Concrete contractor in McFarland, CA - driveways and patios that drain right
Shafter Concrete is a concrete contractor in Shafter that pours driveways, patios, walks, slabs and footings for homes and businesses in McFarland. I look at every job and write the estimate myself, and our own crew does the work.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
McFarland homes on both sides of Highway 99
McFarland is a small city on Highway 99, and the highway splits it into an east side and a west side. Most of our calls here come from homeowners, for a driveway that has dropped at the street, a cracked walk to the front door, or a bare backyard that needs a patio. Shops and farm businesses along the main roads call us for floors, slabs and parking areas.
It's the same kind of work we do just up the road in Delano. On most lots here, the job comes down to the dirt under the old slab and which way the water runs off it, so that's where I start.
Concrete work we do for McFarland homes and businesses
Concrete driveway building
When a McFarland driveway has dropped at the street or split down the middle, we dig out the soft base, pack new fill and pour it fresh.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio gives you a flat place for the table and the grill, and we pitch it so rain runs toward the yard, not your back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete is pressed with a stone or brick pattern before it sets, a good fit for a front entry or patio when gray isn't the look you want.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks turn into trip hazards when one panel settles below the next, so we cut out the bad sections and pour them level with the rest.
Garage floor concrete
Older garage floors here tend to be cracked, oil-stained and sloped the wrong way, so we break them out, rebuild the base and pour toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone or a scored pattern can make a plain slab suit the house, and the base underneath gets the same work as any driveway.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps down or dirt is pushing on a fence line, a poured wall with steel inside holds the ground back and off your slab.
Concrete floor installation
Shops, barns and add-on rooms around McFarland need interior floors poured flat and finished smooth, so carts roll easily and the floor sweeps clean.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck has to shed water away from the edge and stay grippy underfoot, so we slope it and give it a textured top.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have pulled away from the porch or crumbled at the edges get torn out and formed again with even risers and steel inside.
Slab foundation building
Owners adding a room, garage or shop, and builders putting up new homes, call us for slab foundations poured on packed ground with the plumbing set first.
Foundation installation
For a new house or an addition, we dig, form and pour the foundation to the plans, so the framers start on something square and level.
Concrete parking lot building
Shops and offices along McFarland's main roads need parking that takes cars all day, so we pour those lots thicker and slope them to drain.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, carports and block walls all sit on footings, the concrete feet under them, dug deep and wide enough to carry the load.
Foundation raising
When one corner of a slab or a house has dropped, we lift it back toward level and fill the gap underneath so it has something to rest on.
Concrete cutting
We saw openings in old slabs for new plumbing or drains, and cut control joints, planned grooves, into fresh concrete so cracks follow a straight line.
Get a free on-site estimate for concrete work in McFarland
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure and write you a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
Call (661) 776-8737- Based in
- Shafter, CA 93263
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What to know before a concrete job in McFarland
Inside McFarland city limits, building permits come from the city's building division, and when your job needs one, we file the application and line up the inspections before anybody digs, so the permit is usually what sets the start date. If it's not clear whether your job needs one, we check with that office for your address first. Before you hire anyone here, ask about two things: a California contractor license from the state board, and a McFarland business license, which the city requires of every contractor working inside its limits, even ones based in another city. We're licensed and insured.
What moves the price is mostly what you can't see yet, like how much old concrete and soft ground has to come out, how thick the new slab is and how much rebar, the steel bars that hold a crack tight, goes into it. The finish matters too, from a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps shoes and tires from slipping, up to stamped patterns and color, and your written estimate spells out what's included. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, the days the concrete needs to gain strength before you use it. Older homes here ask the same things of us as the ones we work on in East Bakersfield and Wasco, mostly bad ground under tired concrete.
Why McFarland driveways and patios sink and crack
A driveway that sinks at one end or a patio that tips toward the back door is usually a ground problem, not a concrete problem. Somebody raked the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, flat and poured right over it, and the slab went down with the dirt as it settled. We dig out the soft ground, pack new base in layers and set the forms so the new slab falls away from the house, because water that pools against your foundation doesn't stay on top for long.
A good share of the homes in McFarland are rentals, so landlords call us too, usually between tenants, for walks and steps that have turned into trip hazards. They want what owners want, a fix they don't pay for twice, so a rental walk gets the same base work as anybody's driveway.
How a McFarland concrete job goes once you call
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the day you park on the new slab, and who you'll deal with along the way.
Call or send the form
Call (661) 776-8737 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Being home for the visit helps, so you can show me what's bothering you and where the water goes.
I measure and write it up
I look at the old concrete, measure and ask how you'll use the slab, whether that's parking a work truck or setting out a table. You get a written estimate that says what's included, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We sort permits, then pour
If the job needs a permit, we get it settled before anybody digs, so the start date usually waits on that. Then our crew breaks out the old slab, packs the base, sets forms and steel and pours, and I'm on the job with them.
Walk it together at the end
When the forms come off, I walk the finished slab with you and show you the joints and the slope. You get the day you can walk on it and the day you can park on it.
Questions about concrete work in McFarland
Call (661) 776-8737Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway or patio in McFarland?
The city's building division decides that, and its list of common permits doesn't settle it for a driveway or patio, so check before anyone pours. The list names solar, water heaters, HVAC, fencing and patio covers, and applications go through the city's online permit portal, where you pick the permit type, upload documents, pay and track it. We check with the city for your address before we start, and if a permit is needed, we file it and set up the inspections.
Does my concrete contractor in McFarland need a California license?
Yes, the state requires a contractor license whenever the job needs a building permit, uses employees, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The contractor has to hold that license before bidding, and a bigger job can't be split into small pieces to slip under the limit. Concrete contractors also have to keep proof of workers' comp insurance on file with the Contractors State License Board.
Does an out-of-town contractor need a McFarland business license?
Yes, McFarland requires a business license of every business working inside city limits, and that includes contractors whose offices are in another city. The city's application asks for a copy of the workers' comp policy, or a signed declaration from a business with no employees. It's a fair thing to ask any contractor about before work starts.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in McFarland?
The price comes down to what has to come out, what goes back in and what you want on top, so the written estimate after I see your driveway is the number to go by. Breaking out a sunken slab and rebuilding a soft base costs more than pouring on ground that's already sound, and a thicker slab, more rebar or a stamped finish adds to it. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you skip the pattern than skip the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and everybody sees it a few years later.
How long does a new concrete driveway take to cure before I can drive on it?
You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, and I give you both days when we finish. Parking too soon can crack the edges or mark the surface, so the cones stay up until it's ready, and heavy trucks wait longer than your car. Most of the time you're without the driveway is that wait, not our work.
How do I keep a new concrete patio in McFarland from cracking like the old one?
You can't stop concrete from cracking entirely, but you can choose where it cracks and keep the cracks tight, and that starts with the packed base we covered above. We cut control joints into the fresh slab on the day of the pour, so it cracks along those lines instead of across the middle, and the rebar holds any crack closed. Joints cut late or skipped are why so many old slabs have cracks running wherever they please.
Shafter, CA
Get your McFarland concrete job on the calendar
We're open until 11 PM on weeknights and 9 PM on weekends, so you can call after your own workday is done.