Balch Springs Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Lancaster, TX. We pour driveways, patios, walks and slabs for homeowners and builders here, starting with a dug-out, packed base so the new concrete sits level.
Lancaster is a short drive southwest of us in Balch Springs. The concrete calls we get here cover a wide range, from older houses on the streets around the Historic Town Square to newer subdivisions toward the edges of the city. A lot of the requests look like the ones we get in Duncanville: a driveway that has settled, a patio someone wants added, or a walk that has lifted at a joint.
On the older lots, the first driveway was often poured on dirt that was raked flat instead of packed, and that's usually why it has sunk and cracked. On newer homes the existing slab is usually sound, so the work is adding a patio or widening a drive so it ties in level with what's already there.
Most Lancaster driveway calls start with an old drive that has settled, so we break it out, dig to firm soil and pack a base for car weight.
Explore serviceYou want a patio that stays flat and sheds rain, so we set its slope away from the house before the forms go in.
Explore serviceWe press a pattern into fresh concrete so it looks like stone or brick, and the timing of the stamp decides how crisp it comes out.
Explore serviceA walk from the driveway to the door needs even joints and a steady slope, because a lifted edge is what people trip on.
Explore serviceWe pour garage floors level and square to the door, with a slight fall toward the opening so water off wet tires runs out instead of pooling.
Explore serviceColor, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns all count as decorative work, and we look at samples together before the pour because the look can't change after.
Explore serviceWhen a yard drops off or soil creeps onto a patio, a poured wall holds it back, sized to the height with drainage behind it.
Explore serviceFor a shop, barn or room addition, we pour interior floors on a packed base with a plastic vapor barrier underneath so ground moisture stays out.
Explore serviceAround a pool, the deck has to shed water away from the edge and stay grippy underfoot, so we plan the finish and the slope together.
Explore serviceWe form steps so each one rises the same height, because the one step that's taller than the rest is the one people trip on.
Explore serviceBuilders call us for house and building slabs, where the plan starts with the drawings, the soil under the pad and the inspection before the pour.
Explore serviceA new foundation for an addition or outbuilding has to match the drawings and tie into what's already there, so we measure twice before we dig.
Explore serviceFor property owners, we pour parking areas thick enough for the traffic they'll carry, with drainage planned so water runs to the drains and not across the lot.
Explore serviceFootings are the concrete under a wall, post or addition that spreads the weight, and their depth and width come from the plans and the ground we find.
Explore serviceIf a slab has dropped and doors are sticking, we look at how far it moved and why before saying whether raising it makes sense.
Explore serviceWe saw-cut concrete for a new doorway, a wider drive or a clean line where old meets new, so the edge is straight instead of jagged.
Explore serviceIn Lancaster, permits come from the city's Building Inspection Division. Depending on the job, the city inspects at different stages, and you only find out which inspections apply once the permit is issued, so those inspections set the schedule as much as we do. We check with the city on every job, and when one needs a permit we file it, book the inspections and tie the pour date to them. If you're comparing contractors, ask whether they're registered with the city, because registration runs one year at a time and requires a certificate of insurance with $1 million in general liability that lists the City of Lancaster as the holder. We're licensed and insured.
Lancaster is an easy run from our base in Balch Springs, and we work the cities around it the same way, out to Seagoville and beyond. What moves the price here is the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base the ground needs, the finish you pick, and the permit fee, which the city figures from the cost of the work. When I come out for the estimate, I walk the job, measure it and write down what the price covers, so you can see where each of those lands for your house.
Tell me what's going on with your driveway, patio or slab, and what you'd like it to be. We reply to every call and message within one business day, and I come out myself to walk the job, measure it and write down what the price covers. The estimate is free, and there's no obligation to book.
(214) 286-6733Yes. The city's list of residential projects that need a permit names driveway additions and replacement, along with foundation repair, pools and fences. A patio or walk isn't named on that list, so we ask the city before we set a date instead of guessing.
Before any construction begins, because the city requires every permit to be applied for first. The city says to apply at City Hall, 211 N Henry St, Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM. Plan review fees are due when plans are submitted, and plans sent without the fee aren't processed, so when we file for you we send both together.
Lancaster uses the 2021 International Building Codes and related construction codes, with amendments recommended for the North Texas region. A pool at a one- or two-family home follows its own section of the city's local amendments instead of the adopted pool and spa code, which matters when we pour a deck around one.
An inspection requested before 7:00 a.m. on a city business day is made that same day, and requests after 7:00 a.m. are made the next business day. We put our requests in early so the concrete truck isn't called before the inspector has been out.
Concrete can still crack, but with the packed base and timed joints described above, the cracks it gets usually stay in the joints instead of running across the slab. Patios and walks are usually about 4 inches thick, and driveways usually go thicker with rebar, steel bars that hold the pieces together. Concrete needs time to cure, gaining strength slowly as it sits, so plan on about a day before you walk on it and about a week before you drive on it. If the budget gets tight, I'd keep the base and go with a plain broom finish, a lightly brushed surface for grip, because nobody sees the base but it decides whether the slab settles.
Lancaster is one of the cities around Balch Springs where we pour driveways, patios and slabs, and these are some of the others we work in.
Our hours run 7 AM to 11 PM every day, so you can call (214) 286-6733 after work or send the contact form whenever it suits you.
If you're not sure yet what your slab needs, call or write and I'll talk it through with you.
Tell us about your project
