Concrete contractor in Tustin - driveways and patios that sit flat and drain

An open, unroofed slab may not need one, because an older city guide exempts concrete patio slabs and driveways that don't sit over a basement or a room below. A covered patio is a different story, since the city's FAQ says solid and lattice patio covers need a building permit. That guide is older, so I check the current rule with Tustin's Building Division, the office that issues permits and inspects the work, and if a permit is needed we pull it.

Tustin requires a grading permit when more than 50 cubic yards of earth is moved, when a foot of fill is used, or when a cut slope is taller than 5 feet. Most driveways and patios don't move that much dirt, but a backyard regrade or a retaining wall cut into a slope can, and then grading plans and soil reports go to the city before any work starts. I'll flag it at the estimate if your job is close.

You get a written price after I walk it, and on older Tustin lots the big swing is usually the tear-out, breaking up and hauling the old slab and fixing a base that was never packed. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and if the budget gets tight I'd rather you cut the decorative finish than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it's what keeps the slab flat. If your job needs plans or a permit, that goes on the estimate too.

Concrete can still crack, but on a slab built right the cracks land in the control joints, the grooves we cut on purpose so the slab breaks along a straight line instead of across the middle. Old slabs usually crack where nobody chose because the joints were cut late or skipped, or because the pour went on in the midday heat and the top came out weak and dusty. I'd rather explain the joints before you notice a crack than after, so I'll show you where they go at the estimate.

A Tustin permit is good for 180 days, and if work is active and moving along, it stays valid until the project is finished. Since we pull the permit, we line the work up so it keeps moving once the permit is issued.

Pay only through the city's Citizen Self Service portal or in person at the Finance counter at City Hall, 300 Centennial Way, because those are the only two ways the City of Tustin takes permit fees. The city says permit fee fraud is on the rise and that it doesn't ask for a bank routing number or wire number, so treat any request like that as a scam. The city's permits page explains the process.