Concrete Contractor in Oxnard, CA - Slabs Set to Shed Water Away From the House
Custom Simi Valley Concrete is a concrete contractor taking jobs in Oxnard, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walkways, garage floors, steps, pool decks and foundations for homeowners, plus lots and commercial sites for property owners.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Oxnard houses and the ground under them
Oxnard covers a lot of ground, and the concrete calls I get from here run the whole range. There are the older streets around Historic Downtown, where Heritage Square keeps some of the city's original homes. There are blocks of tract houses still on the driveways and walks they were built with, newer neighborhoods out toward Channel Islands Harbor, and commercial sites where a property owner needs a lot or a floor done. It's the next city over from Camarillo, and we work both the same way.
Most lots here are flat, which sounds easy until you remember that water won't run off a flat yard on its own. The slope we build into a driveway or patio is what moves it, so on an older property I'm looking at where the old slab sent the water as closely as I'm looking at the cracks.
Concrete work we do on Oxnard properties
Older Oxnard driveways often crack and settle where the base was raked flat instead of packed, so we dig to firm ground before a new pour.
On flat back yards, a patio has to be pitched away from the house, because water won't find its own way off. We check that first.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick in one pour, a common ask for front entries on Oxnard tract homes.
We replace walks that have heaved or split along the side yard or out front, setting them so they shed water off the path instead of holding it.
Garage slabs in older houses here are often cracked, stained or sunk at the door, and we can cut out a section or pour a full new floor.
Color, exposed stone and borders let you match new concrete to the house, whether it's an older downtown home or a newer stucco one closer to the coast.
Even on mostly flat lots, a raised planter, a grade change at the property line or a cut for a patio can need a wall to hold soil.
Interior slabs for shops, studios and work buildings need a flat, even surface, and we pour them for homeowners and for property owners with commercial space.
A pool deck has to meet the coping, the cap on the pool's edge, just right and pitch water away from the pool and the house.
Front steps on older homes often pull away from the porch or settle unevenly, and we rebuild them on footings with every riser the same height.
For an addition, a garage or a backyard unit, the slab foundation starts with what it sits on, so we look at the ground before we form it.
New foundations for additions and outbuildings have to line up with plans and with the existing house, which is the part of the job I check most closely.
Oxnard property owners with a parking lot or commercial site get a slab sized for vehicle weight, with drainage laid out so water doesn't sit in the stalls.
Patio covers, block walls and porches all stand on footings, the buried concrete that spreads their weight, and we size and dig them before anything goes up.
When part of an older house has settled, foundation raising can lift it back toward level, but I want to know why it sank before we lift anything.
We saw-cut old slabs to pull out a cracked section or open a doorway, with a clean edge so the new concrete meets the old neatly.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Oxnard concrete job
We get back to you within one business day. Then I come out myself, look the site over and give you a free written estimate, with no pressure and no obligation to go ahead.
(805) 261-5009- Based in
- Simi Valley, CA 93065
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Working in Oxnard: who checks what before we pour
The City of Oxnard is the local government here, and its City Council passes the city's ordinances, but your contractor's license comes from the state. The Contractors State License Board licenses anyone who builds or alters structures in California, so you can look up any contractor with the board before you sign. We're licensed and insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. When a job needs a permit, I'll tell you which city or county office handles it, and we can pull it as your contractor or help you if you'd rather pull it yourself.
We're based in Simi Valley and do the same work in Moorpark and the cities between there and the coast, so Oxnard is familiar ground for us. What moves the price here is mostly what you can't see yet, like how much old concrete has to come out, how deep we dig before we hit firm soil, how much steel goes in, whether the truck can reach the pour or we have to pump, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on any permit, the prep and the curing, the wait while concrete hardens enough to take weight, and your own figure comes in the written estimate after I've walked the site.
Older Oxnard slabs and the water around them
A lot of the driveways and walks I look at in Oxnard are originals, poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so they've sunk where the ground settled. Many never got control joints, the grooves that tell a slab where to crack, so they cracked wherever they pleased. Patching just lays new concrete on the same bad base, so we cut out the old slab, dig to the subgrade, the firm soil the slab will sit on, pack a proper base and add rebar, the steel that keeps cracked pieces from drifting apart. That base is the part you never see again and the first thing people want to trim from a budget, and it's the last thing I'd trim, because a nice finish on a bad base is still a bad slab.
The other thing I look at first is where the water goes. On a flat lot, a slab tipped even slightly toward the house sends water against the foundation, so we set the slope away from the house, toward somewhere it can actually drain, before the forms go in.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Oxnard
Here's how it goes from your first call to the final walkthrough, and what you'll need to do at each step, which honestly isn't much.
Call or send the form
Call (805) 261-5009 or fill out the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. You don't need measurements or a plan yet, just a rough idea of what you want.
I walk the site with you
I look at the old slab, the ground and where the water runs, and I ask a lot of questions, so it helps if you're home. You get a free written estimate, and anything we can't know until the old concrete comes up, I'll tell you plainly instead of guessing.
We prep, form and pour
Once you say go, we sort out any permit with you, then the crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and rebar and pours. A crew lead runs the job day to day, and I stop by to check the base and forms before any concrete goes in.
Joints, curing and a walkthrough
We cut the control joints while the concrete is still young, then leave the slab to cure. Before we call it done, we walk the finished job with you.
Questions about hiring a concrete contractor in Oxnard
Do I need a licensed contractor to pour a concrete driveway in Oxnard?
You need one if the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials across its contracts, according to the state licensing board's guidance. A job is exempt only when it needs no permit, uses no employees and stays under $1,000, and a bigger project can't be split into smaller contracts to get under that line. The board's licensing guidance spells it out, and it's worth reading the current text there.
How much of a down payment can a concrete contractor ask for in California?
Under the state licensing board's guidance, a contractor can't take a down payment of more than $1,000, or a set percentage of the contract price if that comes out lower. After that, each payment in the contract matches work already done or materials already delivered to your house, and the board applies this to all home improvement jobs. Check the board's site for the current rule before you sign anything.
How much does a new concrete driveway or patio cost in Oxnard?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen the site, because the size, the thickness and what has to come out first all change it. The finish moves it a lot too, since a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives shoes and tires some grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If the budget's tight, save on the finish and not the base, and the written estimate will show you where your money goes.
How do I keep a new concrete patio from cracking like my old one?
You can't stop concrete from cracking entirely, but you can control where it cracks and keep it from sinking, mostly with a packed base, rebar and control joints cut on time. Most cracked patios I see got none of those, or got the joints too late. We also stay away from pouring in the midday heat, because a slab that dries too fast ends up with a weak, dusty top.
How long does it take before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Oxnard?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because the slab keeps gaining strength long after it looks dry, and a car puts far more weight on it than feet do. I'll tell you when yours is ready for the car, so plan on parking on the street for a while.
Does Oxnard have its own building rules for concrete work?
Yes, the city has filed a local building standards ordinance with the state, so some rules here can differ from the ones in the next city over. That's part of why I sort out what applies to your job before we pour, rather than assuming Oxnard works like Simi Valley.
Simi Valley, CA
Ask for a free estimate in Oxnard
Tell us in the form what the old slab is doing and where the water sits after you hose it down, and I'll come out with the right questions already in mind.