Concrete Contractor in Riverside, CA

How Old Is the Concrete in Your Part of Riverside?

Riverside has about 100,000 homes, and the median one was built in 1976. Age shifts a lot from one neighborhood to the next.

In Magnolia Center, more than half the homes went up before 1960. In the Victoria neighborhood, the share is about half. In Orangecrest, almost every home dates from 1980 or later.

Front walks and steps age along with the driveway. A walk that has heaved, or a step that has dropped, becomes a trip hazard at the door. We replace front walks and concrete steps on private property.

On a newer lot in Orangecrest or Mission Grove, the job may be an addition instead. That could be a patio extension or an RV pad beside the drive.

Granite Hills and Valley Hardpan Under Riverside

Riverside sits on two kinds of ground, and the USDA soil survey maps both. The older, flat neighborhoods sit on valley loam. The hills are weathered granite.

In Canyon Crest, Alessandro Heights, Orangecrest and Mission Grove, the survey often shows soft granite within 20 inches. It rates many of those soils very limited for shallow digging. That matters when footings for an addition or a garage go in.

The valley floor has its own hard layer, a cemented hardpan. In the Wood Streets and the Victoria neighborhood, the survey often shows it within about three feet of the surface.

Most of the city's soil rates low for shrink-swell, the swelling and shrinking of clay as it wets and dries. Parts of Arlanza, on the west side, are the exception, with a heavy clay the survey rates high.

Which Riverside Office Issues Permits for Concrete Work?

Work on your lot goes through the city's Building and Safety Division. Its bulletin on work exempt from a building permit includes driveways and sidewalks up to 30 inches above grade. A tool or storage shed of 120 square feet or less is on that list too. Exempt work must still follow zoning and the city's other rules.

Slabs and footings for a garage or an ADU are a different matter. The city says permits are required for most construction projects. Its Planning Division reviews a project first, for zoning, setbacks, height limits and historic requirements. A residential permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 12 months of issue.

Work in the street, an alley or a city easement needs a construction permit from Riverside Public Works. The city's permit counter can tell you which permits your project needs.

Concrete Slabs and Footings for a Riverside ADU

The city says most residential properties in Riverside can have an ADU. Its Dwell Riverside program offers permit-ready plans for one. Whichever plans you use, the unit needs a foundation poured to the drawings.

We pour the slab-on-grade or the footings and stem wall under your permit and plans. The plans come from the city's program or from your own engineer or designer. Building and Safety handles the inspections.

We also pour garage slabs and workshop pads for Riverside lots. The city's standard drawing for a detached garage calls for a slab at least 4 inches thick, with rebar.

California law requires whoever digs to contact DigAlert at least two working days before the dig. Utility crews mark only their own lines, usually up to the meter. Private lines, like a gas line to a grill or a spa, are the owner's to point out.