Concrete Contractor in Port Arthur, TX - Slabs Built for Wet Ground
Orange Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Orange that pours driveways, patios, slab foundations and more in Port Arthur, TX, starting with the ground and the water under the slab before any finish.
- Service area
- Port Arthur, TX
- Call
- (409) 216-5078
Homes on low, wet ground in Port Arthur
Port Arthur sits low and flat along Sabine Lake, and water decides more on our jobs here than almost anything else. Most of what we look at is older houses on slabs or raised off the ground, driveways that have dropped at the joints and patios that have tipped back toward the house. Harvey put 26 inches of rain on the airport near the city in a single day in 2017, and plenty of the slabs we're called about sit on ground that's been soaked through more than once. We see the same thing next door in Groves and Nederland, and over the state line in Lake Charles.
So I ask what's under the slab before I talk about the top of it. A slab is only as good as its subgrade, the dirt and base it sits on, and the way water runs off it, so on Port Arthur jobs the digging out, packing and grading get most of our time.
Our services in Port Arthur, TX
Many driveways here sink and crack because they sit on soft fill that stays wet. We dig it out, pack a firm base and cut control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go.
On Port Arthur's flat lots, a patio that tips even slightly toward the house sends rain to the foundation. We set the slope before we pour so water runs off toward the yard.
New homes and additions here often sit on ground that's held water before, so the slab has to carry them. We pack the base and set rebar, steel that holds the slab together if it cracks.
Older Port Arthur houses that have settled show it in sticking doors and cracks over windows. We work out why it moved before lifting it, since raising a house on ground that's still giving fixes nothing.
Plenty of slabs here have one section that's broken and sunk while the rest is still sound. We saw out the bad part so it can be replaced without tearing up the whole slab.
Once the ground work's right, many homeowners here want more than a plain gray slab. We do decorative concrete over the same packed base, since a pretty top cracks as fast on soft ground.
Every service we offer
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
What happens when you call us about a Port Arthur job
Call us or send the form
You call (409) 216-5078 or send the form with what you're planning. We set a time for me to come out and see it.
I measure and check underneath
I measure, watch where the water runs and ask what the slab is for and what's under it, and if something can't be answered that day I'll say so and go find out. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't.
We sort out the permit
Before any forms go up, we find out which office covers your address and handle the permit side with them when the job needs one. That's the step most likely to move your start date, so we do it early.
We pour and walk it
Our crew lead runs the site while our finishers prep the ground, set forms, pour and finish. When it's done I walk the job with you and tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for a car.
Port Arthur concrete questions, answered
How do I get a permit for a concrete job in Port Arthur, TX?
You go through the city's Building Inspections Division, which issues building permits, requires them for all remodeling and renovation jobs and starts every project with its permit techs at 409-983-8261. If you're not sure your driveway or patio counts, they're the ones to ask, and the city wants the property inspected and the permit in place before work begins. A permit is good for six months, and when your job calls for one, we handle that side with the city.
What does Port Arthur require from a concrete contractor before they can work there?
Port Arthur requires contractors licensed or bonded with the city to carry a Contractors Bond and a City of Port Arthur Certificate of General Liability. The bond is at least $15,000 for small projects such as foundation work and $25,000 for large ones, and every contractor also needs a Certificate of Insurance of at least $100,000 that lists the city as certificate holder. Those are fair papers to ask about at the estimate.
What does a new slab foundation in a Port Arthur flood zone need?
In a flood zone, the city requires an engineer to design residential foundation plans, and you'll need an elevation certificate before the permit and again after the work. The city's Chief Building Official also serves as its Floodplain Administrator, so flood zone questions go to that office. We pour to the engineer's plan, and if your lot's situation isn't clear at the estimate, I'll tell you and we'll find out before anything gets drawn up.
How do I pull my own permit for a concrete job in Port Arthur?
If the house is your primary residence, your homestead, the city lets you obtain the permits yourself through the same permit techs. After a major natural disaster, homeowners can pull residential repair permits with proof of homestead, and contractors registered with the city can pull them too. If you'd rather not deal with it, that's part of what we do when a job needs a permit.
Do I need a permit for a shed slab in Port Arthur?
The city requires a permit for any shed larger than 200 square feet, and for a smaller one the permit techs can tell you where you stand. Before you pick the spot, the city recommends checking with Planning and Zoning and the permit office about rights of way and easements, which beats moving a pad later. Deed restrictions are separate, since the city treats them as private and doesn't enforce them, so read yours before you build.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Port Arthur?
Your number comes from the written estimate, because the cost here turns mostly on what has to come out and what has to go under the new slab. Tearing out an old driveway, digging out soft, wet fill and packing a real base move it the most, then size, thickness, steel and the finish, whether that's a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, or something stamped. Timing turns on rain, any permit and curing, the days concrete needs to harden before it takes a car. If the budget's tight, I'd cut the finish before the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and everybody sees it when the slab sinks.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Port Arthur job
Send the form or call, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out to your Port Arthur property, measure, look it over and put what's included in writing, free and with no obligation.
- Call
- (409) 216-5078
- Location
- Orange, TX 77630
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Ask about your Port Arthur project
Call (409) 216-5078 or send the form with your questions about the permit and the ground, because both are easier to sort out before anything's poured.