Concrete Contractor in Pine Hills, FL - Driveways and Slabs on a Solid Base
Custom Apopka Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Pine Hills, FL. We tear out and replace cracked or sinking driveways, patios, walkways and slabs, and our own crew digs out and packs the base before we pour.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Pine Hills homes and what's under their driveways
Pine Hills is one of Orange County's oldest and largest neighborhoods, and you can see that age in the concrete. A lot of the driveways, walks and patios we're called out to were poured a long time ago and have been patched since, and the busier roads add shops and offices with their own parking and sidewalks. We're a concrete contractor based in Apopka, FL, and we come down here for the same driveways, patios and slabs we pour in South Apopka.
On older lots the trouble is usually underneath. Slabs from decades back often sit on subgrade, the dirt the concrete rests on, that was raked flat instead of packed, and tree roots have had years to lift an edge, so most jobs here start with digging out and rebuilding the base instead of pouring over what's there.
Concrete work we do on Pine Hills properties
Most driveways we look at in Pine Hills have cracked or sunk where the base settled, so we tear out, dig down, pack new base and pour fresh.
Patios here take summer downpours, so we slope yours away from the house and let rain run off instead of pooling by the back door.
Stamped concrete gives an older house a patio or entry that looks like stone or brick, poured as one slab with no pavers to shift.
Front walks on older lots often heave or drop at one panel and catch a toe. We replace the bad sections and tie them into the sound ones.
Older garage slabs here are often cracked, stained or uneven from years of cars and storage. We break out the old floor and pour a new, level one.
Colored concrete, a scored pattern or a decorative border can dress up a plain front entry or patio without changing the layout of an older yard.
Where a yard sits higher than the driveway or patio, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil back so rain doesn't wash it onto the slab.
For a workshop, a shed floor or a back room on a slab, we prep the ground and pour an interior floor that sits flat and level.
Pool decks here sit in full sun and get splashed and rained on all summer. We give them a textured finish so wet feet grip better.
Front steps on older homes crack, settle and pull away from the porch over time. We pour new steps with even heights so each one feels the same.
When you're adding a room or a garage, the slab under it carries the walls. We dig out, pack the base and set the steel before we pour.
New foundations follow the plans your engineer or designer draws, and we build the forms and pour to them so the building office sees what it approved.
Small shops and offices along the busier roads here need lots that drain and hold up to daily traffic. We plan the slope and thickness for the load.
Footings are the concrete pads under a porch post, a block wall or an addition. We dig them as deep as the plans call for.
When a slab on an older house has dropped, we look at why it sank first and tell you plainly if an engineer should see it.
We saw-cut old concrete to open a trench for a new line, widen a driveway or take out one bad section without breaking up the rest.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Pine Hills
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll usually come out myself, measure and give you a free estimate that spells out what's covered, with no obligation.
(407) 358-0192- Based in
- Apopka, FL 32712
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What working in Pine Hills means for your permit and price
Pine Hills is served by Orange County, so the permit question for your driveway or patio goes to Orange County Permitting Services, and when a permit is needed, the pour waits until it's issued. Before we start, we check with the county for your address, and if one's needed we file it as the licensed contractor and keep you posted. We're licensed and fully insured, and you can check two things on any contractor you're weighing, a Florida contractor license, which for a state-certified contractor means passing the state's exam, and the Business Tax Receipt, the county's version of a business license, that Orange County requires of businesses working in the unincorporated county. Your price moves with how much old concrete comes out, how much base the ground needs, the size and thickness of the slab and any finish like stamping or color, and the estimate spells out what your number covers. The schedule mostly turns on the permit, the weather and the curing time.
Along Pine Hills Road, the county has been extending sewer service from W. Colonial Drive to Golf Club Parkway, mostly to commercial lots with some homes. If your property is tied into it, tell us when I come out, because we want to know where a new line runs before we dig or saw-cut near it. We take the same care on jobs in Ocoee and Orlando.
Rain, heat and age are hard on slabs here
Rain is the big one. Orlando-area averages put the year at about 51 inches, with June through September the wettest months at roughly 6 to 8 inches each, so a slab with a weak base or a slope toward the house takes a beating every summer. Water that runs under an edge softens the dirt and carries it off, and that's when you see sinking corners and puddles by the door, so before we set any forms we check where your water runs and pitch the new slab to shed it away from the house.
Age is the other. Older driveways here were often poured thin on a base nobody packed, and the cracks show it. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you go with a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives feet and tires some grip, than cut corners on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it's what decides whether the slab stays put.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Pine Hills
From your first call to the final walk-through, here's what happens, who you'll talk to and when you'll see a price.
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Call or send us a message
Call (407) 358-0192 or send the form and tell us what you're seeing, whether that's cracks, sinking or water pooling. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
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I come out and measure
I usually come out myself to look at the spot, measure and ask a lot of questions about how you use it and where your water goes. Then I put together an estimate that spells out what's in the price, so nothing on it is a mystery.
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We handle permits, prep and pour
Once you say go, we sort out the permit question with the county, then our own crew digs out, packs the base and pours. The new slab then has to cure, the slow hardening that gives it strength, so we'll tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for your car.
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We walk the finished job together
We walk through the finished job with you and show you the control joints, the cut grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along instead of a random one. We'll also tell you what the color and surface will do as it ages, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Questions about concrete work in Pine Hills
Do I need a permit to pour a new concrete patio in Pine Hills?
Check before anyone digs, because the county's permit guide says most construction and structural work needs one, and the jobs it names as usually needing none, like painting or a satellite dish, don't include concrete. Bigger projects like additions and pools need a building permit, and we make that check for you before we start, as above.
Can I pull my own permit for a driveway in Orange County, or does the contractor do it?
Usually either one can, but if a corporation, an LLC or a trust owns the property, the county requires a Florida-licensed contractor to apply. A homeowner can apply as an owner-builder when the property is for their own use or occupancy and they qualify under Florida law. On our jobs, when a permit is needed, we file it as the licensed contractor so you don't have to.
How much does it cost to replace a concrete driveway in Pine Hills?
Your price comes from four things, the size and thickness of the new slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how much base the ground needs and the finish you pick. On older Pine Hills driveways the tear-out and base work are usually the bigger share, and your estimate lists each part so you can see what you're paying for. Call (407) 358-0192 and I'll come take a look.
How long does a new concrete driveway take to cure before I can drive on it?
You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you both waits for your slab on pour day, because the weather and the mix change them. The heat here can dry the surface fast, which is why we keep a new slab from drying out too quickly, and parking on it early is the quickest way to crack it.
Will a new concrete driveway in Pine Hills crack like my old one?
It may still get a fine crack, because concrete shrinks as it cures, but it shouldn't break up and sink the way so many old ones here do. The difference is a dug-out, packed base, control joints cut on time so any cracking follows them, and rebar, the steel bars inside that hold the slab together if it does crack, where the job calls for it.
What is the best time to pour concrete during a Pine Hills summer?
Early in the morning, because midday heat can dry the top before it's finished and leave a weak, dusty surface later on. We also watch for afternoon storms, since a hard rain on fresh concrete can pit the finish, and we'd rather move a pour than rush one.
Plan your Pine Hills concrete job with us
Tell us what the slab is doing and how you use it when you call (407) 358-0192 or send the form, and I'll come out with the right questions already in mind.
Apopka, FL