Concrete contractor in West Falls Church, VA - slabs that drain right and stay put
Mainstay Arlington Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Arlington, and we pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and walls in West Falls Church, with the base dug out and packed and the slab sloped away from your house.
Concrete work for West Falls Church homes
West Falls Church is mostly neighborhoods built in the 1940s and early 1950s, like Jefferson Village, Westlawn, Hillwood, Sleepy Hollow and Broyhill Park, with single-family houses on established lots. The name gets used two ways, though. Most people mean the Fairfax County area around West Falls Church station, but some mean the part of the City of Falls Church west of Broad and Washington streets, and the county and the city each have their own rules, so we check which office covers your address before anything else. We do the same work nearby in Lake Barcroft and Seven Corners.
Houses that age usually came with a narrow driveway, a front walk and steps poured on a thin base, and after decades a lot of them have sunk or cracked. So the price here mostly turns on how much old concrete comes out and how much new base goes under it, and the schedule turns on any permit check and curing, the wait while fresh concrete hardens enough to use.
What we pour in West Falls Church
Concrete driveway building
Many driveways here are still the original narrow strip, so we tear out the old slab, rebuild the base and can pour it wider if your lot allows.
Concrete patio construction
Older houses often have a low back corner where water sits, so we slope a new patio to carry rain to the yard, away from your foundation.
Stamped concrete services
A pattern pressed into the wet surface gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, which suits the brick fronts on many older houses here.
Concrete sidewalk building
Older front walks here have often heaved or sunk with age, so we replace the sections you trip on and give them a broom finish, brushed for grip.
Garage floor concrete
Garage floors in houses this age are often cracked and pitted, so we break out the slab, pack the base and cut control joints, grooves that steer cracking.
Decorative concrete
Color, a scored pattern or exposed stone can dress up an older front entry or patio, and we'll help you pick one that suits how you use it.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard slopes toward the house or the street, a wall gives you level ground, and the drainage behind it is what keeps it standing.
Concrete floor installation
Basements and additions in older houses often need a new floor, and we prep the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, before any concrete goes in.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck has to shed splash water and stay safe barefoot, so we slope it away from the pool and the house and use a non-slick texture.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps here have often sunk at one end or pulled away from the house, so we rebuild them on a solid base with rebar, steel that ties them together.
Slab foundation building
An addition or sunroom on an older house sits on a slab you'll never see again, so we dig out soft fill and pack the base before we form.
Foundation installation
Rebuilds and larger additions on older lots need a full foundation, and we form and pour the walls and footings to the approved plans.
Concrete parking lot building
Small property owners call us for the lot behind a shop or apartment building, and we grade it so water drains to one spot, not the door.
Concrete footings
A new deck, porch or garage on an older lot stands on footings, the concrete under its posts and walls, so we dig each one down to firm ground.
Foundation raising
When part of an older house or slab has settled, we find out why first, because lifting it without fixing the cause only buys time.
Concrete cutting
Widening an old driveway or running a new drain line means cutting into the existing slab, and we saw it clean so the new pour meets a straight edge.
Tell us about your concrete job
Call (571) 760-4256 or use the form, and I'll come walk the site and ask how you plan to use it.
Why West Falls Church homeowners call us
You can count on straight answers, even the second time you ask, because I'd rather spend a few extra minutes explaining than leave you guessing about your slab.
Base work over surface work
People want to cut the base first, but like prep before dinner service, it decides how everything after it goes.
Water sent away from the house
On these older lots we check where water runs before we form, so the new slab slopes away from your foundation.
Old concrete broken out
We break out and haul away old concrete instead of pouring over it, so whatever sank it gets fixed, not buried.
The owner on your job
I look at every job myself, and our crew forms, pours and finishes it, usually with me on site.
Licensed, insured, guaranteed
We're fully licensed and insured, and the work we do for you is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
West Falls Church concrete questions
How do I find out if my concrete project needs a permit in West Falls Church?
Start with your address, because most of West Falls Church falls under Fairfax County, where Land Development Services issues building and land disturbance permits and the scope of the job sets which kind you need. If you're inside City of Falls Church limits, the city's permit rules apply instead, and on lots in or near the county's Resource Protection Area, site studies may be required before any digging. If your job needs a permit, we handle the application with the right office and tell you what's needed before we start.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Fairfax County?
Yes, if it holds back 3 feet or more of soil, since the county's list of projects that need a permit names retaining walls that size, along with any concrete or masonry wall over 6 feet tall. That list covers many common projects but not all of them, so for a shorter wall we still check with the county before we dig and handle the application if one's needed.
How much does it cost to replace a concrete driveway in West Falls Church?
Your price comes from the size of the driveway, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, and how much base we rebuild, and I give you the number after I've walked the site. A thicker slab, more rebar or a stamped or colored finish adds to it, while a plain broom finish keeps it down. The one line I won't trim is the base, and your written estimate lists what's included, so you'll know whether removing the old slab is part of the price.
How long do I have to stay off a new concrete driveway?
Longer for your car than for your feet, because the slab is still curing and gaining strength for a while after the pour. I give you walk-on and drive-on dates for your pour, since the mix and the weather move them, and we line up the tear-out and the pour so you're without your driveway for as short a stretch as we can manage.
What causes concrete driveways to crack, and will a new one crack too?
Most cracks we see come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, water running where nobody planned, and joints that were cut late or skipped. Concrete can still crack a little as it shrinks, so we cut control joints on time to give it a place to do that, and with a packed base and the slope set away from your house, a new slab usually holds up far better than the old one did.
Does a concrete contractor need a license in Fairfax County?
Yes, a contractor who builds or repairs on property owned by someone else needs a license from the Virginia Board for Contractors, with a class for job size and a specialty for the type of work. Fairfax County adds its own Home Improvement Contractor license for Class C contractors and smaller ones, and every business working in the county owes the county's business license tax, so it's fair to ask about all three before you sign.
Don't see your city? Call us
Pick your city below for local details, and if yours isn't listed, call (571) 760-4256 anyway, since we work in plenty of cities around Arlington.
Plan your West Falls Church concrete job
Call (571) 760-4256 or send the form with a few lines about the job, since the scope tells us which permit questions to check first.