Concrete Contractor in Bedford, OH - Driveways, Patios and Steps for Older Homes
Bedrock Solon Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Solon that tears out and replaces driveways, patios, steps, walks and garage floors in Bedford, and pours footings and foundations for garages and additions.
Bedford's older houses come with old concrete
Most of the Bedford calls we get are about concrete that's been there a long time. A lot of the houses here are older and set close together on narrow lots, with a single driveway running back to a detached garage, a short walk up to the front steps and a patio that's had decades to settle. The streets feel a lot like the ones next door in Bedford Heights and Maple Heights, and we see the same things in all three. Slabs have sunk at the garage, steps are pulling away from the house and water sits where it shouldn't.
That age shapes the job before we pour anything. The old concrete has to come out, and the ground under it is often thin or washed out, so we dig down and rebuild the base instead of pouring over the problem. On a tight lot we also plan how the truck and the crew reach the back of the house, and when a garage or an addition needs new footings and walls, that's our foundation installation work.
Working in Bedford: the permit, the base and the price
In Bedford, whether your concrete job needs a permit is the city's call, and for most work the answer is yes. The city's Building Department issues permits for most construction, alteration or repair work, and that covers driveways and patios, so the permit and its inspections decide when your job can start. We're licensed and insured, we file the permit and line up the inspections, and we check with the Building Department before we start instead of guessing. If you'd like to ask about your own project first, they take calls at (440) 735-6530.
What moves the price here is mostly the work you never see. That means tearing out and hauling off the old slab, how much bad base has to be dug out and replaced, the steel that goes in, how far the crew wheels concrete when the truck can't reach, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit and on a dry day for the pour. Your written estimate lists each of those, the same way we write them up in Solon and the other cities around it.
Concrete work we do in Bedford
- 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
Sunken slabs and water at the house bring most calls
A lot of the driveways and patios we look at in Bedford sit on a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so they sank with the dirt underneath and cracked wherever they wanted. A new top over that just repeats the problem. We take the old concrete out and rebuild the base, and we set rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it does crack, where the slab needs it. Then we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack instead of a random one. The trade-off I bring up on estimates is the base. It's buried the day we pour, so it's the first thing a tight budget wants to cut, and it's the last thing I'd cut, because it decides whether your slab stays flat.
The other call is about water. Old slabs often tip back toward the house or the garage, so rain pools at the door or runs at the foundation wall. Before we set forms, we check where the water runs and pitch the new slab away from the house.
Get a free written estimate for your Bedford concrete
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Bedford house myself, measure and look at the access, and you get a written estimate that lists what's included. There's no obligation.
How a Bedford concrete job goes from call to walkthrough
Call or send the form
Call (440) 560-8533 or send the form and tell us what you have in mind. We set a time for me to come out to your house.
I measure and check access
I measure, check the old base and the slope, and look at how the truck reaches your lot. You get a written estimate that spells out the tear-out, base work, steel and finish.
We file the Bedford permit
We send the application and any construction documents to the city, and once it approves them, it contacts us so the permit can be issued. That's when we set the pour date.
Our crew forms and pours
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets forms and pours, with me or our foreman running the job and the city inspecting the stages your permit calls for. We finish the surface, usually with a broom finish, a light texture that gives shoes and tires grip, and then cut the joints.
Final inspection and walkthrough
The city requires a final inspection on every permit, and we schedule it. I walk the finished job with you and go over how to treat the new concrete, because the first winter matters.
Concrete driveways, patios and steps
Bedford concrete questions homeowners ask
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway or patio in Bedford, Ohio?
Yes. The city's permit list names driveways, patios, retaining walls and site work that changes the grade, and it says the list isn't limited to those items. Some jobs fall under the exempted work in the Ohio residential code, so if yours is small, ask the Building Department. When your job needs a permit, we file it.
How do I apply for a building permit in Bedford?
You can apply in person at the Building Department, Monday through Friday, or online through the city's permit portal, where plan reviews also go. The owner or the owner's representative files a written application with any required construction documents, and the city contacts the applicant once they're approved. On our jobs, we do the filing.
What inspections does Bedford require after a concrete permit is issued?
Inspections are required once the permit is issued, and which ones you get depends on the scope of the job. A foundation job, for example, can include a foundation inspection, and every permit ends with a final inspection. We schedule them and have the work ready when the inspector comes.
How do I compare concrete driveway quotes in Bedford?
Check that each quote covers the same work, line by line. Some bids leave out the tear-out or the base and add them back once the job starts, which is how a cheap quote gets expensive. Ours lists the tear-out, base, steel and finish, because I'd rather lose the job than leave something out.
What building code applies to a concrete driveway or patio in Bedford?
For homes, the city enforces the Bedford Dwelling House Code, which takes in the Residential Code of Ohio. The department is state certified and uses the Ohio Residential Code for one, two and three family houses and the Ohio Building Code for commercial work like a parking lot. The city's own building and zoning codes apply too, which is why we check with the department before we start.
How long does new concrete take before I can drive on it?
Usually you can walk on it after a day or so and drive on it after about a week. That wait is curing, the time the concrete needs to gain strength, and driving on it early is how edges chip and cracks start. I'll tell you when your slab is ready and how to look after it through its first winter.
Call about your Bedford driveway, patio or steps
Call (440) 560-8533 or use the contact form, and send a photo of the old concrete so I know what's coming out before I visit.