Concrete contractor in Homewood, AL - driveways, patios and steps that stay put
A&B Hoover Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Hoover, and we pour driveways, patios, steps, sidewalks and slabs for homes in Homewood, starting with the ground under them so the concrete drains right and stays put.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Homewood houses, lots and the concrete around them
Homewood is a close-in city in Jefferson County, made up mostly of established neighborhoods with older houses set close together under big trees, plus shops, offices and churches along the main roads. On our jobs here we see a lot of narrow driveways running up or down beside the house to a garage out back, front walks and steps climbing to houses that sit above the street, and patios fitted onto sloped backyards. It reminds us more of the older parts of Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills next door than of the newer subdivisions farther south.
That age and that ground shape the job. Old slabs here usually come out in pieces, the dirt underneath has to be dug out and packed again, and on a slope the new concrete has to be pitched so water runs away from the house and garage.
Concrete services for Homewood homes and lots
Concrete driveway building
Older Homewood driveways often run narrow and steep beside the house, and once they crack and heave we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour new.
See the service Concrete driveway buildingConcrete patio construction
A backyard patio on a sloped lot needs a base that's dug out and packed firm, then a slab pitched so rain runs away from the back door.
See the service Concrete patio constructionStamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio the look of stone or brick to suit an older house, poured as one slab so there are no pavers to shift.
See the service Stamped concrete servicesConcrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots often tilt where roots and settling have moved them, so we replace the bad sections on a dug-out, packed base.
See the service Concrete sidewalk buildingGarage floor concrete
Detached garages behind older houses often have thin, cracked floors, and we break those out and pour a new slab built to carry a car's weight.
See the service Garage floor concreteDecorative concrete
Color, scored patterns and exposed-stone finishes let a new walk or patio sit comfortably next to the brick and stone already on the house.
See the service Decorative concreteConcrete retaining walls
Sloped yards often need a wall to hold back a bank, and we build ours with drainage behind it so water pressure doesn't push it out.
See the service Concrete retaining wallsConcrete floor installation
A new concrete floor in a basement, workshop or addition starts with a packed base and a vapor barrier to keep ground moisture from coming up through it.
See the service Concrete floor installationConcrete pool decks
Pool decks take bare feet and constant splashing, so we give them a textured finish for grip and a slope that sends water away from the pool.
See the service Concrete pool decksConcrete steps construction
Older front steps that have pulled away from the porch or settled out of level are a trip hazard, and we rebuild them on footings with steel inside.
See the service Concrete steps constructionSlab foundation building
For a new house or addition on a Homewood lot, we pour the slab foundation on ground we've dug out, packed and checked for drainage.
See the service Slab foundation buildingFoundation installation
Additions and rebuilds on sloped lots often need a stepped or raised foundation rather than a flat slab, and we lay it out to match the slope.
See the service Foundation installationConcrete parking lot building
Churches, shops and small offices with worn or patched lots get a new concrete surface laid out so rain drains off instead of standing in low spots.
See the service Concrete parking lot buildingConcrete footings
Footings carry the weight of a porch, wall, addition or garage, and on sloped Homewood lots we dig them down to firm ground so the structure stays put.
See the service Concrete footingsFoundation raising
When a slab or foundation on an older house has sunk and doors start sticking, we raise it toward level and look for what caused it.
See the service Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
We saw openings in old driveways, walks and floors for new drains or utility lines, so you don't have to tear out the whole slab.
See the service Concrete cutting
Get a free estimate for your Homewood concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done at your place, and there's no obligation.
- estimates@concretehoover.com
- Based in
- Hoover, AL 35216
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Working in Homewood: permits, licenses and what moves the price
In Homewood, residential building permits come from the city's Inspections & Permitting office, and driveways are named on its list, so on a lot of jobs the permit and its inspections set part of the calendar before we ever pour. Before you hire anyone, you can check two things: whether they're licensed with the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board, and whether they hold a Homewood business license, which the city says has to be in hand before anyone does business here. The City Clerk's office answers business license questions at 205-332-6111. We're fully licensed and insured, and before we put you on the schedule we check with the building office about what your address and your job need, handle the paperwork when a permit is called for and leave room in the plan for the inspections.
What moves the price on a Homewood job is mostly what you can't see in a photo, like how much old concrete has to come out, how deep we dig and pack the base, how steep the lot is, how far we have to run concrete from the truck to a backyard on a tight street, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, the dig-out and a dry day for the pour, and the estimate I put together after walking your lot spells out what's in it so you can see it all in one place. We're based in Hoover and do the same work across Birmingham and many of the cities around it, from Homewood out to McCalla.
Older slabs and sloped yards in Homewood
A lot of the concrete we tear out in Homewood was poured decades ago on a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so when the dirt settled, the slab went with it and cracked. The subgrade, which is just the ground the slab sits on, is the part you never see once we pour, and it's the first thing people want to cut when a budget gets tight. I'd rather you pick a plain broom finish, the light texture we drag across the top for grip, and keep the base right, because a nice surface on soft ground cracks and sinks just the same.
Sloped lots send rain down driveways and walks toward garages and back doors, and big old trees push roots under slabs, so we check where the water runs before we set a form and pitch the new concrete away from the house. We also cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack, so the cracks that do come tend to follow a line we chose.
What to expect when you hire us for concrete in Homewood
Here's how a Homewood job goes from your first call to the final walk-through, with me on it from the first look to the last.
Call or send the form
Call (205) 325-9006 or send the form with a few words about the job, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. It helps if you can be home for the visit so we can walk it together.
Walk the lot with you
I look at the old concrete, the ground under it and where the water runs, and I explain what I'm seeing as we go. Your estimate spells out what's in it, base work included, so you can see what you're paying for before you decide.
Permit, base and the pour
Once you're ready, we sort out the permit side and set the pour date. Our crew digs out and packs the base, sets the forms and pours, and I'm on the job with them.
Walk the finished work together
Before we pack up, I walk the finished concrete with you and tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for a car. That wait is the cure, the time concrete needs to harden and gain strength before it takes weight.
Questions about concrete work in Homewood
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway in Homewood, AL?
Plan on it, because Homewood's residential permit application lists driveways by name, along with additions, renovations, decks, fences and similar work, and the same application covers landscaping and waterproofing. The city's permit procedures also call for erosion control whenever dirt is disturbed, which on a lot under an acre can mean a drawing from a credentialed storm water professional showing how the water flows and where the controls go. The Street Department has to be contacted before a new driveway ties into a city street, and for a patio, walk or steps you can ask Inspections & Permitting at 205-332-6800 what your job needs.
How much does a building permit cost in Homewood?
Homewood's permit form puts the fee at $9.50 for every $1,000 of project cost, rounded up to the nearest $1000, with a $100 minimum. That means the fee follows the size of the job, so a new slab foundation costs more to permit than a short front walk.
When does a concrete contractor need a state license in Alabama?
Alabama law requires a yearly license from the state's home builder board when someone is paid to build or repair on a home of up to three floors and four units and the job costs over $10,000. That's worth checking on any bigger driveway, slab or foundation job, and the law leaves you free to do work on your own home without one.
How do I pull my own concrete permit in Homewood as the homeowner?
You can buy the permit as your own contractor, and on a project over $10,000 you sign the state board's form and give a copy of your driver's license. The board says that if you pay someone to supervise the work, you're not acting as your own contractor, and any sub you hire has to be licensed when their part of the job costs over $10,000.
How do I find out if my Homewood house is in a floodplain?
You can look it up on AlabamaFlood, which the state's Am I in a Floodplain? page points to for regulatory FEMA floodplain data, searchable by address or county. That tells you about mapped flooding, and when I walk your lot I still look at where the water actually runs, because that decides how we pitch and drain the new concrete.
Will a new driveway on my Homewood lot crack like the old one?
A new driveway can still show a few hairline cracks, because concrete shrinks a little as it cures, but it shouldn't heave and sink the way the old one did once the base and the water are dealt with. We set rebar inside, steel bars that hold the pieces together if a crack opens, and cut the joints so cracks have a planned line to follow. How it holds up over the years comes back to the base work you can't see on day one.
Other service areas
Hoover, AL
Have us look at your Homewood concrete
Call (205) 325-9006 or send the form while the crack is still small, because water that gets under a slab keeps washing out the ground it sits on.