Concrete Contractor in Kirkland, WA - Driveways, Patios and Steps on a Solid Base
Form & Pour Renton Concrete Company pours and replaces driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for homeowners in Kirkland, WA, with most of the care going into the base and drainage you won't see once we're done.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Kirkland homes, from lakeside streets to hillside lots
Kirkland runs along Lake Washington just north of Bellevue, and our calls here come from all over the city, from the blocks around downtown and Juanita to the neighborhoods near the Totem Lake Business District. Most come from homeowners who want a driveway, patio, front walk or set of steps redone, along with some townhome and small business owners who need a slab or a few parking spaces poured.
Lots here range from fairly flat parcels to steep driveways on the hills above the water, and that slope decides a lot about the job, from how we form the slab to how much digging the base needs.
Concrete work we do for Kirkland homes and lots
When an older driveway has cracked, sunk at the garage or tipped water toward the house, we dig it out, rebuild the base and pour new.
For a back yard that slopes or stays soggy, we set the patio's grade so water runs off toward the lawn instead of your foundation.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, and we still build the base under it the same careful way.
A front walk lifted by roots or settled into a trip edge can be cut out and replaced in sections, matched to the slope of your yard.
If your garage slab is cracked, stained or low at the door, we pour a new floor sloped so water drains out instead of pooling inside.
Colored, exposed-aggregate or scored finishes suit homes where the concrete sits right at the front door, and we'll show you samples before you choose.
On a sloped lot, a poured wall can hold back the grade so you get a flat patio or parking spot, with drainage built in behind it.
We pour interior slabs for basements, shops and additions, with the base packed and a vapor barrier laid before any concrete goes down.
Around a pool, the deck has to shed splash water away from the pool and the house, so we plan its slope and finish for bare feet.
Crumbling or uneven front steps are a common call, and we rebuild them with even risers and a surface that still grips when it's wet.
For a garage, shop or addition on a slab, we lay out, dig, pack the base and pour to the plans your designer or engineer provides.
New foundations for additions and outbuildings are poured to your engineer's plans, and I'll say plainly when a question belongs to the engineer or the city.
For small business lots and shared parking areas, we grade for runoff and pour slabs built for the traffic they'll actually carry.
Decks, additions and posts all need footings dug down to firm ground, and we pour them to the depth and size the plans call for.
When part of a slab or foundation has settled, we look at why it sank first, so the fix deals with the ground and not just the crack.
We cut openings, trenches and clean removal lines in existing concrete, which keeps a partial replacement neat where the new meets the old.
Get a free written concrete estimate for your Kirkland project
We reply within one business day. Then I come out myself, walk the job with you and write up the scope, free and with no obligation.
(425) 264-4089- Based in
- Renton, WA 98057
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Working in Kirkland: permits, licenses and what we check first
Inside Kirkland city limits, building permits are reviewed by the city's Planning & Building department, and if it isn't clear whether your project needs one, the city asks you to check with Development Services before work starts. When a permit is required, it has to be in hand before we pour, so on some jobs the permit, not the concrete, sets the start date. Before you hire anyone, it's worth checking that the contractor is registered with the state, which Washington requires along with a bond and insurance, and holds a Kirkland business license for work inside the city. A registered contractor also has to give you the state's disclosure notice on any home job of $1,000 or more. We're licensed and insured, and at the estimate I check which office covers your address and can handle the permit application or help you with yours.
The price here moves mostly with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how much digging and packing the ground needs and the finish you pick, while the schedule turns on any permit and on curing, the days concrete needs to harden before it takes weight. Your written estimate lays out the prep and the concrete work for your project, so you can see where the money goes. Access counts too, since some streets near downtown and Marina Park stay busy with shops and restaurants, and if a dumpster has to sit in the street the city wants a right-of-way permit for that as well, so we work out where the truck and bins will go during the estimate. As a concrete contractor based in Renton, WA, we come up to Kirkland the same way we work in Newcastle and the other cities around us.
Why Kirkland driveways and patios crack and settle
A lot of Kirkland lots slope, toward the lake or down from the street, so driveways run steep and water off the yard heads downhill fast, and when a slab was poured on dirt that was only raked level, it settles unevenly and water starts pooling against the garage or the house. That's why we dig out to firm ground, pack the subgrade, which is the soil and gravel the slab sits on, and set the finished grade so water runs away from your foundation. The base is hidden the day we pour and it's usually the first thing people cut to save money, but I'd suggest spending less on the finish before you skimp there, because a fancy surface on a weak base cracks just the same.
The other thing we see is cracks running wherever they like, usually because control joints, the grooves cut so the slab cracks along a line we choose, went in late or not at all. We cut them on time and lay out the slab so the joints fall where they make sense on your driveway or patio.
How a Kirkland concrete job runs, start to finish
Here's how a job in Kirkland goes from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know who you'll see and what you'll get along the way.
Call us or send the form
Tell us what you have in mind and the project address, and I'll set a time to come out and look. The address helps early, because it tells me which city or county office covers your property.
I walk the site with you
I come out myself to measure, ask how you plan to use the space and go over what the city or county may want to see. You then get a written estimate that explains the prep, the concrete work and anything we'll ask of you before pour day, so there are no hidden pieces in the price.
Our crew preps and pours
Our small crew digs out, packs the base and sets forms and rebar, the steel that keeps a slab from pulling apart if it cracks, and I check in as the work goes. We keep the site neat and cover nearby walls, plants and anything else that could catch splatter.
We walk the finished work
Before we pack up, we walk the finished work with you and talk through curing, so you know when it's ready for foot traffic and when it can take a car. Any question about the joints, the finish or the drainage gets answered right there.
Questions about concrete work in Kirkland
How do I get a permit to replace my concrete driveway in Kirkland?
Inside Kirkland city limits, you get it from the city's Public Works Department, which requires a permit for driveway replacement and for any work in the public right of way, the street and the strip along it. You can call Public Works at 425-587-3800, and I can handle the application for you or help you with yours.
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Kirkland?
Yes, if the wall is over four feet tall, because the city lists retaining walls and rockeries over that height as work that needs a permit. Removing or filling more than 50 cubic yards of soil, or any soil work that changes where drainage runs, needs one too, and if your wall calls for an engineer's design I'll tell you so plainly.
How do I find out if my Kirkland lot is in a critical area?
Look up your address with the city's Property Search Tool, which gives you a Parcel Report showing whether flood hazard, wetland, steep slope, shoreline or other critical areas apply. It matters because the city's usual permit exemptions don't apply in those areas or their required buffers, so please share your address when you ask for an estimate.
Is every Kirkland address inside Kirkland city limits?
No, some homes with a Kirkland mailing address sit outside the city limits. That changes which office handles permits for your project, so I check which city or county office covers your address before we talk about permits.
Does a concrete contractor from outside Kirkland need a Kirkland business license?
Yes, the city requires a valid Kirkland business license for contractors working on a job site inside city limits, including businesses based elsewhere that serve customers here. The city does exempt outside businesses that earn less than $4,000 a year in Kirkland, so it's a fair question to ask anyone bidding your job.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Kirkland?
The cost of a Kirkland driveway is set mostly by its size, how much old concrete comes out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you choose, and I give you that figure in writing after seeing the site. A steep driveway that needs extra forming, tight access for the truck and a Public Works permit can add to it, while a plain broom finish, a light texture brushed in so tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or colored work.
Renton, WA
Plan your Kirkland concrete project with us
Call (425) 264-4089 or send the form, and you'll have a written scope in hand that you can set beside any other quote you're weighing.