Concrete Contractor in Norfolk, VA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
Advantage Portsmouth Concrete pours driveways, patios, steps, garage floors and foundations for homes and properties in Norfolk, VA. Our crew digs out and packs the base under every slab, so it holds its shape and drains away from your house.
Concrete work for Norfolk homes
Norfolk is a short drive across the river from our base in Portsmouth, and we work there much the way we do at home and in Chesapeake. Many of the calls we get come from older neighborhoods where the houses sit close together, the driveway runs along a narrow side yard and the back patio has to fit between a fence and the house.
Those tight lots change how a pour goes. When the truck can't reach the back yard, we plan how the concrete will get there before the day comes. On older places we often find the old slab was laid on raked dirt, so tearing it out and building a proper subgrade, the packed layer the slab sits on, is usually the biggest part of the job.
What happens when you call us about a Norfolk job
Call or send a message
Please call (757) 731-7248 or use the form, and we'll set a time to come see the job. You don't need measurements or plans ready.
I look over the site
I come out myself, check where the water runs and ask how you'll use the concrete, because a driveway for two cars needs more than a path to the shed. Your price turns on the size, the tear-out and the base work, and I'll explain each of those in your estimate.
We handle permits and pour
When the job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections, and the city doesn't let work move past a stage until its inspection passes. The schedule mostly turns on those inspections, the weather and curing, the days fresh concrete needs to harden before you put weight on it.
We walk the finished slab
I walk the finished work with you and point out the control joints, the cuts we make so the slab cracks along a straight line instead of wherever it likes. You don't need to be home for the pour, but I'd like you there for this last walk.
Concrete work we do in Norfolk
Most Norfolk calls are for driveways and back patios on older, narrow lots, along with steps and walks that have cracked or pulled away from the house over the years. Our concrete patio construction work suits a lot of the small yards here, and everything else we pour and cut is listed below.
- 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
What signs mean your Norfolk concrete needs work?
Many driveways and patios on older Norfolk homes were poured on thin bases long ago, so these signs usually point to trouble underneath the slab rather than on top.
- Cracks that keep getting wider
- A slab sinking at one corner
- Water pooling against the house
- Chipping or flaking top surface
- Steps pulling away from the house
- Uneven edges that catch your feet
Should you repair or replace concrete in Norfolk?
A repair makes sense when the slab is still solid and the trouble is only on top, like a few hairline cracks or a chipped edge. If the slab has sunk, tilts toward the house or cracks again after a patch, the problem is the base underneath, and no patch reaches that, so I'll usually recommend replacing it.
Replacement brings the real choice, which is how to split your budget between the base and the finish. Many people want to cut the base first because nobody sees it on day one. I'd rather you choose a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives your feet grip, and keep the full dig-out and packed base, because a fancy top on a weak base cracks just the same.
Hiring a local concrete contractor in Norfolk
The City of Norfolk only lets a licensed contractor pull permits for work within their own trade, and a Virginia master's license holder can only pull them for jobs in their trade up to $1,000 in scope. So when you compare contractors, please ask whether they can pull the permit for your concrete work themselves.
Norfolk also has its own business license, handled by the Commissioner of the Revenue, with a guide written for contractors from out of town, so it's a fair question for anyone not based in the city. We're licensed and insured, and I learned this work on a municipal crew pouring sidewalks, curbs and steps to city standards before I started this business in 2013.
Respect for your Norfolk home
I'd rather explain something twice than have you surprised later, so before we start I'll go over where the forms go, where the truck will park and when you can use the new slab. Our crew keeps the mess to the work area, protects your lawn and beds where we can, and cleans up before we leave.
Thank you for reading this far. If anything here or in your estimate isn't clear, please ask, because the parts nobody sees once the concrete is down are the parts I care about most. Our promise is simple. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
You can count on a base dug out and packed, a slope that carries water away from your house, and joints cut where they belong.
Call about your Norfolk concrete job
A quick call to (757) 731-7248 lets me hear what's happening with your slab and set a time to see it in person.
Get a free on-site estimate in Norfolk
Tell us where the job is and what's going on with your concrete. We respond within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book.
Norfolk concrete questions, answered
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway in Norfolk?
On its permits page, the City of Norfolk lists driveways for one and two family homes among the work that doesn't need a building permit, but a driveway entrance at the street goes through the city's separate roadway permits. Concrete for an addition or other new construction does need a building permit, so I check what applies to your job before we start and pull anything that's needed.
Who can pull a building permit in Norfolk, the homeowner or the contractor?
A property owner, a tenant or a contractor can apply, but the city highly recommends that the contractor doing the work take out the permit as the responsible party. If you pull it yourself for your own work, you also have to submit an affidavit accepting responsibility for everything under it. When our job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections ourselves.
How long does a Norfolk building permit stay valid?
According to the city's permit packet, a permit is void if the work hasn't started within 6 months, or if it stops for 6 months after it starts. We plan the start date when we pull the permit so it doesn't sit unused.
How much does a new concrete driveway or patio cost in Norfolk?
The price depends mostly on the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs. A driveway that carries cars needs more slab and more rebar, the steel that holds a cracked slab together, than a patio, and a stamped or decorative finish costs more than a broom finish. I'll give you your own figure once I've seen the site.
What causes a concrete driveway to sink or crack?
Most sinking and cracking starts under the slab, when the dirt was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settled along with it. Cracks also show up in odd places when the joints were cut late or skipped, and a slab that falls toward the house sends water where it does damage. We dig out and pack the base, set the slope away from the house and cut the joints on time.
Do I need an elevation certificate for a garage slab in a Norfolk flood zone?
Yes, the city requires an elevation certificate in a flood zone for new houses, garages, additions and pools, though not for decks and piers. If your lot is in a flood zone, plan on that certificate for a new garage slab or addition foundation, and we'll account for it when we plan the permit.
Other cities we work in
Choose your city below to see our page for it, or call (757) 731-7248 if yours isn't listed, since we work in many of the cities around Portsmouth.