Concrete Contractor in La Homa, TX - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Packed Base
Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in McAllen, pouring driveways, patios, sidewalks, house slabs and foundations in La Homa, TX, with me on site alongside our crew.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
La Homa homes, lots and the concrete around them
Most of our calls in La Homa come from homeowners with a house on its own lot who want a driveway that finally reaches the street, a patio out back or a slab for a new home. A lot of these properties grew one piece at a time, so we often find a carport pad, a front walk and a driveway poured years apart by different crews, each at its own height. It's the same kind of work we do in Palmview and Mission.
That patchwork shapes the job here. Before I price anything, I want to know what each old slab sits on and which way water runs across the lot, because a new pour tied to a sinking one, or sloped back toward the house, carries the same problem forward.
Concrete services for La Homa homes and lots
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway here has sunk or split, the base usually gave out first, so we dig out soft dirt and pack a firm one before pouring.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio on a La Homa lot needs a fall away from the house, so rain runs to the yard instead of pooling at your back door.
Stamped concrete services
For La Homa homeowners who want a patio or walk that looks like stone or tile, we press the pattern in and set the joints along its lines.
Concrete sidewalk building
A walk from the driveway to the door is often the piece that's sunk or tilted, so we set its height to meet the slabs at each end.
Garage floor concrete
When a La Homa house adds a garage, its floor carries car weight daily, so it gets a packed base and rebar, steel that ties the slab together.
Decorative concrete
Colored, stained or exposed-stone finishes can dress up a plain entry or carport, and we match the finish to how slick or rough you want it underfoot.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a lot was built up higher than the one next door, a concrete retaining wall holds the fill in place and keeps it off the slab below.
Concrete floor installation
For a shop, storage building or room addition, we pour an interior floor flat and level so walls, cabinets and flooring sit right on top of it.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck has to shed splash water away from the pool and house, so we set the slope first and finish the surface so it isn't slick.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that pulled away from the porch or settled crooked get rebuilt with every step the same height, so nobody catches a toe.
Slab foundation building
For a new La Homa house, the slab is the part you'll never see again, so our time goes into the base, the forms and the height.
Foundation installation
Additions, carports and outbuildings need a foundation sized for what sits on them, and we dig and pour it to fit the structure and the dirt it's on.
Concrete parking lot building
A small business lot in La Homa takes turning trucks and daily traffic, so we pour it thicker where trucks turn and plan where the water drains.
Concrete footings
Footings are the concrete under a wall, post or column, and on a La Homa lot we dig them down to firm ground so the load doesn't sink.
Foundation raising
When a slab has dropped on one side and doors start sticking, we find out why it sank before lifting it, because lifting alone rarely lasts.
Concrete cutting
When you need a plumbing trench through a slab or a wider driveway opening, we saw-cut clean, straight lines so the old concrete breaks where we want it.
Get a free estimate for your La Homa concrete job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to see the job. The estimate is free and done at your property, with no pressure and no obligation.
- Based in
- McAllen, TX 78501
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Working in La Homa with Hidalgo County permits
La Homa is a census-designated place in Hidalgo County, and the permits we deal with here come from the Hidalgo County Planning Department. The county wants a development permit before work begins on any structure, so on a new house slab or an addition, the start date waits on the county's approval more than on our calendar. If you're only replacing a driveway or patio, I'll check with the county office for your address before we schedule it, because I'd rather ask than guess. We're licensed and insured, and the questions further down cover how to check the license of anyone else working on your job.
What moves the price here is mostly what's under and around the slab, like how much old concrete comes out, how much soft dirt we replace with packed base, and the size and finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit when there is one, and on curing, the days new concrete needs before it can take weight. If the budget's tight, I'd cut the fancy finish before the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's what decides whether the slab cracks and sinks. Your written estimate spells all of that out for your lot, the same way we price jobs in Donna and the other cities around McAllen.
Why La Homa slabs sink, crack and hold water
A lot of the cracked and sunken concrete we're called out for here was poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled as that dirt did and cracked wherever it wanted. When we replace it, we take the soft ground out, pack a firm subgrade, which is what the slab sits on, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack, as soon as the concrete is hard enough to saw.
The other thing we see is water with nowhere to go. A slab that falls toward the house sends rain to the foundation, so I check where water runs across the whole lot before the forms go up and set the slope to carry it away.
How a concrete job runs when you call us from La Homa
Here's how it goes from your first call to the walk-through, and where the county's steps fit in if your job needs a permit.
Call or send the form
You call or send the form and tell us what's going on with your driveway, patio or slab. We set a time for me to come out, and it helps if you're home so you can walk the lot with me.
I come out and measure
I look at the job myself, ask a lot of questions and take my own measurements, including what the old slab sits on and where the water goes. You get a written estimate before anything is agreed, and if the job needs county paperwork or inspections, we help you line them up.
We prep, pour and finish
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and pours, with me on site. On a foundation, the county asks for a call to the Planning Department 48 hours before the pour so it can inspect setbacks from your property lines and the finished floor height, so we plan the pour day around that call.
We walk the job together
When we're done, I walk the finished work with you and go over when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it. We clean up and haul off the old concrete before we leave.
Questions about concrete work in La Homa
What happens if I start building in La Homa before my Hidalgo County permit is approved?
The county doubles the application fee if construction starts or a structure is moved in before approval. An approved application can also be cancelled if work hasn't started within 6 months, or if it stops for a year at any point after it starts. That's why we schedule a permitted pour once the approval is in hand and keep the job moving after that.
How do I build a concrete slab in a flood zone in La Homa?
In flood zones A, AE, AH or AO, you need a development permit approved by the county floodplain administrator before the county will give a clearance, and it includes an elevation certificate showing the proposed finished floor height and the base flood elevation for your lot. A final clearance takes a second elevation certificate on the finished floor as built. That height decides how high we form the slab, so I want the certificate before we set forms, and you can look up your lot's zone on FEMA's flood map viewer.
Does a new house slab in La Homa need a separate septic permit?
Yes, the county's construction permit form calls for a separate permit to install a septic tank and to verify it went in to all legal requirements. State rules also require a permit to build, install, alter, extend or repair a septic system, and local programs can be stricter. Septic isn't work we do, so we plan the slab around your septic installer's layout.
How do I check a contractor's license in La Homa, TX?
For trades the state licenses, the state's online license search shows whether a person or business holds a current license, and the plumbing board's website has its own lookup. That matters on a new slab, because the plumbing that runs under it is a licensed trade. You're welcome to ask us about our own licensing and insurance at the estimate.
What affects the cost of a concrete driveway in La Homa?
Size, thickness, tear-out of the old driveway and the base work set most of the price, with the finish after that. A house driveway is usually about 4 inches thick and goes thicker where heavy trucks park, and a broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps it from getting slick, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. Your free written estimate puts your own number on it after I've measured.
How long does new concrete need to cure before I can drive on it?
You can usually walk on a new slab after a day or two and park a car on it after about a week, and heavy trucks should wait longer. Concrete keeps gaining strength for weeks, and loading it early is a common reason new driveways crack at the edges. I'll give you the dates for your slab on the walk-through.
Get your La Homa concrete job priced
If your job needs a county permit, calling early gives the paperwork time to clear before the day you want the pour.