Concrete Contractor in Mentone, CA - Driveways and Patios on a Solid Base
Prime Yucaipa Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Yucaipa, just up the road from Mentone. We pour driveways, patios, retaining walls and shop floors here, and raise or cut the old slabs these houses already have.
- Service area
- Mentone, CA
- Call
- (909) 768-8077
Older homes and big lots in Mentone
Mentone sits between Redlands and our home base in Yucaipa. Much of what we pour here is for older single-family houses on lots with room to spare, so long driveways, wide back patios and a shop or garage out back are common. It's unincorporated, so the county is the office we deal with instead of a city hall, and it's the same crew that heads out east to Banning.
Here, what's under the yard matters as much as the slab. Most of Mentone runs on septic tanks and leach fields instead of a sewer, though your lot may be different. Before we dig for a patio, a driveway or a footing, I find out where the tank and lines are, because a slab or a concrete truck sitting on a leach field is a problem you pay for twice.
Our services in Mentone, CA
Many Mentone driveways run long, and the old ones we tear out are usually cracked and sunk where the base was never packed. We dig out the soft dirt and compact a real base first.
Older back patios here often slope toward the house, so rain sits against the wall instead of running off. We check where the water goes before we form a new slab and pitch it away.
Yards toward the foothills often step up, and a bare dirt bank keeps washing onto the patio. We pour walls on footings with drainage behind them, so water drains out instead of pushing on them.
Bigger lots here mean a lot of detached shops and garages that need a flat, solid floor. Our concrete floor installation work starts with a packed subgrade, the dirt and base the slab sits on.
On older houses we see slabs and porches that have dropped as the ground under them settled or washed out. We find what moved the soil first, then raise the concrete back toward level.
Running a new pipe or drain through an existing slab is a common call on these older houses. We saw-cut clean, straight lines, so the patch looks planned instead of broken out.
Every service we offer
Concrete driveway building
Concrete patio construction
Stamped concrete services
Concrete sidewalk building
Garage floor concrete
Decorative concrete
Concrete retaining walls
Concrete floor installation
Concrete pool decks
Concrete steps construction
Slab foundation building
Foundation installation
Concrete parking lot building
Concrete footings
Foundation raising
Concrete cutting
What happens when you call us about concrete in Mentone
Call or send a request
Call (909) 768-8077 or send the form with what you're seeing, whether that's a sinking driveway, a cracked patio or bare dirt, and we'll set a time for me to come out. You don't need measurements or a plan yet.
I look at the ground
I measure, check what the slab will sit on and where the water runs, and ask how you'll use the space, so it helps if you're home. Then I send a written estimate that spells out what's in it, so you can see exactly what you're paying for.
We prep, pour and finish
Once you say go, we handle permits with the county when the job needs them, then dig out and pack the base, pour and finish, with me usually on site alongside our own finishers. We cut control joints, the planned grooves that give a crack somewhere to go, as soon as the slab can take them.
Walk it and wait it out
We walk the finished work with you and tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for a car, because driving on it too soon is how good slabs get hurt. That wait is curing, the time the concrete needs to gain its strength, and it's worth sitting out.
Mentone concrete questions answered
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Mentone?
That's a question for San Bernardino County's Building and Safety office, which issues permits in Mentone because it's unincorporated county land. The county's list names work like additions, patio covers, demolition and new structures over 120 square feet. It doesn't name flatwork like driveways and patios, and the county says work not on the list may still need a permit. When your job needs one, we check with the county early and sort out the paperwork with you before we dig.
How do I know if my Mentone project needs a grading permit?
The county says grading of 100 cubic yards or more of cut and fill, or disturbing a slope steeper than 2:1, needs grading plans approved by Building and Safety. Another county page gives a different figure, so check your own project with Building and Safety. The county also says that, in general, every project needs some kind of erosion control before work starts. When no grading plans or building permit are needed, a separate erosion control permit has to be in hand before any construction begins.
Does Mentone require a business license for contractors?
No, there's no Mentone business license. The county issues no business licenses for businesses working in its unincorporated areas, and it has no countywide license either. The license that counts for concrete work comes from the Contractors State License Board, which licenses and regulates California's construction industry, and we're fully licensed and insured.
How much can a contractor ask for up front on a concrete job in California?
The state licensing board says a down payment on a home improvement project can be no more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. That rule covers all home improvement projects, so it applies to a driveway or patio at your house, and it's worth knowing before you sign anything.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Mentone, CA?
Your price comes down to the size of the job, what has to come out and what has to go under the new slab, and I put your number in a written estimate after I've seen the ground. Tearing out old concrete, digging out soft dirt for a packed base, a sloped lot and choosing stamped over a plain broom finish, the brushed texture that gives tires grip, all push the price up. If money's tight, I'd cut the finish before the base, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it's what decides whether the slab settles. Your schedule turns on whether the county needs a permit and on the curing wait before you can drive on it.
What causes a concrete slab to crack and sink in Mentone?
Usually it's the base, raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settles along with the dirt under it. Water running under the slab or toward the house does the same thing. Cracks also show up in random places when control joints are cut late or skipped, and a slab poured in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top. We pack the base, slope the slab away from the house, plan pours for the cooler part of the day and cut joints on time, so if the new slab cracks, it cracks along the joints we chose instead of across your driveway.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Mentone
Send the form or call, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Mentone property. I measure, check the ground and the drainage, then send you a written estimate. It's free, with no pressure and no obligation.
- Call
- (909) 768-8077
- Location
- Yucaipa, CA 92399
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Get your Mentone concrete job on the calendar
We answer the phone from early morning into the evening, seven days a week, so you can call after work.