Concrete Contractor in Franconia, VA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
J&K Alexandria Concrete Company is an Alexandria, VA concrete contractor that pours driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and pool decks for Franconia homes, and cuts out and replaces the tired concrete around them.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Concrete work around Franconia homes
Franconia is a Fairfax County community of brick ramblers, split-levels and colonials from the second half of the 1900s, with townhouse rows, newer infill and shopping along the main roads mixed in. Most of our calls here are about concrete that's been down a long time, like a driveway broken into plates, a front stoop pulling away from the house, or a patio with pooling water after a storm. We're based in Alexandria and do the same work in Springfield and across the river in Friendly, MD.
On houses this age, the concrete you can see is the easy part. The base under it, the grade around the house and whatever got buried in the old slab decide how the job goes, so that's where I start.
What we pour in Franconia
Concrete driveway building
A lot of Franconia driveways were poured decades ago and have settled into cracked, uneven slabs. We tear them out, dig down, pack a new base and pour fresh.
Concrete patio construction
Patios behind older Franconia homes often tip toward the house and send rain at the foundation. We break them out and pour new ones sloped away from the walls.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped Franconia backyards push on old timber and block walls until they lean. We pour walls on real footings with drainage behind, so water has somewhere to go.
Concrete pool decks
Backyard pools here often sit inside decks that have cracked or gone slick with age. We pour concrete pool decks with a grippy finish and joints cut where cracks should go.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on split-levels and colonials here tend to settle and pull away from the house. We remove them and pour new steps on footings, tied in at the stoop.
Concrete cutting
Older slabs here sometimes need a drain line, a doorway or a broken section cut out. We saw-cut clean, straight edges so new concrete meets the old neatly.
What Franconia ground and houses need
Start with the dirt. The county places marine clay on steep, hilly land in southeast Fairfax County, mostly east of I-95 and I-395, and says it can cause anything from major structural damage in houses to yards that won't drain. I won't guess from a map whether your lot has it, so I look at how the yard drains and how the old concrete has moved before we talk about a pour.
Most of the concrete around houses here has been down for decades, and a lot of it has settled toward the house or been lifted by tree roots. Under those slabs we find old pipes, roots and sometimes a second slab poured right on top of the first, so I ask about the house's history and check before I quote. When budgets get tight, people want to trim the base because nobody sees it on day one. I'd rather you skip the stamped finish than skimp under the slab, because a pretty surface on a soft base is just a nicer-looking crack.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Franconia property
Call (571) 760-4255 or send the form, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out to Franconia myself, walk the job with you and write down what's included, like removal and haul-away, so you can compare it fairly with other bids. The estimate is free and comes with no obligation.
Franconia concrete questions, answered
Here's what Franconia homeowners usually ask before a pour, from county permits to cracks. If your job has a twist these don't cover, call or send the form and ask.
How do I find out if my concrete driveway or patio needs a permit in Franconia?
Ask Fairfax County Land Development Services, which issues building, trade and land disturbance permits in Franconia and sets the permit type by the scope of the work. Its residential list names jobs like foundation repair, waterproofing and pools rather than driveways or patios, other county agencies can require approvals even when that office doesn't, and work in a floodplain can need its own county approval. We find out which office covers your address and handle the permit work for our part of the job, and if anything needs your signature, we tell you up front.
Does foundation repair in Fairfax County need a permit?
Yes, the county requires a residential permit for foundation repair and for waterproofing. If the damage comes from marine clay, it wants a grading plan, a building permit or both before repair starts, and a fix that disturbs more than 2,500 square feet of ground needs a soil report filed before the site plan. That's one more reason I look hard at the cause before I price a repair.
What license should a concrete contractor have in Franconia, VA?
Your contractor should hold a license from the Virginia Board for Contractors and a Fairfax County Home Improvement Contractor license. The state's Class C covers jobs over $1,000 and under $30,000 each, or a contractor whose work totals no more than $250,000 in any twelve months, and the county requires Class C contractors and anyone below that size to get the home improvement license from its land development office. Every contractor doing business in the county also owes its business license tax, and we're licensed and fully insured.
Which building code applies to concrete work in Franconia?
Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code applies, the same code across the whole state, and Fairfax County's building inspectors enforce it. The state bases it on national model codes, so work that needs a permit here gets built to that code and checked by the county.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Franconia, VA?
The price comes down to the size, what has to come out and how much base work your ground needs, and I put the number in writing after I walk the job with you. Tearing out and hauling away the old slab, digging out a soft base, fixing a slope that drains toward the house, adding rebar, the steel inside that holds the slab together, and choosing a stamped finish over a plain broom finish, the brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, all raise it. The schedule mostly turns on removal, any permit and curing, the wait while the new concrete gains strength before you can drive on it.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack and sink, and will a new one do the same?
Most sinking and wide cracks come from what's under the slab, either a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, or water running under it and softening the ground. We dig to firm ground and pack the subgrade, the soil and stone the slab sits on, set the slope so water runs away, pour out of the midday heat and cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, on time. Concrete still gets hairline cracks, but they should land in the joints instead of across the middle of your driveway.
Driveways, patios and steps
Other cities we work in
Choose a city below if it's listed, or call us about yours, since we work across Northern Virginia and nearby Maryland.