Concrete Contractor in Fountain Hills - Driveways and Patios Built for Sloped Lots
Cornerstone Mesa Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Mesa, AZ. We pour driveways, patios, pool decks, steps and footings for homes in Fountain Hills, and we start with the ground underneath.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Fountain Hills homes and the ground they sit on
Fountain Hills is mostly homes, many of them custom houses set into the desert slopes, and most of the shops sit along the Avenue of the Fountains, the main street. On our jobs here we usually see driveways that climb or drop to the street, patios and pool decks off the back of the house, and desert landscaping and rock right up to the edge of the slab. Most of what we pour here is flatwork, meaning the driveways, patios, walks and decks that lie flat on the ground.
That's a different job from the flatter subdivisions we pour in Gilbert, because a slope changes how water runs and how much ground has to be dug out and packed before anything gets poured. On a hillside lot, the base and the drainage usually decide how the job turns out more than the finish does.
Concrete services we offer in Fountain Hills
- Concrete driveway building
For drives that climb or drop to the street, we dig out and pack the base, then set the fall so runoff goes past the garage.
- Concrete patio construction
A back patio gives you room outside, and we slope it away from the walls so water runs off instead of sitting against the foundation.
- Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete takes on the look of stone or tile, which suits the desert-style homes here, and it goes over the same packed base as any slab.
- Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks here often follow a grade, so we form them to the slope and add steps where the walk would otherwise get too steep.
- Garage floor concrete
A cracked or sunken garage floor usually points to a base problem, so we remove the old slab, fix the ground under it and pour a level floor.
- Decorative concrete
Colored, stained or exposed-aggregate finishes let a patio or entry match the stone and desert colors around the house without laying pavers.
- Concrete retaining walls
On terraced lots, a concrete retaining wall holds back the slope so you get a flat stretch of yard or a level spot for a patio or parking.
- Concrete floor installation
For casitas, workshops and additions, we pour interior floors flat and level on a prepared base, ready for tile, a coating or plain sealed concrete.
- Concrete pool decks
Pool decks see water and bare feet every day, so we give them a textured finish for grip and slope them to drain away from the pool.
- Concrete steps construction
Hillside entries often need steps up from the drive, and we form every riser the same height so nobody catches a foot on an odd one.
- Slab foundation building
For a new home, casita or addition, we pour the slab foundation on ground dug down to firm soil and packed, which matters more on a slope.
- Foundation installation
Building on a hillside lot usually means stepping the foundation down with the grade, and we form and pour it to the plans your project calls for.
- Concrete parking lot building
Shops, offices and community buildings need lots that drain and stand up to daily traffic, so we build them on a deep, well-packed base.
- Concrete footings
Footings carry walls, columns and posts down to firm ground, which on rocky desert lots means digging until we hit soil solid enough to hold them.
- Foundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation has settled, raising it back up can save a tear-out, and we look first at why the ground moved.
- Concrete cutting
We saw-cut old slabs for removal, openings for doors and trenches for new lines, leaving clean edges that don't chip the concrete left in place.
Get a written estimate for your Fountain Hills concrete job
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out myself to look at the site. The estimate is free and written out, with no pressure and no obligation.
Call (480) 645-9450Permits, licenses and access on Fountain Hills jobs
Permit applications here go to the Town of Fountain Hills Building Safety Division, which reviews plans and inspects the work for homes, fences, pools and other structures. Its list doesn't name driveways or patios, so whether your job needs a permit is the division's call, and if it does, the pour waits on that review, so we settle with you up front who pulls it. Any business working in Fountain Hills has to hold a Town business license before it starts, so it's fair to ask any contractor about it, us included, and we're licensed and fully insured.
Access matters more up here than on flat lots, because on a steep drive or a tight lot we have to plan where the truck sits and how far the concrete moves once it leaves the chute. That, plus the ground under the old slab, is mostly what moves the price, and the schedule turns on the weather and any permit review. Your written estimate spells out the prep, the pour and any removal. We take on the same kind of sloped, rocky-lot work out in Gold Canyon.
Sloped lots and runoff shape most jobs here
Sloped drives are the main reason people call us in Fountain Hills. On a hillside, the subgrade, the dirt and packed base the slab sits on, carries more runoff than flat ground does, and if it was only raked level the slab settles with the dirt and cracks. We dig out to firm ground, pack the base, and set the slab to shed water away from the house toward a place it can run off.
Back patios and pool decks come next. Landscaping and rock usually run right up to the edge, so we check where rain and irrigation water go before we form anything, because a patio that tips toward the house is a drainage problem you live with every day.
What to expect when you hire us in Fountain Hills
Here's how a Fountain Hills job runs from your first call to the walkthrough, and what you'll have in hand at each point.
Call and set a visit
Call (480) 645-9450 or send the form, and I set up a time to come out, look at the site and hear what you want. It helps if you're there so we can walk the drive or yard together.
Read your written estimate together
The estimate spells out the prep, the pour and any removal, so you can see what the price covers before you decide anything. If the job needs a permit, we settle then who pulls it.
We form, pour and finish
Once you're ready, we schedule around the weather, our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing, and I check in on site through the job. If there's a permit, inspections are booked through TOPPS, the online permit system, and run 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, so we plan the pour around them.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, we walk the job with you, checking edges, joints and drainage. We also go over how to care for the slab while it cures, the stretch when it's still hardening and gaining strength.
Questions about concrete work in Fountain Hills
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Fountain Hills?
Your price comes from a written estimate after I've seen the site, because on these lots the ground decides a lot of it. Tearing out an old drive, digging a slope down to firm ground, thicker slabs with rebar, the steel laid inside that holds cracked pieces together, and a stamped or colored surface all raise it, while a plain broom finish, a brushed texture for grip, keeps it down. If something has to give, I'd cut the finish before the base, because the base is buried on day one and the only fix for a bad one is tearing out the slab.
How do I apply for a building permit in Fountain Hills?
You apply online, because Fountain Hills only takes permit applications through TOPPS, its online permitting system. The same system lets you check where your application stands, and the permit forms and checklists page lists a residential submittal checklist and a required inspections list. When a job needs a permit, we settle with you at the estimate who pulls it.
Will my new concrete driveway in Fountain Hills crack like the old one?
It can still get fine hairline cracks, but it shouldn't break up the way the old one did if the base is packed and the joints are cut on time. Control joints are shallow lines cut into the slab that give it a planned place to crack in a straight line instead of across the middle. Most of the bad cracking we see on older drives here traces back to a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or joints cut late or skipped.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You'll walk on it well before you drive on it, because the slab has to cure enough to take a car's weight. The wait depends on the mix and the weather during the cure, so I give you both dates for your pour at the walkthrough. Plan where the cars will park for that stretch.
What is the best way to pour a driveway on a sloped lot in Fountain Hills?
Dig down to firm ground, pack the base, and set the slab so water runs where you want it, because on a slope the ground and the drainage matter more than anything on top. We also plan where the runoff ends up at the bottom of the drive so it heads away from the garage and the house. On steeper drives, the broom finish gives tires and shoes something to grip.
Do I need anything from the Town for a pool deck in Fountain Hills?
If the deck goes in with a new pool, check with the Building Safety Division, because it permits swimming pools, and its forms page lists a pool checklist and pool barrier details. For a new deck around an existing pool, ask the division whether your job needs a permit. We'll go over it with you at the estimate.
Mesa, AZ
Tell us about your Fountain Hills project
The sooner I see the slope and the old slab, the sooner you know what's under it and what your job really takes.