We dig out soft dirt, pack a firm base and pour your driveway, with control joints cut in to give any cracks a straight line to follow.
Solid concrete to drive, walk and build on in South Lake Tahoe, CA
South Lake Tahoe Concrete builds and repairs concrete for homes, managed properties and small businesses, and we put most of our time into the base and drainage underneath, where a slab's life is decided.
Get a free written estimate at your property
I'll reply within one business day to set a time to come see the job. The written estimate is free and carries no obligation, so take it and compare.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work we do in South Lake Tahoe, CA
Price mostly comes down to size, how much old concrete has to come out, what the base needs and any drainage work. The schedule turns on permits and the weather. Your written estimate lists what's included and what isn't.
Planning a patio off the back door? We pour it to fall gently away from the house, so rain and snowmelt run off instead of toward your foundation.
Stamped concrete is colored and pressed with patterned mats while it's still soft, so a patio or walk looks like stone or brick on one solid slab.
A front walk or side path gets a broom finish brushed into the top, so shoes grip when it's wet, and a gentle slope that keeps puddles off it.
Cracked, sunken or chipping garage floor? We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour a new floor with a smooth finish that's easy to sweep.
Decorative concrete covers color, exposed stone, scored patterns and other finishes for homeowners and businesses that want more than plain gray on a patio, entry or walk.
Slope sliding onto your driveway or yard? We pour retaining walls with steel rebar inside and drainage behind, so water drains away instead of pushing on the wall.
Interior concrete floors for basements, shops, sheds and commercial spaces get poured flat and level, so shelving, equipment and finish flooring sit right on them.
A pool deck has to shed splash water and stay comfortable underfoot, so we slope it toward drains and give it a textured finish that grips under wet feet.
Need new front or back steps? We form and pour concrete steps with each step the same height, so there's no odd step to catch a foot.
For a new house, addition, garage or shop, we build the slab foundation on a dug-out, packed base, with the steel and footings the plans call for.
Builders and homeowners call us to pour foundations for houses, additions and outbuildings, from the footings up through the short stem walls the framing sits on.
Concrete parking lots for property managers and business owners need a deeper packed base than a driveway and grading that sends runoff off the lot.
Footings are the concrete pads under walls, posts, decks and additions that spread the weight into firm ground, dug deep enough to sit below the frost.
Is a corner of the house sinking or the doors starting to stick? We raise settled foundations after finding what let them drop, which is usually water or soft ground.
We saw-cut concrete to open doorways, run utility trenches, take out a damaged section or add joints, with straight, clean edges that leave the rest of the slab whole.
A small crew that starts underneath
I came to concrete later than most, after years in other work, and learned it on a finishing crew before starting South Lake Tahoe Concrete in 2021. I still answer the phone myself. The person who comes out to bid your job is me, and I'm on site again the day it's poured, so nothing you told me gets lost between the estimate and the work.
What keeps a slab flat is buried by pour day. We dig out soft dirt instead of raking it level, pack the subgrade the slab will sit on, and check where the water runs so the slab doesn't fall toward your house. It's the first thing people want to cut from a budget, and it's where I won't cut, because a nice finish on a bad base settles with the dirt.
Most of our calls come from homeowners, along with property managers and small business owners, in South Lake Tahoe and the cities around it. Whoever calls, the written estimate spells out what's in and what isn't, like removal, hauling and drainage, so you can compare it with other bids line for line. You can read more about how we work, or about concrete work in South Lake Tahoe.
Permits, frost and runoff in South Lake Tahoe
These three come up on a lot of our South Lake Tahoe jobs, long before anyone talks about color or finish, and they're worth knowing before you get bids.
Permits run through the City
The City requires an encroachment permit for any work on a driveway, and building permits and inspections run through eTRAKiT, the City's online portal, where a contractor's account needs an active California license in good standing. We work out which office your job goes through and help you file before work starts, and when something's unclear, we ask the City instead of guessing.
Driveways and stormwater runoff
The City expects a driveway to be paved with an acceptable material, to have what it calls a BMP to manage stormwater runoff, and to meet the land coverage rules of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, which the City names as the authority on coverage in the basin. That's one more reason we check where the water runs before we plan a slab.
Frost below and cold above
The City's code puts every exterior footing or pier at least 18 inches below finished grade to protect it from frost. Cold works on fresh slabs too, so I'll tell you straight when a pour should wait for a better week, because concrete that freezes in its first days, while it's still curing and gaining strength, is money thrown away.
What happens after you call
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the day we hand it back, so you know what comes when and what you'll need to decide along the way.
- 1
Call or send the form
Call (530) 307-5972 or send the form with a few lines about the job. I answer the phone myself, and if I miss you, you'll hear back within one business day.
- 2
I visit and write it up
I come out to see the job, ask what it has to carry and check what's around it, like the slope and where water runs. The written estimate is free and carries no obligation, so take your time comparing it.
- 3
Prep, form and pour
Once you say go, we sort out the permit side and get buried lines marked before anyone digs. Then we pick a pour date the weather allows, pack the base, set the forms, and pour and finish with me on site.
- 4
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, I walk the job with you and leave plain care instructions, including how long to stay off it. Fresh concrete keeps gaining strength for days after the pour, so that wait matters as much as the finish.
Concrete finishes and builds
These photos show common concrete work and finishes, from plain broom-finished slabs to stamped patterns, steps and retaining walls, to help you picture what you're after.
Common questions about concrete work in South Lake Tahoe
How much does a concrete driveway or patio cost in South Lake Tahoe?
It depends on your site, so the real answer is a free written estimate after I've seen it. The biggest swings come from tearing out and hauling old concrete, how much soft ground has to be dug out for the base, drainage work, and finishes like stamping or color. A plain broom finish costs less than a decorative one.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
Longer than most people expect, because concrete keeps curing and gaining strength for days after it looks hard. You'll be able to walk on it well before you can drive on it, and cold nights slow both down. At the walk-through I'll give you the wait for your slab and the weather it was poured in.
Will my new concrete crack like the old slab did?
Any slab can crack, but how and where depends mostly on what's under it and how it was cut. Old slabs usually fail from a base that was raked level instead of packed, water running underneath, or joints cut late. We pack the base, slope it away from the house and cut control joints on time.
What do I need to do before you pour my new concrete?
Clear the area and point out what we can't see. Move cars, planters and anything stored on the old slab, and tell us about sprinkler lines, drains or yard lighting, because buried utility marking usually covers public lines, not private ones. On pour day, keep a clear path for the concrete truck.
How much can a contractor ask for as a down payment in California?
Not much. For home improvement work, the state Contractors State License Board caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. It applies to every home improvement project in California, so it's worth knowing before you sign any bid, ours included.
Tell me about your concrete job
Permits and weather set the pace, so the sooner I see your job, the sooner it's on the calendar. Call (530) 307-5972 or use the contact form, and I'll reply within one business day.