Concrete Contractor in McCalla, AL - Driveways and Slabs Built for Sloped Lots
A&B Hoover Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Hoover, AL, building driveways, patios, steps, walls and slab foundations in McCalla, with the base packed and the water sorted out before any concrete goes down.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
McCalla properties and the ground they sit on
McCalla feels more like country than suburb when we drive out from Hoover. A lot of homes sit on bigger lots with long driveways, some still gravel, and newer neighborhoods go in alongside houses that have been there a good while. The calls we get here tend to be a first concrete driveway to replace gravel, a patio out back, steps up to a porch, or a slab for a shop or an addition. It's the same kind of work we do over in Fairfield, just with more room and more hill.
Very few lots out here are flat. Water comes down off the slope behind the house, and much of the ground is clay that holds it, so on most McCalla jobs the digging, the base and the grade decide more about how long the concrete lasts than anything we do to the top.
Concrete work we do on McCalla properties
Concrete driveway building
Long driveways climbing a slope are common here, so we dig out soft ground, pack the base and pitch the slab to shed water away from the house.
See the service Concrete driveway buildingConcrete patio construction
A backyard patio here often sits below a hill that sends rain its way, so we set the slope before the pour and carry runoff past the slab.
See the service Concrete patio constructionStamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, a good match for the wooded, country setting many McCalla homes have.
See the service Stamped concrete servicesConcrete sidewalk building
A front walk has to handle rain coming off the yard, so we pitch it to drain and give it a broom finish, a brushed texture that grips when wet.
See the service Concrete sidewalk buildingGarage floor concrete
Garages and shops on bigger McCalla lots carry trucks, mowers and equipment, so we set the thickness and steel for that load before we pour.
See the service Garage floor concreteDecorative concrete
Colored, stained or exposed-stone finishes dress up an entry, walk or patio, and we still build the same packed base under them as any plain slab.
See the service Decorative concreteConcrete retaining walls
On sloped McCalla yards, a retaining wall holds back the hill so you get flat ground to use, with drainage behind it so water can't build up.
See the service Concrete retaining wallsConcrete floor installation
Shops, workshops and outbuildings on country lots need a flat, dry floor, so we build up the ground and lay a plastic vapor barrier where moisture would rise.
See the service Concrete floor installationConcrete pool decks
A pool deck has to drain away from the water and stay grippy underfoot through long Alabama summers, so we plan the slope and texture together.
See the service Concrete pool decksConcrete steps construction
Houses sitting up a slope here often need several steps to the door, so we pour them on a solid footing with risers all the same height.
See the service Concrete steps constructionSlab foundation building
New homes and additions in McCalla often sit on graded hillside ground, so we pack the pad and thicken the edges before the slab goes in.
See the service Slab foundation buildingFoundation installation
When you're building on rural land here, we lay out and pour the foundation to match the plans and the ground, checking where water runs first.
See the service Foundation installationConcrete parking lot building
Churches, shops and small businesses along the main roads need lots that drain and hold up to traffic, so we build a heavier base for the weight.
See the service Concrete parking lot buildingConcrete footings
Decks and carports on sloped lots need footings, the buried concrete that carries the weight, set into firm ground below the soft topsoil.
See the service Concrete footingsFoundation raising
If a slab has dropped where hillside runoff washed out the ground under it, we lift it back toward level and deal with the water that caused it.
See the service Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
We saw-cut old concrete to tie in a new walk, open a slab for plumbing, or take out a cracked section without breaking up the whole driveway.
See the service Concrete cutting
Get a free estimate for your McCalla 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 at your place is free, 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 McCalla with the county permit office
McCalla isn't an incorporated city, so for homes on the Jefferson County side, building permits come from Jefferson County's Development Services Department. Part of McCalla crosses into Tuscaloosa County, so before we schedule anything, I check which building office covers your address and what your job needs from it. When a permit is called for, we handle the paperwork and leave room in the plan for the inspections, which means a permitted job moves on the county's calendar as well as ours. On the contractor side, Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board licenses residential builders every year, and the state law reaches paid work on someone else's home once the job costs more than $10,000, so on a bigger job it's fair to ask any contractor about their license. We're fully licensed and insured.
What moves the price out here is mostly the ground. The estimate weighs how much soft soil has to come out of the subgrade, the ground under the slab, how much stone we pack back in, how steep the lot is, how thick the slab runs and how much steel it needs, plus tearing out old concrete and any stamped or colored finish. On a long drive off a county road, the mixer truck sometimes can't reach the spot, and pumping the concrete in adds to the cost. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on the weather, because we won't pour into a hard rain. I walk all of it with you on site, the same way we handle jobs over in Meadowbrook, and you get the figure for your job in the estimate.
Why McCalla driveways and slabs crack and settle
McCalla sits where the Appalachian Mountains finally run out, and you can see it in the yards, with ridges and slopes sending rain downhill toward houses, garages and driveways. When that water gets under a slab poured on loosely raked dirt, the dirt softens or washes out, one corner drops and a crack runs across. We dig down to firm ground, pack a stone base in layers and set the grade so water runs off the slab and away from the house instead of toward it.
Alabama summers are the other half of it. Concrete poured in midday heat dries too fast on top and turns weak and dusty later, so in the warm months we start early, cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, the same day, and keep it damp while it cures, the slow set that gives concrete its strength.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in McCalla
From your first call to the final walk-through, here's how a McCalla job goes and the times it helps to have you home.
Call or send the form
Call (205) 325-9006 or send the form with a few lines about the job, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. A rough idea of what you want is plenty to start.
I walk the site with you
I look at the ground, the slope and where the water runs, and talk through what I'd do and why, so it helps if you're home. Then you get an estimate that spells out what's in it, so you can see where the money goes before you decide.
We permit, prep and pour
Once you're ready, we sort out the permit side and set the pour date, and the county inspects permitted work at points along the way. Our own crew digs out, packs the base and pours, and I'm on the job with them.
We walk the finished job
Before we pack up, we walk the finished concrete with you and go over when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for the car. Curing keeps going after the surface looks dry, so those dates matter.
Questions about concrete work in McCalla
How much does a concrete driveway cost in McCalla, AL?
Your price comes from the driveway's size and thickness, how much digging and base the ground needs, how steep the lot is and the finish you pick, so I give you a written figure after I've seen it. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you trim the size or keep the finish plain than cut the base, because the base is hidden on day one but it's what keeps the slab from sinking.
What causes concrete driveways in McCalla to crack and sink?
Most cracking and sinking starts underneath, with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or rain off the slope working its way under the slab. Joints cut late and a pour in the midday heat add to it. We pack the base, grade the slab to drain and lay in rebar, steel bars that hold the pieces together, so any crack that shows up should stay tight and usually land in a joint.
How do I check if my McCalla property is in a flood zone?
Search your address on AlabamaFlood, which shows the regulatory FEMA floodplain data for the state. Jefferson County also maps its flood zones on its GIS Open Data Hub and posts floodplain regulations with its other rules. It matters most for a new slab foundation or an addition, so tell me at the estimate if your lot shows up in one.
Which building codes apply to a concrete project in McCalla?
For McCalla addresses in Jefferson County, the county's own building codes apply, and you can read them on its regulations page. The state board has a rule written for submission that sets a statewide residential code for residential construction starting January 1, 2027, but it doesn't override local codes adopted and enforced before then. We sort out which code covers your address when we check on the permit.
How do I avoid extra inspection fees on a Jefferson County permit in McCalla?
Have the work ready when the inspector comes and book inspections during normal hours, because the county charges $55 for each incomplete or failed inspection and $300 for an after-hours inspection of up to four hours, plus $75 for each hour past that. When we're handling the permit, we have the forms and base ready before we call for an inspection.
What does Jefferson County require for a new slab foundation in McCalla?
A new house or an addition goes under a county building permit, and the county's erosion control requirements are part of that permit, which matters on sloped ground where bare dirt washes off fast. The permit names the trade contractors, so if we're pouring the slab, we're named on it and work under it instead of pulling a separate permit. I check the details for your address before we price the job.
Other service areas
Hoover, AL
Call us about your McCalla concrete job
Our line is open evenings and weekends, so you can call after work or on a Saturday morning about the slab you've been meaning to fix.