Concrete Contractor in Portsmouth, VA - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Solid Base
Groundwork Norfolk Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Portsmouth, VA, a short drive from our base in Norfolk. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs, and we take on cuts, walls and lifts that come with a catch.
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Portsmouth homes and lots as we find them
Portsmouth sits across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk, and the work there looks a lot like the work at home. Much of the housing is older and set close together on narrow lots, so the driveway is often a single strip beside the house and the patio is whatever fits behind it. A lot of the concrete we're asked to replace was poured decades ago and has been patched since. We also hear from small business owners who need a parking area, a slab or footings, the same calls we get in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
Those tight, flat lots shape the job. Getting old concrete out and new concrete in takes planning when there's a house on one side and a fence on the other, and that access, along with how much has to be torn out, moves the price and the schedule more than most people expect. With little natural fall to the ground, I work out where the water will go before we set a single form.
Why Portsmouth driveways and patios fail early
- Many slabs we break out here sat on raked dirt instead of a dug-out, packed subgrade, which is the ground the concrete rests on, so they sank as it settled.
- On flat lots, a driveway or patio that tips even slightly toward the house sends rain to the foundation, so we check where the water runs before we pour.
- Concrete cracks as it shrinks, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give it a place to crack in a straight line, soon after the pour instead of leaving it to chance.
Concrete work we do on Portsmouth properties
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has sunk, cracked or tips toward the house, we break it out, dig and pack a new base, and pour a slab built for cars.
Concrete patio construction
For a back patio on a small lot, we set the height and slope so rain runs off toward the yard, not under your back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of brick or stone, which suits older houses, and we still build the same base under it.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks that have heaved or split into trip edges get torn out and replaced with panels that sit flush and drain off to the side.
Garage floor concrete
A cracked or dusty garage floor gets broken out and repoured on a packed base, so it's ready for a car and a workbench again.
Decorative concrete
Colored, scored or exposed-stone finishes dress up an entry or patio when plain gray looks wrong next to an older brick or painted house.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps down to a driveway or a neighbor's lot, a poured wall with footings and drainage behind it holds the soil back.
Concrete floor installation
We pour interior floors for sheds, workshops, additions and small commercial spaces, finished smooth or textured depending on what the room will be used for.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool we slope the deck away from the water and give it a textured finish, because wet bare feet need grip more than shine.
Concrete steps construction
Crumbling front or back steps on older houses get rebuilt with even risers and steel bar inside, so every step is the same height to climb.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or new home on a city lot, we prepare the ground and pour a slab foundation sized and reinforced for what sits on it.
Foundation installation
When a builder or homeowner needs a new foundation, I plan the layout and the pour before the truck arrives, and I'm on site when it goes in.
Concrete parking lot building
For a shop or office lot, we lay out parking so cars fit, water drains off and the slab is thick enough for the traffic it carries.
Concrete footings
Footings for a porch, deck, addition or wall go down to firm ground and get the steel they need, because everything above leans on them.
Foundation raising
When an older house or slab has settled, we find out why before lifting it, so we deal with the cause and not just the sag.
Concrete cutting
Cutting a doorway, a trench for a pipe or a section out of a slab nobody has drawings for is the kind of job we take on.
- Request an estimate
Get a free on-site estimate for your Portsmouth project
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time, with no pressure and no obligation. I'm usually the one who comes out to Portsmouth, walks the job, takes measurements and writes up what we'd do and why.
(757) 731-7228Questions about concrete work in Portsmouth
How do I know if my concrete job in Portsmouth needs a permit?
When it isn't clear, we ask Portsmouth's Department of Permits and Inspections before we start, not after, so you're not finding out halfway through the job. If yours does need one, we pull the permit, list ourselves as the responsible party and set up the inspections.
Who licenses concrete contractors in Virginia?
The state's Board for Contractors licenses businesses that build, repair or improve things on property owned by someone else, and it sits within the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Each license pairs a class, which sets how much a job can be worth, with a specialty that sets the kind of work. We're licensed and insured, so ask to see it when I come out.
What does a Class C contractor license cover in Virginia?
A Class C license covers a single contract or project worth more than $1,000 and less than $30,000, according to the board's contractor booklet. It also fits a contractor whose total work in any twelve-month period is no more than $250,000, so on a bigger driveway, lot or foundation job, check that the contractor's class covers the contract amount.
Does a contractor need a Portsmouth business license on top of a state license?
A state license isn't the whole picture, because the board says contractors also have to meet the local licensing rules of each city where they work. Portsmouth takes business license applications in person and asks applicants to allow at least an hour. If you're opening a new business there yourself, the city's business license page says to get a zoning permit from Permits and Inspections before you go to the licensing office.
What does a door-to-door contractor have to give me in Virginia?
A contractor soliciting door to door at homes has to give you a Statement of Consumer Protections, according to the state board. If someone knocks offering to redo your driveway that afternoon and can't hand you one, that's a good reason to slow down and ask to see their state license.
How do I get an accurate price for a concrete driveway in Portsmouth, VA?
Have someone walk the job, because the price turns on things a photo won't show: the size, how thick the slab needs to be, whether old concrete comes out first and how much digging and packing the base needs. Tight access and a stamped or colored finish add to it, and the schedule depends on the same things plus curing, the days the concrete needs to gain strength before you walk on it and longer before you drive on it. If the budget's tight, cut the fancy finish before the base, because a weak base is the one thing you can't fix later without tearing the slab out.
Call about your Portsmouth concrete project
Our phones are answered early mornings and late evenings every day of the week, so call (757) 731-7228 or send the form whenever you get a minute.