Concrete Contractor in Bedford Heights, OH - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
Bedrock Solon Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Solon, OH. We pour driveways, patios, steps, walks and garage floors and do foundation work for homeowners in Bedford Heights, starting with the base under the slab.
Driveways and patios here usually fail from below
Bedford Heights is a short drive from us in Solon, and most of the calls we get here are the everyday kind. A driveway has cracked across the middle, a patio has tipped back toward the house, or one slab of the front walk sits an inch higher than the next. Most come from homeowners, and some come from businesses with walks or a lot to replace. We do the same work next door in Warrensville Heights and Bedford.
When I look at those jobs, the cause is usually under the slab, not in it. That's why the base is where most of the time and money go on a replacement here.
Working in Bedford Heights: permits, registration and price
In Bedford Heights, permits go through the Building Commissioner, and the city's Building Code says work can start only once every permit, inspection and approval it requires is secured, so the city's sign-off sets our start date. The city also gives permits only to contractors registered with it, which makes registration the first thing to ask anyone bidding your job, along with the state license of any electrician or plumber who's part of it. Rules differ from one city to the next, so I check with the building department here before we start, and when your job needs a permit we file it and schedule the inspections.
Price moves with the size of the slab, whether old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs, how thick the slab is and whether it gets rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on that permit and on curing, the days new concrete needs to harden before it can take weight. My written estimate puts the tear-out and the base on their own lines, because too many bids leave those out and add them back later, and I'd rather lose the job than work that way.
Concrete work in Bedford Heights
- 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
Water and old bases decide how long a slab lasts
Most of the sinking and pooling water we see comes back to two things. Either the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, or the slab pitches so water runs toward the house and under the edges. On a replacement we dig out the soft material, pack a new base, and check where the water goes before the forms go up, so the new slab sheds water away from your foundation. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the concrete where to crack, while the slab is still fresh, because joints cut late do nothing and the slab picks its own lines.
Patios get their own attention here, because the city's Building Code has a chapter just for decks and patios. Before we start a new concrete patio, I check with the building department on what it asks for at your address.
Get a free written estimate for your Bedford Heights concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Bedford Heights property. I measure, look at the site and the access, and give you a written estimate that lists what's included. It's free, with no obligation.
How a concrete job runs in Bedford Heights
Call or send the form
Call (440) 560-8533 or use the form and tell us what's going on with your slab. We set a time for me to come out.
I measure and write it up
I look at the site, the access for the truck and where the water runs, then give you a written estimate that lists the tear-out, the base and the finish. It helps if you can show me where water sits after a rain.
We handle permits and inspections
If your job needs a permit, we file it with the city and line up the inspections. Your pour date follows the approval, not the other way around.
Our crew forms and pours
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms, pours and finishes, with me or our foreman running the job. Driveways and walks usually get a broom finish, a light brushed texture that keeps the surface from getting slick when it's wet.
Walk the finished job together
I walk the job with you and tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it while it cures. I'll also go over how to treat it through its first winter, because that winter matters.
Concrete driveways, patios and steps
Concrete questions from Bedford Heights homeowners
Does my concrete contractor need to register with the city of Bedford Heights?
Yes. Bedford Heights requires contractors to register, and it issues permits only to registered contractors, so ask anyone bidding your job whether they are. You can read the city's contractor registration rules yourself.
How do I get a concrete permit as a homeowner in Bedford Heights?
You can apply under the city's homeowner's exception if it's your own home or you're acting as your own general contractor, by giving the Building Commissioner an affidavit that spells out what you'll do and what others will do. Anyone you hire who does that work as a business still has to be registered. The commissioner can approve or deny it based on what you submit, your qualifications or the size of the job.
How do I look up a contractor's license in Ohio?
Use the state's online license search and start by picking the license type. Ohio licenses electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration contractors, so it's where you'd check an electrician you bring in for driveway lights. Concrete isn't on that list, so for the slab itself, city registration is the check.
Where do I check flood hazard for my address in Bedford Heights?
Start with FEMA's flood map viewers, the MSC or the NFHL Viewer, which FEMA calls the best place to begin for official flood hazard determinations, and they work for any Bedford Heights address. It's worth a look before you plan a new driveway or patio. At the estimate, I'll look at where water actually runs on your lot and slope the new slab away from the house.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Bedford Heights?
Your price comes from the driveway's size, the tear-out, the base work and the finish, and the finish is where you have the most say. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If the budget is tight, cut the finish and keep the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's what keeps the slab from sinking. My written estimate prices it for your driveway.
How long do I have to stay off a new concrete driveway?
Usually you can walk on it after a day or two and drive a car on it after about a week, longer for anything heavy like a moving truck. Concrete keeps gaining strength as it cures, so weight on it too early can crack the edges. I'll give you your own dates at the walk-through, since the mix, the thickness and that week's weather all play in.
Tell us about your Bedford Heights concrete job
Call (440) 560-8533 or send the form with a line about what's cracking or holding water, so I know what to look at first.