Concrete contractor in Ephrata, WA - driveways and patios on a solid base
Frontier Moses Lake Concrete pours driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and footings for homes in Ephrata, WA, and slabs and lots for local businesses. I walk each job with you first, and our own crew does the work.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Services in Ephrata, WA
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here often sink where the base was only raked level. We tear them out, dig to firm ground and pack new base before the pour.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards with water pooling against the house usually need the grade fixed before anything else. Our concrete patio construction sets the slab to fall away from your foundation.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards often need a wall to hold back the ground behind a patio or drive. We build the footing wide and deep enough for the wall's height.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have pulled away from the house or tilted usually sat on a shallow base. We pour new steps on proper footings, with even step heights.
Garage floor concrete
Cracked, stained garage floors are common in the older houses here. We break out the old slab and pour one that sheds water toward the door.
Concrete footings
New garages, shops and additions in Ephrata start with footings, the wider concrete base a wall sits on. We dig and pour them to your project's plans.
Ephrata, WA properties and local conditions
A lot of the cracked and sunken concrete we get called out to in Ephrata has the same problem underneath. When we cut out an old driveway or patio, we often find the dirt was raked level and poured on, with no digging out and packing, so the slab went down as the ground settled. That subgrade, the ground and base the slab sits on, is where I spend the most time during an estimate, because a new slab on the same soft base will go the same way. So we dig to firm ground, bring in base and pack it before any forms go up.
The other thing we check on nearly every lot is where the water goes. A slab that tips toward the house sends water at your foundation, and a yard that steps down usually needs a wall or steps to hold the grade, so we work those out before we set the height of the new slab.
What we know from pouring concrete in Ephrata
The City of Ephrata's Building Department enforces the state building code and the city's own code for construction inside city limits, so it's the office that decides whether your job needs a permit. I check with it before I price anything, and when a permit is needed, we handle the application or help you with yours, which can add time before we pour. You can check any contractor yourself, because the city requires a current city business license and a current Washington contractor license and registration with the state Department of Labor and Industries before construction starts. We're fully licensed and insured.
Price here comes down to a few things: the size of the slab, whether old concrete has to come out, how much digging and base the ground needs, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns mostly on the permit, if there is one, and on getting the base right, since we don't pour on ground that isn't ready. We're a concrete contractor based in Moses Lake, WA, and the same crew works in Othello, Quincy and other cities around the area.
A written concrete estimate for your Ephrata property
We reply within one business day to set up a visit, and I come out to walk your Ephrata job with you. The estimate is free with no obligation, and you get the scope in writing so you can line it up against other bids.
(509) 512-0637How a concrete job runs when you call us in Ephrata
Call or send us a message
Call (509) 512-0637 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home for the visit so we can walk the job together.
Walk the job together on site
I mark out the work, look at the old slab and where the water runs, and talk through your choices and the permit side with you. Then I send a written estimate, so you know what you're paying for before anything gets poured.
We prep, form and pour
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and pours, and I'm on site to run the pour. If the city needs an inspection first, the pour waits for it.
Learn how to care for it
Before we leave, I show you how to look after the concrete while it cures, the wait while it gains strength before it's ready for use. I'll tell you when it's fine to walk on and when it's fine to drive on.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Ephrata, WA?
Yes, the city requires a location placement permit, a permit for where the wall goes, before you build any retaining wall up to four feet high, though a wall that size needs no building permit. Past four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing, the city requires drawings stamped by a registered professional engineer or architect. We measure from the footing, not the lawn, so a wall that looks short doesn't catch you out, and the city posts its building permit forms on its Permits page.
How do I schedule a building inspection in Ephrata?
Call the city's Building Department 24 hours ahead, and you can get an inspection the next day. When a job needs one before the pour, we plan around that call so the concrete truck isn't booked ahead of the inspector.
Who issues concrete permits outside Ephrata city limits?
For property in unincorporated Grant County, the county's Building Division of Development Services reviews permit applications, not the city. The county asks you to confirm your property sits outside city limits before you apply with the county. I check which office covers your address before I price the job.
What happens if I start concrete work in Ephrata without a permit?
If the work needed a permit, the city makes a special investigation before it issues one and charges an investigation fee equal to the permit fee, on top of the permit fee. You pay that whether or not the permit is issued, so it's cheaper to ask first.
What affects the cost of a concrete driveway or patio in Ephrata?
Beyond the size of the job, the biggest choice is how your money splits between the base you can't see and the finish you can. When a budget is tight, the base is the first thing people want to cut because it's buried on day one, and it's the one place I won't skimp, since that's where most sinking and cracking starts. I'd rather you save on the finish, and a plain broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip, costs less than stamped or colored work.
Will a new concrete driveway in Ephrata crack like my old one?
Concrete usually still cracks a little as it shrinks, but on a packed base with control joints, straight cuts that give it a place to crack, it tends to crack along those lines instead of across the middle. We cut the joints on time and ask you to stay off it until it has cured, because late joints and slabs used too soon are where most random cracks come from.
About Ephrata, WA
Ephrata is a smaller city than Moses Lake, and a lot of our calls here come from homeowners with an older driveway, patio or set of front steps that has settled, plus businesses that need a slab or a lot redone. The streets mix older houses near the center with newer builds toward the edges, and the older lots are where we find thin, hand-raked bases and slabs that have drifted toward the house.
On those older lots, the job is usually more digging than pouring, because the ground has to be fixed before a new slab has anything to sit on. Newer lots tend to need less tear-out and more attention to grade.
Explore the services
Moses Lake, WA
Ask about your concrete job in Ephrata
Getting me out early leaves room to sort out the city's side before the date you have in mind for the pour.