Concrete contractor in Mobile, AL - driveways and slabs on a solid base
Quickset Fairhope Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Fairhope that pours driveways, patios, steps, footings and foundations for homes in Mobile, with as much care spent on the base under the slab as on the finish.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Mobile's older streets and low, wet lots
Mobile is the biggest city we head to from our base across the bay in Fairhope, and the calls there are as mixed as the city. We get older houses with driveways that have cracked and dropped over the years, newer houses that want a patio or a wider parking pad, and shops and churches with lots that hold water after a storm. A lot of the work starts with tearing out an old slab, because what's there was often poured on a base that was only raked level.
Up in Prichard and Chickasaw there's a lot of the same older housing, and we see the same problems. Much of this side of the bay sits low and stays soft after a hard rain, so on most Mobile jobs the base and where the water goes matter more than the finish on top.
Concrete work we do for Mobile homes and businesses
Concrete driveway building
Older Mobile driveways often sink where the base was only raked level, so we dig out and pack the ground before the new slab goes down.
Concrete patio construction
A patio here has to shed heavy rain away from the house, so we set the slope before the pour and keep puddles off the back step.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a Mobile patio or walk the look of brick or stone, and it sits on the same packed base we give a plain slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
Old front walks here get lifted by roots and turn into trip hazards. We pour new ones with a broom finish, a brushed texture for wet-weather grip.
Garage floor concrete
Cracked garage slabs are a common call on older Mobile houses, so we break them out and pour a new floor that drains toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Decorative concrete with color or a textured finish suits front entries and courtyards on Mobile's older homes, where plain gray can look out of place.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard drops toward a ditch or the street, a retaining wall holds the soil, and we give the water behind it a way out.
Concrete floor installation
For a new shop, shed or addition, we pour the floor over a packed base and a plastic sheet that keeps damp ground from wicking up through it.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here take hot sun and hard rain, so we give them a finish with grip and a slope that carries water away from the pool.
Concrete steps construction
Concrete steps on raised Mobile homes take a beating from weather and foot traffic, and we pour new ones with even step heights so nobody catches a toe.
Slab foundation building
A slab foundation for a new house here starts with how high the lot sits and where the water goes, so we plan the base around both.
Foundation installation
When you're building near the water in Mobile, we plan the foundation around what the city asks for on your lot before anybody digs.
Concrete parking lot building
Shops, churches and small offices with an old lot that holds water and breaks up get a thicker slab on a solid base, graded to drain.
Concrete footings
Footings carry a porch, wall or addition, so on soft Mobile ground we dig to firm soil and set rebar, the steel that keeps it from pulling apart.
Foundation raising
If a slab or porch on an older Mobile house has dropped as the ground under it settled, raising it can level things out without a full tear-out.
Concrete cutting
We saw clean openings in existing Mobile slabs for drains, plumbing or a doorway, and cut out a cracked section so it can be patched instead of replaced.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Mobile
Send the form and I'll get back to you within one business day to set a time, then I'll come out, walk the job with you and write up a free estimate of what's included, with no obligation.
(251) 850-0154- Based in
- Fairhope, AL 36532
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Working in Mobile: permits, licenses and what moves the price
On a Mobile job that needs a permit, the city's building department, Build Mobile, is the office that issues it, so the pour date waits on the permit and not just on the weather. City ordinance says any contractor building work that needs a permit has to be licensed and bonded under City of Mobile and State of Alabama requirements and registered with the city's building official, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring about both. If you have questions about a contractor's city business license, the city's Revenue Department takes them at (251) 208-7462. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to go over that when I come out.
Before we set a pour date, we check whether your address falls under the city or the county, and if the job needs a permit, we pull it, line up the inspections and leave the work open until it's been looked at. After that, your price mostly comes down to the size and thickness of the slab, whether an old one has to be broken out and hauled off, how much digging and packing the ground needs, the finish you pick and whether a truck can back up to the spot. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before you use it, and the estimate I write up on site gives you your own figure with everything that's included. We run jobs the same way over in Foley and the other cities we serve.
Mobile's rain, low ground and older slabs
Heavy rain is the big one here. When water runs under a slab instead of off it, it softens the subgrade, the dirt and base the slab sits on, and the concrete settles and cracks wherever it's weakest. On older driveways we often find a slab that falls toward the house or the garage, so water pools right at the door, and that's why we check where the water runs before we form anything and set the slope so it heads away from your house.
Near the water, flood rules come into it. The city's flood map includes the special flood hazard areas FEMA has marked, and in flood-prone areas the city decides what counts as a substantial improvement under its flood control ordinance, which the city's Engineering Department enforces, so on a footing or foundation job there we plan around what the city asks for before we dig.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Mobile
From your first call to the last walk-around, here's how a Mobile job usually goes, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (251) 850-0154 or fill out the form and tell me what you're dealing with, whether it's a cracked driveway or a brand-new slab. I'll set a time to come out to your place in Mobile.
Walk the site with me
I come out myself and walk the job with you, so it helps if you're home, and I'll ask how you'll use the slab and where the water goes now. Then I write up an estimate that lists what's included, so there are no surprises later.
Permit, base, pour and cure
Once you say go, we sort out the permit side for your address, and our own crew digs out and packs the base and pours, with me working right beside them. We cut control joints, grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and let it cure before anyone uses it.
Walk the finished job together
Before we pack up, I walk the finished slab with you and go over when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for your car. That's also the time to ask anything about caring for it.
Questions about concrete work in Mobile, AL
Do I need a permit to pour concrete in Mobile, AL?
A concrete job in Mobile can need a building permit, and Build Mobile's permit guidance also says a land disturbance permit is required for all land-disturbing work, such as clearing brush, excavating and filling land. That can matter on jobs where we dig out a base or bring in fill, so we sort out what your job needs before any work starts.
Can a homeowner pull their own building permit in Mobile?
Yes, if you're the one physically doing the work, the city can issue you a permit once the building official is satisfied you're competent, and you'll also complete a building affidavit. If anyone else does work on your property, the city treats them as a contractor, and they have to meet the contractor rules.
What license does a concrete contractor need in Mobile, AL?
Anyone doing work over $10,000 in Mobile has to be a homebuilder, remodeler or general contractor under state and city requirements, on top of the licensing and registration the city asks for on permitted work. Every builder and contractor also has to keep a license and permit bond on file with the city, written by a surety company qualified to do business in Alabama and approved by the city's legal department.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Mobile?
Your own written estimate is the honest answer, because what a Mobile driveway costs comes down mostly to its size and how much work the ground under it needs. When budgets get tight, the base is the first thing folks want to cut since nobody sees it after the pour, but that's the one place I won't skimp, because a thin, raked base is why so many old slabs here have sunk. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and that's the better place to save.
What causes concrete driveways to crack and sink in Mobile?
Most of the time it's what's underneath, a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, and water that soaks the ground under the slab until it settles. Joints cut late or skipped add cracks in spots nobody picked, and a pour in the midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top. We dig out and pack the base, plan where the water runs, cut joints on time and pour early on hot days.
How long does new concrete need before I can drive on it?
You can usually walk on a new slab well before you can park on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for days as it cures. Heat, rain and the mix all change the timing, so I'll tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for your car on the day we finish.
Fairhope, AL
Get your Mobile concrete job lined up
Call (251) 850-0154 or send the form, because a slab that's already cracking or holding water usually gets worse with every hard rain.