Concrete Contractor in Yakima, WA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
United Yakima Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Yakima, WA. We pour driveways, patios, sidewalks, garage floors, footings and foundations across the city for homeowners, plus some small businesses and builders.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Yakima houses and the concrete we find around them
Most of our Yakima calls come from homeowners, with some small businesses and builders mixed in. In the older neighborhoods closer to downtown, we find driveways and walks that were poured a long time ago, often thin, patched more than once and sitting on whatever dirt was there. Out in the newer subdivisions it's more often a patio or a wider driveway the builder never got to. We do the same work in Terrace Heights and up in Selah, so a job on the edge of town is no stretch for us.
That mix shapes the job. An older lot usually means breaking out the old slab first, working around tree roots and tight side yards, and seeing what's underneath before I price the base.
Concrete work we do around Yakima
Concrete driveway building
Older Yakima driveways often sink at the garage or hold water by the street. We tear the old slab out, rebuild the base and pour it to drain.
Concrete patio construction
A Yakima backyard patio should fall away from your house, so we set that grade before forming and pick a finish that fits how you use the yard.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, but we build the same packed base under it, because a pattern won't hide settling.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks and side paths lift and trip people when roots or a soft base move them, so we replace the bad panels and rebuild what's under them.
Garage floor concrete
Older garages here often have floors that are cracked, stained or sloped the wrong way, so we break them out and pour a slab that drains toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone or a scored pattern can dress up a plain entry or patio, and we talk through what holds up for your use before we pour.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards need walls that hold the dirt back without leaning, so we pour them on footings with steel inside and room behind for water to drain.
Concrete floor installation
Shops, outbuildings and basements need a floor that stays flat under weight, so we pack what the slab sits on and add steel where the load calls for it.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck has to shed water away from the pool and give bare feet grip when it's wet, so we slope and finish it for both.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older Yakima homes crack, settle and pull away from the porch. We form new ones with even rises and steel inside so they hold together.
Slab foundation building
Garages, shops and additions that sit on grade start with a slab foundation, so we dig and pack the base, set the steel and pour to the approved plans.
Foundation installation
New houses, additions and replacement foundations under older homes all start with forms set square and level, then walls poured on footings sized for the load.
Concrete parking lot building
Small businesses here need lots that take daily traffic and drain away from the door, so we plan thickness and joints for vehicles, not just foot traffic.
Concrete footings
Porches, walls and additions rest on footings, the concrete pads that spread their weight, and we dig them to the required depth before anything goes on top.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab or house has settled, raising it can bring it back level, and I'll tell you straight if replacing it is the better call.
Concrete cutting
Cutting lets us open a slab for a new plumbing line, widen a doorway or take out one bad section without tearing up the whole driveway.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Yakima concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out myself, and you get a free written estimate with no obligation to go ahead.
Call (509) 452-5002- Based in
- Yakima, WA 98901
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Working in Yakima: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Inside city limits, building permits come from the City of Yakima's Code Administration Division, and some addresses around the city fall under Yakima County instead, so the first thing I check is which office covers yours. The city's quick online permit list is written for other trades' work, not concrete, so I ask that office what your job calls for instead of guessing, we handle the paperwork for our part, and we don't set a pour date until it's settled. We're licensed and fully insured, and before you hire anyone you can check that they're registered with the state and hold a city business license, which Yakima requires of every business working inside its limits, even ones based elsewhere. I've laid out what the state registration covers in the questions below.
Price on a Yakima job comes down to a few things: the size and thickness of the slab, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much digging and packing the base needs, how close a truck can get to the forms, and whether you want a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, or color and stamping. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather on pour day and the cure, and your written estimate spells out the mix, the prep and what's included so you can compare it line by line.
Why older Yakima concrete cracks and sinks
The city sets frost depth at 24 inches below grade, and footings for steps, walls and additions need to reach it, because ground above that line can freeze and lift whatever sits on it. We dig to that depth and pour the footings before anything goes on top.
Most of the cracked, sunken slabs we tear out here failed underneath, not on top. The dirt was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled with it, or it was poured sloping toward the house and water sat against the foundation. We dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pack a base, check where water will run before we form, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give concrete a place to crack where you won't notice it. If the budget has to come down, I'd rather you skip the stamped pattern than skimp on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and it's the one part you can't fix later without tearing everything out.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Yakima
Here's how it goes from your first call to a slab you can use, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call us or send a message
Tell us what you've got, a cracked driveway or a new patio, and we'll call back to set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home for the visit, since I'll want to hear how you plan to use the concrete.
I measure and write it up
I measure, look over the grade and drainage, and ask how you'll use the slab, then you get a written estimate with the mix, the prep and what's included spelled out. That way you see where the money goes before you decide anything.
We line up permits and prep
If your job needs a permit, the pour date waits on it, and when land use review applies it can be processed alongside the building permit, which is issued once that review is approved. Meanwhile our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and lays rebar, the steel that holds a slab together if it does crack.
Pour, finish, cure, clean up
I'm on site for the pour, which we start early so the top doesn't dry out weak in midday heat, and the crew finishes it, cuts the joints and cleans up. Then the concrete needs time to cure, the slow hardening that sets its strength, so stay off it until we tell you it's ready for feet and then for cars.
Questions about concrete work in Yakima
Call (509) 452-5002The price comes down to the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. A plain broom finish costs less than color or stamping, and tear-out and hauling add to any job. You get the exact figure in our written estimate once I've measured.
Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the state Department of Labor & Industries and carry a bond and insurance, so ask for that registration before you sign. The bond is $30,000 for a general contractor and $15,000 for a specialty contractor. The liability insurance is $200,000 in public liability and $50,000 in property damage, or a $250,000 combined limit.
Yes, work in the city's right of way, the strip along the street that the city controls, needs its own permit, separate from any building permit. That usually means a driveway apron or a sidewalk along the street, and the city's building permit applications page points you to the Engineering Division for details. We sort it out before the pour date so the crew isn't stopped at the curb.
Yes, if the project adds more than 5,000 square feet of new or hard surface, the city wants a stormwater permit application. That comes with two paper sets of plans and drainage calculations prepared by a licensed Professional Engineer. It's mostly parking lots and big shop slabs, and the engineering takes time up front, so I bring it up at the estimate.
Look up your address on the current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map at msc.fema.gov, which is the map the city points to for flood hazards. It's better to know before plans are drawn, and I'm glad to look it up with you when I come out.
The city reviews plans against the 2021 Washington State codes, including the Building and Residential Codes. The next edition takes effect May 3, 2027, so if your project is still on paper as that date gets close, ask the city which one your permit will fall under.
Yakima, WA
Get your Yakima concrete job on the schedule
A few minutes on site tells you whether you're looking at a repair, a partial tear-out or a full new slab, so call (509) 452-5002 or send the form before you spend a dollar.