Concrete Contractor in Smithfield, VA - Slabs Built on a Packed Base
Advantage Portsmouth Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Portsmouth that pours driveways, patios, steps, garage floors and footings for homes and properties in Smithfield, VA, with the base, slope and joints planned before the truck arrives.
Concrete work for Smithfield homes
We're a concrete contractor based in Portsmouth, VA, and Smithfield is one of the cities we come out to, along with neighbors like Carrollton and Suffolk. The work here runs from front steps and patios on older homes near the center of town to longer driveways on newer houses farther out. The first thing I check is whether your address falls inside the limits of the Town of Smithfield, because its planning department only covers ground inside them.
The price moves mostly with the size of the slab, how much digging and base work the ground needs and how close we can get a truck. The schedule turns on any permits and on dry weather for the pour, and I'll give you your own figures at the estimate. Some yards here stay soft after a rain, so we put our care into the subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, and into making the water run away from your house.
What happens when you call us about a Smithfield job
Call or write with your address
Please tell us about the job by phone at (757) 731-7248 or through the form, and include your address so I can check which offices apply. We'll set a time to see it, and it helps if you're home so I can ask how you plan to use the concrete.
I come out to look
I come out myself and look at the ground, the slope and where the water goes now, because those decide how the base and the pour are planned. Then I give you an estimate, so you know the price before anything is booked.
We handle permits, then pour
If the job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections, and when a job needs both a town zoning permit and a county building permit, the county permit has to follow within six months of the town's. Then I run the work with our own crew, from digging out and packing the base to the pour and the finish.
Walk the finished slab together
When we're done, I walk the work with you and point out the control joints, the cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack. I'll also tell you when you can walk and drive on it, since concrete needs time to cure, which is the wait while it gains its strength.
Concrete services for Smithfield properties
Around Smithfield, most of our calls are for driveways that have cracked or sunk, patios that hold puddles and front steps that have pulled away from the house, which we rebuild as part of our concrete steps construction. Property owners here also call us for footings, foundation work and parking lots.
- 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
How do you know Smithfield concrete needs attention?
Most concrete trouble around a Smithfield house starts underneath, with a base that settled or water running the wrong way, so these signs are worth a look.
- Cracks that keep getting wider
- One slab sinking below the next
- Water pooling after a rain
- Slab sloping toward the house
- Chipping or a dusty top layer
- Steps pulling away from the house
Should you repair or replace concrete in Smithfield?
If the cracks are thin and the slab is still level, a repair is usually enough, and I'll tell you so at the estimate. When a section has sunk, tips toward your house or breaks up across its width, the trouble is usually the base underneath, and patching the top won't fix what's under it.
When we do replace, I'd ask you to spend on the base before the finish. Nobody sees the base once the concrete is down, which is why it's the first thing a tight budget cuts. A slab poured on raked dirt settles with the dirt, while a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps feet from slipping, on a dug-out and packed base holds up far better than a fancy surface on a weak one.
Why a nearby concrete contractor helps in Smithfield
Before you hire anyone, please ask who will actually be on your property. With us, I come out to see the job myself and then run the work alongside our own crew, so the person who gave you the estimate is the one making sure the base gets packed and the joints get cut.
We've been pouring concrete since 2013, and I learned the trade on a municipal crew building sidewalks, curbs and steps to city standards. That's where I picked up the habit of planning the base, slope and joints before a single truck is ordered, and it's how we still work on every Smithfield job, small or large.
Our commitment to you in Smithfield
We treat your yard, lawn and driveway as if they were ours, keep the trucks where we agreed and clean up before we leave. I'll explain what we're doing and why before we start, because I'd rather explain something twice than have you surprised later. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
The base, the drainage and the joints get as much care as the surface you'll look at every day.
Call about your Smithfield concrete job
Please call (757) 731-7248 and describe the job and its address, so I can come to the estimate with the right questions ready.
Get a free on-site estimate in Smithfield
Tell us about the job and your address. We'll reply within one business day to set my visit, and the on-site estimate is free with no pressure to book.
Questions from Smithfield homeowners
Who handles building permits for concrete work in Smithfield, VA?
Isle of Wight County handles building permits and inspections, while the Town of Smithfield issues zoning permits for work inside the town limits. The town's zoning list, on its zoning permit page, names homes, additions, decks, sheds, fences and similar work, and most jobs that need a town zoning permit also need a county building permit. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections ourselves.
How do I find out if my driveway or patio needs a permit in Smithfield?
Call the Isle of Wight County Permits Office at 757-365-6213, which can tell you whether your job needs a building permit. The town's zoning list doesn't name driveways or patios, so I won't guess at your answer. If it isn't clear, we check with the building office before any work starts.
What license does a concrete contractor need to work in Smithfield, VA?
A concrete contractor needs a Virginia contractor license from the state Board for Contractors, and also has to meet the local licensing rules where the job is. Each state license pairs a class, which sets how large a project it covers, with a specialty for the type of work, and the contractor has to show it before a permit is issued. For a job valued at over $25,000, the applicant also needs to contact the Town of Smithfield Treasurer's Office about a business license. We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask about it at the estimate.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Smithfield, VA?
The cost depends on your driveway's size, thickness and ground, so I give you a figure at the estimate after seeing the site rather than guessing over the phone. Tearing out an old slab, extra base work on soft ground, rebar, the steel that holds a slab together if it cracks, and a stamped or decorative surface all raise it. A simple shape with easy truck access keeps it down.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it in Smithfield?
Walking on it comes first and driving comes later, and I'll give you both days for your slab before we pour so you can plan around being without the driveway. Driving waits longer because a car puts far more weight on the slab while it's still curing. Thank you for keeping cars, trailers and delivery trucks off it until then, because early weight is a common cause of cracks.
What causes new concrete to crack, and will mine crack like the old one?
Concrete shrinks as it dries, so most slabs crack somewhere, and what matters is whether it cracks where we planned. We cut the control joints on time, add rebar where the job calls for it and pour on a dug-out, packed base so the slab doesn't settle with the dirt. Old slabs around Smithfield usually crack badly because the base was only raked level or the joints were cut late or skipped.
Nearby cities we serve, and more
Please pick your city below for its own page, or call (757) 731-7248 if yours isn't listed, since we work in many of the cities around Portsmouth.