Concrete contractor in Tuscaloosa, AL - driveways and patios built on a solid base
Northport Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Tuscaloosa, AL. We replace worn driveways, patios and walks, and add new slabs, steps and garage floors to homes people already live in, with our own crew on every pour.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Tuscaloosa homes and the concrete around them
Tuscaloosa is a short drive from our base in Northport, and a lot of my estimates there are for concrete that's been around as long as the house. Older neighborhoods have narrow driveways, front walks pushed up by tree roots and back stoops that never got a patio. Newer subdivisions bring calls for wider pads, garage floors and pool decks. There are rentals and small commercial lots in the mix too, and it's the same work we do at home in Northport.
On an older lot, the job usually starts with getting the old concrete out without tearing up your yard. Trees, a tight side yard or a slope decide where the truck can reach, and I'd rather find that out on the estimate visit than on pour day.
Concrete services we offer Tuscaloosa homeowners
Concrete driveway building
When your driveway has sunk at the street or cracked across, we break it out, pack a new base and pour a slab sized for your cars.
Concrete patio construction
Many backyards here have just a stoop off the back door. We pour patios that slope away from the house, so rain runs off instead of pooling.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick. We press the pattern in while the slab is still soft.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older houses here often lift where tree roots push under them. We replace the bad sections or the whole run.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor that's cracked, stained or sloping the wrong way can be broken out and repoured, or poured new for an added garage.
Decorative concrete
Decorative concrete covers colored, scored and exposed-stone finishes. It suits a patio or entry where plain gray would look out of place next to the house.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped lot, a concrete retaining wall holds soil back from your driveway or patio, and we give water a way out behind it.
Concrete floor installation
For a workshop, sunroom or addition, we pour indoor floors level and troweled smooth, ready for tile, a coating or bare use.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck needs a surface that isn't slick when wet and a slope that sends water away from the pool and house.
Concrete steps construction
Crumbling front steps are a fall waiting to happen. We form new ones with even risers, so every step is the same height.
Slab foundation building
When you're adding a garage, workshop or room, we pour the slab it sits on, over ground that's dug out and packed first.
Foundation installation
For an addition or outbuilding, we lay out and pour the foundation to your plans, so the framing crew starts on something square and level.
Concrete parking lot building
Small offices, churches and rental properties get concrete parking areas poured thicker and jointed for daily traffic, with drainage planned before the pour.
Concrete footings
Footings carry the weight of a porch, wall or addition. We dig them down to firm soil so what's built on top has solid ground under it.
Foundation raising
If a slab or a corner of the house has dropped, raising lifts it back toward level. I'll look first and tell you plainly whether it's worth doing.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut concrete to widen a driveway, open a trench or remove one bad section, leaving a clean edge instead of a ragged break.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Tuscaloosa home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure and look at the ground, and you get a written estimate showing what's included, free and with no obligation.
(205) 756-6874- Based in
- Northport, AL 35476
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Working in Tuscaloosa: permits, licenses and what moves the price
The city's Building and Inspection Division issues permits in Tuscaloosa, and the city requires one for new construction, demolition, remodels and alterations. Whether your job counts is their call, so we check which office covers your address, and when a permit's needed we do the paperwork and set up the inspections, which adds a step before we pour. It also tells you what to ask a contractor for. On a residential permit the city wants a city general contractor's license number, a project valued at $10,000 or more needs a State Homebuilders License unless an exception applies, and anyone doing business in the city needs a city business license. We're licensed and fully insured.
Price comes down to how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig for a solid base, the size and thickness of the slab, the finish and how easy your yard is to reach. The schedule turns on the permit, a dry day to pour and the wait before you can use the slab, and your written estimate spells out your own job. We come over from Northport for this work and do the same jobs out in McCalla.
Why Tuscaloosa driveways and patios crack and sink
Most of the sunken, broken slabs I look at here failed underneath, not on top. When the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, was raked level instead of dug out and packed, the dirt settles and the concrete goes down with it. We dig to firm ground and pack the base in layers before any concrete shows up.
The other cause is water. A patio or driveway that falls toward the house sends rain at your foundation and leaves puddles that chip the surface, so I check where your water runs and pitch the slab away from the house. Then we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack, early enough that any crack lands where we chose instead of across the middle.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Tuscaloosa
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and when it helps to be home.
Call us or send the form
You reach us by phone or the form, and we set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home so we can talk through what you want.
I measure and check the ground
I measure, look at the ground and how water runs, and write the estimate myself. You see your price and what's included before anything is agreed.
We handle permits and pour
Once you say go, we set a date and take care of the permit side, and the city says most residential permits are processed within 24 to 48 hours. Our own crew forms and pours, and I'm on site for the pour.
We clean up and walk it
When the forms come off, we clean up your yard and walk the finished job with you. We'll tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for cars.
Questions about concrete work in Tuscaloosa
Do I need a permit for a new concrete driveway in Tuscaloosa?
Check with the city before you pour, because Tuscaloosa requires a permit for new construction, demolition, remodels and alterations. The city's permit guide says routine maintenance and ordinary repairs generally don't need one, so a new driveway and a patch can land on different sides of that line. We confirm it for your address and handle the permit when one's needed.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Tuscaloosa?
Your price comes from the size and thickness of the driveway, how much old concrete we break out and haul off, how much base work your ground needs, and the finish. A plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and if the budget's tight I'd put the money into the base before the surface, because you can't fix a bad base later without tearing the slab out. Your written estimate gives you the figure.
How long does it take to replace a concrete driveway in Tuscaloosa?
Most of the time goes to waiting, not pouring: the permit review if your job needs one, a dry day to pour, and curing. Curing is the concrete gaining strength as it hardens slowly, and driving on it too soon is how a new driveway gets marked or cracked. I'll tell you what to plan for when I write your estimate.
Does a concrete project near Lake Tuscaloosa need extra approval?
It may. The city says a project next to Lake Tuscaloosa may need a Land Development Permit, and one inside the watersheds of Lake Tuscaloosa, Harris Lake or Lake Nicol may need a Site Stabilization Plan. The Office of the City Engineer answers questions at (205) 248-5380, and we check what your address needs before we dig.
Does a contractor need a Tuscaloosa business license if I live just outside the city limits?
Often, yes. The city requires its business license inside the city and its police jurisdiction, which the city says is generally about three miles past the city limits, as long as that doesn't run into another city's area. The county's License Commissioner issues state business licenses, so a contractor working in the city may need both.
What is the best way to fix a sunken patio that holds water in Tuscaloosa?
If the slab is still in one piece and has just dropped, raising it back to a slope that drains can work, but if it's cracked through or the ground under it has washed out, replacing it usually makes more sense. I'll tell you which one on the visit, even when the cheaper fix is the right call.
Other areas we serve
Northport, AL
Get your Tuscaloosa concrete job on the calendar
We pick up seven days a week, so call (205) 756-6874 or send the form whenever you've got a minute.