Who we are, how we work, and what happens after you call about your driveway, patio or slab.
I came to concrete later than most. I spent years in other work, then learned the trade on a finishing crew, out on driveways and slabs with a trowel in my hand. In 2021 I started South Lake Tahoe Concrete, a concrete contractor based here in South Lake Tahoe, CA. We're still a small crew, and I still answer the phone myself.
Finishing taught me early that the top of a slab gets all the attention, but the subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, decides whether it stays flat. So does where the water runs. A slab poured on raked dirt can look fine the first week and start sinking a winter or two later, so the dull prep work is where I spend my time.
Most of our calls come from homeowners, along with some property managers and small business owners. What they want from a contractor is a straight answer on cost and a straight answer on timing, even when the answer isn't what they hoped to hear. I'd rather give you the bad news up front than have you pay for a shortcut later.
We're licensed and insured, and the way we work comes down to a few habits. Here's what they mean for you when we're building your driveway, patio or slab.
The person who looks at your job and writes the estimate is me, and I'm on site when the concrete goes in. Nothing gets lost between what we talked about in your driveway and what the crew builds. If something under the old slab changes the plan, you hear it from the same person.
Concrete needs time to cure, the days it spends gaining strength before you use it, and if it freezes too early that money's gone. When the forecast is wrong for a pour, I'll tell you to wait for a better week. Nobody likes the delay, but tearing out a slab that froze costs far more.
Our written estimates spell out what's in and what isn't, like tearing out the old slab, hauling it off and drainage work, so you can compare bids line for line. While you're comparing, know that the state licensing board caps a home improvement down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less.
Here's how a job goes with us, from your first call to the day you can use the new concrete. The price turns on what's under the old slab, and the schedule turns on permits and weather.
Call (530) 307-5972 or use our contact form and tell us what you're seeing, like cracks, a sinking patio or water pooling by the house. We get back to you within one business day.
I come out to your property, look at the old concrete, the ground and where the water runs, and write you a free estimate on site. There's no pressure and no obligation to go ahead.
If your job needs a City permit, we figure out which office handles it and help you file before we start. Driveway work needs an encroachment permit from the city. Our crew of form setters and finishers then digs out, packs the base and sets forms.
I'm on site for the pour, and we cut control joints, the grooves that give the slab a chosen place to crack. We clean up and tell you when it's ready to walk on and to drive on. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
South Lake Tahoe Concrete is based in South Lake Tahoe, CA, and we work in the cities around it too. One city has its own page on this site, South Lake Tahoe, and if you're nearby, call and ask.
Call (530) 307-5972 or use the contact form and describe what you're seeing. We'll reply within one business day and set up a time for me to come take a look.
