Concrete Contractor in Solon, OH - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Bedrock Solon Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Solon, OH. We build driveways, patios, steps, garage floors and foundations for Solon homeowners, and I come out to look at every job myself.
Most Solon jobs start with an old slab
Most of our calls in Solon come from homeowners on suburban lots with a driveway up to the garage, a patio out back and a few front steps. On a lot of those houses the concrete has been down long enough to sink, crack or start holding puddles. We also pour garage floors, footings and foundation work around the city, and we do the same kind of work next door in Bainbridge and the other cities around Solon.
That age shapes the job, because most new work here starts with breaking out the old concrete and finding out what it was poured on.
Working in Solon: permits, registration and price
In Solon, the Building Department issues most building permits, and the city requires them for a wide range of projects, so we check with the department on your job before we set a pour date instead of guessing. If you're redoing a driveway, the city keeps its driveway permit application and a drainage questionnaire with the Engineering Department instead. Either way, a permit puts the city's review on the schedule. Solon also wants every contractor registered with the city for the year before doing any work there, so ask whoever bids your job whether they are. We're licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit we file it and schedule the inspections.
What moves your price is mostly the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out and how much base your lot needs. The schedule turns on the permit review and on curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before you use it. I come out and give you a written estimate for your own job, whether it's a new concrete driveway or a back patio, and it's the same straight bid we write for homeowners in Bedford Heights and the other cities nearby.
Concrete work we do in Solon
- 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
Sinking slabs here usually start with the base
When a Solon driveway or patio has dropped at one corner or cracked across the middle, the cause is usually underneath. The subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, was raked level and never dug out and packed, so it settled and took the concrete with it. We dig down to firm ground, bring in base stone and pack it in layers. That's the part I won't cut to hit a lower number, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the slab stays flat. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you skip the stamped finish than skimp under it.
Pooling water is the other thing we see a lot, usually a patio or driveway that falls toward the house or garage so the rain runs back at the foundation. Before we set forms I check where the water goes now and where it should go, and we pitch the new slab away from the house.
Get a written estimate for your Solon concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out to your Solon property, measure and look at the site, then give you a free written estimate that lists what's included, with no obligation.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Solon
Call or send the form
Call (440) 560-8533 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to know roughly what you want poured and whether the old concrete is coming out.
I measure and check the site
I do the estimate myself, measuring the area and looking at truck access and where water runs on your lot. If you can, move cars and anything stored on the slab before I get there.
Go over your written estimate
You get a written estimate that spells out tear-out, base work, rebar and finish, so nothing gets added back later. Ask me about any line that doesn't make sense to you.
We file any needed permit
When the city wants a permit, we file it and line up the inspections, and the city says its review currently takes 7 to 10 business days. We set your pour date around that.
Pour, finish and walk through
Our crew forms, pours and finishes the slab, with me or our foreman running the job. Then I walk the finished job with you and go over how to treat it, because the first winter matters.
Driveways, patios and steps in concrete
Questions about concrete work in Solon
Does a concrete contractor need to register with the city of Solon?
Yes. Solon requires every contractor to get a certificate of registration from the Chief Building Official before doing any work in the city, and it's renewed each calendar year. Registration calls for general liability insurance of $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate with the city listed as an additional insured, plus a $25,000 bond form and a $100 fee. It's fair to ask anyone bidding your job whether they're registered this year.
What goes into a building permit application in Solon, Ohio?
The city wants its residential or commercial application, two sets of construction drawings or one digital copy, and a site plan and elevations if they apply. Before a permit is issued, every contractor on the job is listed and registered, or the applicant fills out a Homeowner Affidavit. The city's permit applications page links to a guide on whether a job needs a permit, and when yours does, we file it.
Which building code covers concrete work at a detached house in Solon?
The Residential Code of Ohio covers detached one-, two- and three-family houses and the structures accessory to them. Solon's Building Department enforces the codes the Ohio Board of Building Standards adopts, which means reviewing drawings, issuing permits and doing the required inspections. We build to what the inspector checks and schedule those inspections ourselves.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Solon, OH?
A Solon driveway is priced on its size, how much old concrete we break out and haul off, and how much base we dig out and pack, all of which I measure on site. Thickness moves it next, and so does rebar, the steel inside the slab that holds cracks tight. A plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires grip, costs less than stamped. Your written estimate lists every one of those.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Solon?
You can usually walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, and I give you both dates when we pour, since they shift with the weather. Driving on it while it's still curing can break the edges. Through the first winter, go easy on deicer and keep heavy trucks off it, because young concrete is still building strength.
How do I keep a new concrete patio from cracking like my old one?
Start with a packed base and control joints, the lines we cut so the slab cracks along them instead of across the middle. Concrete shrinks as it hardens, so some cracking is normal, and the point is to put it where you won't notice. We cut joints on time and pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry weak and dusty in the heat.
Call us about your Solon driveway, patio or steps
Call (440) 560-8533 or use the form, since starting early leaves room for the city's permit review before the date you want.