Concrete contractor in Orlando, FL - driveways and slabs on a solid base
Custom Apopka Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Apopka that pours driveways, patios, slabs and walkways for Orlando homeowners and small business owners, with our own crew doing the ground prep under each slab.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Orlando homes and the concrete around them
Orlando calls come to us from all kinds of houses. In the older in-town neighborhoods we see original driveways and patios that have cracked, sunk at one corner or been patched more than once. In the newer subdivisions it's usually someone who wants a wider drive, a patio out back or a pool deck that fits how they use the yard. Most of it is flatwork, the driveways, patios, walks and slabs that sit right on the ground, and we do the same work just up the road in Pine Hills and Ocoee.
Under nearly all of it is Florida sand. It drains fast but moves if it's only raked flat, so a job here starts with the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, dug out and packed hard before any concrete shows up.
Concrete services we offer Orlando homes and businesses
Orlando's older in-town driveways often crack and sink once the dirt underneath settles, so we tear out, dig down to firm ground, pack a new base and pour.
Orlando backyards get used most of the year, so we size a patio for the table, grill or screen room you want and pack the base under it.
Stamped concrete gives an Orlando patio or entry the look of stone or brick in one pour, with no pavers to shift in sandy ground.
We pour front walks and side paths where tree roots or settling have left a lip to trip on, and we cut joints so any new cracks run straight.
Older garage floors here are often pitted, cracked or sloped wrong, and a new slab on a packed base gives you a flat floor that drains toward the door.
Colored and textured finishes let an Orlando entry, walk or pool area match the house, and we talk through how each one weathers in Florida sun.
Where a yard drops off, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil back so sandy ground doesn't wash out from under your patio or drive.
For workshops, sheds, additions and small commercial spaces in Orlando, we pour interior floors flat and level on a base we've dug out and packed.
Pool decks here take sun, chlorine and bare feet, so we talk through finishes that grip when wet and slope it so water runs off the deck.
Front and back steps on older Orlando homes often settle away from the door, and we form new ones with steel inside so the treads hold their shape.
For an addition, garage or outbuilding, we pour the slab foundation on packed ground and work from the plans your engineer or the building office approves.
When a new structure needs more than a slab, we dig, form and pour the foundation, and the engineer's drawings decide what goes in the forms.
Small business and property owners need lots that carry delivery trucks, so we thicken the concrete where heavy wheels turn and pack the base hard underneath.
Footings carry a wall, column or porch post down to firm ground, and in sandy soil we dig and pour them to the depth the plans call for.
When a slab has sunk or tilted toward the house, lifting it back can beat a tear-out, and I'll tell you which one yours needs.
We saw cut openings for new doors, plumbing runs or a wider drive, and cut clean edges where only part of an old slab needs replacing.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate for your Orlando property
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free and obligation-free, and it spells out what the price covers.
(407) 358-0192- Based in
- Apopka, FL 32712
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What working in Orlando means for permits and price
For work in the City of Orlando, the city issues the building permits for construction and renovation, and different projects call for different types of permits. Before we start, I check with the city or county building office that covers your address, and when a permit is needed we file it as the licensed contractor and keep you posted, so that answer sets our start date. If you'd like to see how it works yourself, the city's permitting office has a guide that walks owners through applying. The city also requires any business working there to pay a business tax and hold the receipt that proves it, so that's a fair thing to ask a contractor about. We're licensed and fully insured, and every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Getting the concrete truck to the spot matters more here than people expect, because narrow in-town streets, parked cars and tight side yards decide where it can sit and how far we move the mix. That's one of the things that moves your price, along with the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete and soft dirt comes out, whether it needs rebar, the steel inside that keeps cracks from spreading, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit answer, the weather and curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before you can use it, and your estimate spells out the parts that apply to your job. We're based in Apopka and do the same work in Lockhart and the other cities around Orlando.
What Orlando heat and rain do to concrete
Heat is the first thing working against a slab here. Concrete poured in the middle of a hot afternoon dries too fast on top, and a few years later that top can turn weak and dusty, so we pour in the cooler morning and plan around the afternoon storms.
Water is the other one. A lot of older slabs around Orlando fall toward the house, so rain pools at the back door or soaks the ground along the wall, and the sand starts washing out from under the edge. Before we pour, I look at where your yard sends water and set the new slab to carry it away.
What to expect when you hire us in Orlando
Here's how it goes from your first call or message to the day we walk the finished job together, and when it helps to be home.
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Call or send a message
Call (407) 358-0192 or use the form and tell us what's there now and what you'd like instead. We'll set a time for me to come look at the spot.
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I come out and measure
I usually come out myself, measure, check where your water runs and ask a lot of questions, so it helps if you're home. The free estimate spells out what's in the price, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
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We sort the permit and pour
Once you say go, we settle the permit question, and if a job qualifies for the city's exemption, the city says it reviews the request within five business days. Then our own crew digs out, packs the base and pours.
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Walk the finished job together
When the forms come off, we walk the job with you and go over when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it. You don't need to be there for the pour, but this walk-through is worth being home for.
Questions about concrete work in Orlando
Do I need a permit for a concrete patio in Orlando if it costs under $7,500?
You might not, because a state law now lets some single-family work valued under $7,500 skip the building permit, but only when the job meets every requirement and an exemption request has been sent to the city. The city's exemption guide lists those requirements, and it doesn't cover land development, planning or civil permits, which may still need their own approval. We check this for your address before anything gets dug.
What concrete work in Orlando needs a permit no matter how much it costs?
Structural work and any electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work can't use the under-$7,500 exemption at any price, and neither can work on a property that sits partly or fully in a flood hazard area. The city counts railings, guards, pool barriers and fences, windows, doors, siding, soffits, roofing and elevated decks as structural, so a railing on new steps or a pool deck job that moves the pool fence can't use it either. I'll ask about all of this when I come out.
Can I split a concrete project into smaller jobs to stay under $7,500 in Orlando?
No, the city's exemption covers only a complete single project under $7,500, not one bigger job divided into smaller parts. To request it, you need the written contract or other papers showing what the work is and what it's worth, which is one more reason our estimate lays out every part plainly.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Orlando?
The price of a driveway here comes down to its size and thickness, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, and the finish you choose. A broom finish, the light texture dragged across the top for grip, costs less than stamped or colored work, and tearing out a cracked old drive adds labor and hauling. I'll measure and give you a free estimate with each part listed.
How long does a new concrete driveway in Orlando need to cure before I can park on it?
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you both dates for your job before we pour, because heat, rain and the slab's thickness change them. Parking too soon can mark or crack a slab that looks dry but hasn't gained its strength yet, so plan on keeping cars off it until we say so.
What causes concrete driveways in Orlando to crack and sink?
Most of the cracking and sinking we see starts underneath, when the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the sand settles and the slab goes with it. The rest usually comes from control joints, the grooves cut to give a slab a planned place to crack, that were cut late or skipped. On ours the base gets the money first, and if your budget gets tight I'd rather go plainer on the finish than thinner on what's underneath, because nobody sees the base but it decides how the whole slab holds up.
Tell us about your Orlando concrete job
Call (407) 358-0192 or send the form with a few lines about what's there now, and I'll show up knowing what to look at.
Apopka, FL