Concrete cutting in McAllen TX - clean, straight lines where you need them
Need a trench, an opening or a bad section cut out of a slab? We saw straight lines and plan where the pieces go.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What's involved in cutting a concrete slab?
Concrete cutting in McAllen, TX uses a flat saw to cut straight lines through a slab and a core drill to make round holes for pipes, drains and conduit, so a section can come out or a line can pass through without breaking up the concrete that stays.
There's usually a plan behind the call, like a plumber who needs a trench under the slab, a broken panel in a driveway, or a patio that has to be cut back. The price moves with how long and how deep the cut runs, how much rebar, the steel that holds a slab together, runs through it, how easy it is to reach, and whether you want the pieces broken out and hauled away or only the lines sawn. The schedule mostly turns on whether the slab needs scanning first and whether the work reaches into the city's right-of-way. I measure all of that on site, and your written estimate puts a number on it.
How do you know a slab needs cutting?
A section sank or broke
When one panel of a driveway or walk has dropped or split into pieces while the rest sits fine, the usual fix is to saw it out along straight lines and replace only that part. Left alone, the broken edges keep chipping and the trip edge gets worse, and the cut-out gets bigger as the damage spreads.
A pipe has to go under
A leak under the slab or a new drain line means someone has to get under the concrete, and a narrow sawn trench keeps the opening to the size of the work. A slow leak keeps washing out the ground under the slab, so waiting usually means a bigger opening later.
A slab is in the way
Widening a driveway, adding a walk or making room for a planter often starts with cutting back the concrete that's already there. A straight sawn edge gives the new concrete something clean to meet, where a ragged break is hard to match and tends to show.
How we handle concrete cutting
Before we cut, I want to know where the pieces go afterward, because sawing a line and breaking out and hauling the concrete are separate jobs, and I'd rather settle which ones you need at the start. If there's any chance of cables in the slab, we have it scanned before we cut. A post-tensioned slab has steel cables called tendons pulled tight inside it, and one company's safety checklist says to have a concrete scanning contractor find them and a qualified engineer approve the cut, treating the slab as post-tensioned whenever there's doubt. Then we mark the lines, run a flat saw for straight cuts or a core drill for round holes, and keep the dust or the slurry, the gray paste of water and concrete dust a wet saw leaves, under control as we go.
Cutting is often the first half of the job. When a broken panel comes out of a driveway, the new piece is part of concrete driveway building, and when a patio gets cut back or opened for a drain, concrete patio construction covers the slab that goes back in, sloped so water runs away from the house.
Flat sawing a slab
This suits driveways, patios, walks and floors that need a straight line cut through them, since the saw rides flat on the slab and leaves a clean edge. It's the usual choice for taking out a panel or cutting a trench.
Core drilling a hole
When a pipe, drain or conduit has to pass through, a core drill bores a round hole sized to the line. You get a neat opening without cutting a whole trench.
Dry cutting with dust collection
One tool supplier's guide suggests a shroud on the saw tied to a dust collector and a HEPA vacuum instead of water, which suits a finished room. It cuts more slowly than wet cutting but leaves no slurry behind and can't damage your finishes, while wet cutting is usually the call outdoors.
Get a free estimate for your concrete cut
Send the cut's location, its rough length and a few photos of the slab edge. We respond within 1 business day, and I'll come out for a free estimate at your property with no obligation.
- Based in
- McAllen, TX 78501
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about cutting concrete in McAllen?
Here's how a cutting job goes from your first call to the walk-through, and where a city permit can add a few days.
Call or send the form
Call (956) 331-0213 or send the form with where the cut goes and what it's for. We get back to you to set up a visit.
I measure and ask questions
I come out, look at the slab, ask a lot of questions and take my own measurements. You get a written estimate that says what's included, whether that's sawing only or breaking out and hauling too.
We line up the paperwork
If the cut reaches into the city's right-of-way, we help you line up the permit and plan the cut around it. The city says the permit should be issued within two business days once it has everything it needs, so that time goes into your schedule.
Cut, clean up, walk through
Our crew does the work with me on the job, and we clean up before we leave. When it's done, I walk it with you so you can see the edges and the openings for yourself.
Why McAllen homeowners call Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction for cutting
The one who measures is there
I'm the one who comes out to look at your slab, and our crew does the cutting with me on site. The person who asked about the pipes and the cables is standing there when the saw starts.
Learned on a McAllen crew
I learned concrete pouring flatwork and foundations on a crew here in McAllen, and we've been in business since 2017. Knowing how slabs get poured makes it easier to read what's inside one before the saw does.
Licensed and insured for this work
We're licensed and insured. That matters on a cut near your foundation, your utility lines or the street, where a mistake costs more than the job.
If you have a slab that needs a line or a hole through it, send us the details or call (956) 331-0213, and I'll come out to look.
Concrete cutting, driveways and patios in McAllen
If your cut reaches past your property line, into the street, a sidewalk, an alley or another easement, it's in McAllen's right-of-way, and any work there needs a Right-of-Way permit from the city's Engineering Department. The city's list names driveways, sidewalks and concrete slabs but not cutting on its own, so whether your cut needs one isn't settled until someone asks. We check with the city office that covers your address, help you put together the application and a site layout with measurements, and plan the cut around the permit.
A city news release says construction crews in McAllen have to keep debris from building materials out of the storm drain, with fines of up to $500 for each offense, so we keep slurry and chips out of the gutter. Driveway cuts near the street and patio cuts for drain lines are a lot of what we see, on jobs in Pharr and Edinburg as much as in McAllen.
Questions about concrete cutting in McAllen
How much does concrete cutting cost per foot?
Concrete slab saw cutting across the US usually costs about $4 to $15 per linear foot, and that's for the sawing alone. Reinforced or deeper slabs cost more per foot to cut than easy-to-reach ones, and removal is usually priced separately. I'll give you a written number once I've seen your slab.
Does a concrete cutting quote include breaking out and hauling the concrete?
Not always, since sawing and removal are separate jobs and a cutter may saw the lines and leave the panels in place. Breaking, lifting, hauling and disposal can add more than the sawing itself, so when you compare bids, check whether each one covers removal, how the slurry gets collected and disposed of, and any minimum charge. An industry flat-sawing spec says slurry cleanup should be agreed with you before work starts, and on small wall-sawing jobs a minimum charge can set most of the price.
How do I tell if my slab is post-tensioned?
Look along the slab edge for a row of small patched pockets where the cable ends sit, or rust stains at the foundation edge, which one company's checklist lists as signs. The house drawings, the builder or the original permit set settle the question, and if none of those turn up, we go by the scan.
What causes a replaced section of concrete to crack again?
Most cracks in a new section come from the ground under it or from joints cut late. When the base is raked level instead of dug out and packed, it settles with the dirt, and when control joints, the grooves that tell a slab where to crack, are cut late or skipped, it cracks wherever it likes. We spend the time on the base because it's the part nobody sees on day one and the first thing people want to trim from the budget.
What is the best way to cut a trench in a concrete slab for a pipe?
Saw two straight lines the width of the trench and break out only the concrete between them. That keeps the opening the size of the work and gives the patch clean edges to meet, where a hammer alone tends to crack the slab past the trench.
How long will I be without my driveway after a section is cut out in McAllen?
Most of the time you're without it comes from the new concrete curing, not from the cut. Curing is the wait while fresh concrete hardens enough to take your weight and then your car's, and I'll tell you on the estimate how long to stay off your section.
Work that often follows a concrete cut
Concrete driveway building
A broken driveway panel that's been cut out needs a new pour that meets the old edges flush and carries the weight of your car.
Concrete patio construction
Cutting back a patio or opening it for a drain line leaves a gap, and a new slab poured to slope away from the house closes it right.
Service areas for concrete cutting near McAllen
Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction is based in McAllen, TX, and cuts slabs in McAllen and the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, including Mission and Weslaco, and they aren't the only places we work.
Tell us where your slab needs cutting
Photos of the slab edge and a rough length let me show up with the right questions already in hand.