Concrete Contractor in Hampton, VA - Driveways and Patios Built to Drain
Advantage Portsmouth Concrete is a concrete contractor serving Hampton, VA. We pour driveways, patios, steps, garage floors, footings and foundations, with the base dug out and packed and the slope set so water runs away from your house.
Our concrete work in Hampton, VA
We're a concrete contractor in Portsmouth, VA, and Hampton is one of the cities across the water where we're glad to work. Many of the calls we get here sound like the ones from Newport News next door and from Norfolk. A driveway has cracked straight through, a patio has started to tip toward the back door, or the front steps have pulled away from the house. Homeowners also ask us for new garage floors and wider driveways, and property owners call about footings and foundation work.
Water is what we plan around most in Hampton. The city says many homes here flood when disasters hit and that nuisance flooding has become more frequent, so before we set any forms I look at where the water runs on your property and make sure the new slab carries it away from the house.
What happens when you call us about a Hampton job
Call or send the form
Please call (757) 731-7248 or use the form, and tell us a little about the driveway, patio or slab you have in mind. We take calls seven days a week and set a time for me to come see the job.
I come out and look
I come out myself, walk the site with you and ask how you'll use the concrete, because a patio for a grill and a driveway for a work truck need different thickness and steel. I also check where the water runs and whether the spot may need a permit, and then I give you a price for your job before anything is booked.
We prepare, pour and finish
If you go ahead, I run the job with our own crew and take care of any permits and inspections first. We dig out and pack the base, set the slope, pour, give the top a broom finish if you want a light texture for grip, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, while the concrete is still fresh.
Walk the finished slab together
When the work is done, I walk it with you and explain how long to stay off it while it cures, which is the wait while the concrete gains strength. Please ask me anything then, because I'd rather answer a question twice than leave you guessing.
Concrete services for Hampton homes
Most of our Hampton calls are for driveways, patios, steps and garage floors that have cracked or settled, and for new slabs sloped to carry water away from the house. Homeowners who want more than plain gray ask about decorative concrete, and property owners call us for footings, foundation work and foundation raising.
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Does your Hampton driveway or patio need attention?
In a city where water sits close to so many homes, small changes in a slab are worth catching early, before water gets under it and softens the base.
- Cracks running across the slab
- One section sitting lower
- Water pooling after rain
- Slab tipping toward the house
- Chipping or flaking surface
- Steps pulling away from house
Should you repair or replace concrete in Hampton?
If the cracks are few and the slab is still level, a repair usually makes sense. We can saw out a broken or sunken section and pour a new one tied into the rest, as long as the base under the good concrete is sound. I'll tell you plainly if I think it is.
When the slab has cracked all over, sunk in several spots or sends water toward the house, the base underneath has usually failed, and patching the top only hides it for a while. That's when I recommend replacing it. The base is the part nobody sees once the concrete is down, so it's often the first thing a budget cuts, but I'd rather spend your money there than on a fancier finish over weak ground.
Hiring a licensed concrete contractor in Hampton
Please check that whoever pours your concrete holds a license from the Virginia Board for Contractors, which licenses businesses that build or repair on property owned by others. The license class sets how large a contract the business may take on and its specialty sets the kind of work, so it's worth confirming both fit your job. A contractor also needs a business license from Hampton's Commissioner of the Revenue before working in the city.
We're licensed and insured, and we've been pouring concrete since 2013. I learned the trade on a municipal crew, building sidewalks, curbs and steps to city standards. I come out to see each job myself and run the work alongside our own crew, so the person who planned your slab is the one standing there on the day of the pour.
Respect for your Hampton home
Before we start, I'll tell you where the trucks will park, what the crew will dig out and how we'll protect your lawn, beds and the rest of your property. We keep the site tidy while we work, clean up before we leave and let you know right away if a time we agreed on has to change.
I'd rather explain something twice than have you surprised later, so I go through each step, the reason for it and what it means for you. If something under the old slab changes the plan once it's out, I stop and talk it over with you first. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
You can count on the base, the slope and the joints being planned before any truck arrives, and on a plain explanation of each step.
Plan your Hampton concrete job with us
Please call before you settle on a size or finish, so drainage and permit questions get answered while plans are easy to change.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Hampton concrete
Please tell us what you'd like poured and where in Hampton. We reply within one business day to set a visit, and I give you a free estimate on site with no obligation.
Hampton concrete questions, answered
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway or patio in Hampton, VA?
The city says a new driveway or patio needs a permit if your home sits inside a Chesapeake Bay protection zone or if the work disturbs more than 10,000 square feet of land. Those zones reach 200 feet from certain wetlands and waterways, and sometimes from ditches that drain to the bay, so a house that can't see the water may still be inside one. When a permit is needed, we pull it and schedule the inspections, and when it isn't clear, we check with the city's Development Services Center before work starts.
Do I need a permit for concrete footings for a deck or shed in Hampton?
Yes, the city says building a deck or a shed needs a permit, as do a new home, an addition and a pool. When we pour footings or a slab for that kind of project, we pull the permit and schedule the inspections ourselves before we dig.
Who can apply for a building permit in Hampton, VA?
The city issues permits to the landowner, the landowner's agent or a contractor licensed by both the state and the city. You can apply, request inspections, check a permit's status and pay fees online at any hour through the city's Permits Center. On our jobs, we pull the permit ourselves when one is required.
How do Hampton floodplain rules affect foundation or slab work?
The city requires a review and a permit for all proposed development in the 100-year floodplain, so it's worth knowing before you plan new concrete there. For work on the house itself, improvements worth half or more of the building's market value must meet the rules for new buildings and may mean raising the house above the 100-year flood level, and a badly damaged building faces the same standard whatever caused the damage. If your home may be in the floodplain, I check with the city before we plan anything.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Hampton, VA?
The cost of a Hampton driveway depends on its size and thickness, how much old concrete and dirt has to come out, the base it needs and the finish you choose, so I give you a price after I've seen the site. Rebar, the steel bars that help hold a slab together, adds to the price, and so do stamped or colored finishes, while a plain broom finish keeps it lower. The schedule turns mostly on whether a permit is needed and on curing before the slab can take traffic.
What causes concrete driveways in Hampton to crack and sink?
Most cracking and sinking comes from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settles as the dirt under it moves. Water running under the slab or toward the house makes that worse, and joints cut late or skipped let the concrete crack wherever it likes. We pack the base, slope the slab away from the house, avoid pouring in the midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top, and cut the joints on time, so the cracks that do come stay where we planned them.
Other cities we serve, and maybe yours
Please choose another city below to see our work there, or call (757) 731-7248 if yours isn't listed, since we work in many cities around Portsmouth.