
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Highland, CA?
Usually not, if the wall is 4 feet tall or less, measured from the bottom of its footing to the top, and doesn't hold up extra weight like a driveway above it or hold back a slope steeper than about two feet out for every foot up, according to the city's permit exceptions. Even without a permit, the city expects every residential retaining wall to have a footing and steel reinforcement unless it's specifically exempted, and we build ours that way. If your wall does need a permit, we file it for you, and the city also takes applications at any time through its online permit portal.
How much can a contractor ask for up front on a home improvement job in California?
State rules cap the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. Any other payments have to be listed in the contract and tied to work done or materials delivered, and that applies to a driveway or patio as much as to any other home project.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Highland?
Your price comes down mostly to the driveway's size, the tear-out and how much ground preparation your lot needs, so I give you a written figure after seeing it instead of a guess over the phone. On older Highland properties, breaking out a patched slab and replacing soft dirt underneath can add more than people expect. If the budget is tight, I'd trim the finish, such as stamping or color, before the base, because the base is hidden on day one but it's what keeps the slab from sinking later.
What is the best way to pour concrete in Highland's summer heat?
Pour early in the morning and keep the surface from drying too fast, because concrete that bakes in a hot afternoon can end up with a weak, dusty top. Highland summers run hot, and older weather records from the early and mid 1900s put the average July high at about 92°F, so we schedule pours for the cool part of the day and keep the slab damp while it cures.
How long until I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Highland?
Plan on a few days before walking on it and longer before driving on it, because the slab is still curing, and a car on young concrete can crack it. Heat, the mix and the thickness all change the timing, so I give you the days for your own job at the walk-through.
How do I keep a new concrete patio from cracking like the old one?
Start with a well-packed base and planned control joints, because no one can honestly promise concrete won't crack, but you can decide where it does. We pack the ground, slope the slab away from the house so water doesn't soften the dirt underneath, add rebar where the slab needs it and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack, while it's still young.
Ask about your Highland concrete project
Call (909) 760-1346 as late as 11 PM on weekdays, or send the form, and if you have a walk, patio and steps in mind, I can look at all of them and price them on one visit.