Concrete contractor in Auburn, WA - driveways and patios built from the base up
Cornerstone Tacoma Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Tacoma that pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and walls in Auburn, WA. I come out to look at your job myself, and our crew builds each slab on a packed base.
Get an estimate for your Auburn concrete
I walk the site, check where water runs and look at what's under your slab.
Auburn: older driveways, newer hillside lots
Auburn jobs come in a few kinds for us. Closer in, we see older houses with single-car driveways, front walks and steps that have settled and cracked over the years, usually because the base under them was never dug out and packed. On the newer lots the houses are bigger and the driveways wider, and the backyards often slope or squeeze between fences, the same kind of awkward patio job we take on up on South Hill. Some lots sit close to the Green River, the White River or the creeks that run through the city, and those come with their own questions before anybody digs.
So on an older lot, the old slab tells me a lot. I'd rather see what it was sitting on when it comes out than guess, because a new driveway or patio is only as good as the ground we pack under it.
Working in Auburn: whose rules cover your address
The first thing I check on an Auburn job is which office covers your address, because a mailing address that says Auburn can fall under the City of Auburn, King County, or the cities of Kent or Federal Way. Inside city limits, the city requires construction permits for many kinds of work in the public right-of-way, which is the street and sidewalk out front, and that work has to be done by a licensed and bonded contractor, so a new driveway apron or sidewalk panel can add a permit review to the schedule. When a job calls for a permit we handle the paperwork, and if it's one you have to get as the owner, we tell you what to bring. Before you hire anyone, check that the contractor is registered with the state Department of Labor and Industries, L&I for short, which by state law also means bonded and insured, and that they hold the business license the city requires of anyone working inside its limits. We're fully licensed and insured.
What moves the price here is mostly what you can't see on day one. Tearing out an old slab and digging out and packing a new base cost more than raking dirt level, and access matters too, since a tight backyard means wheelbarrows instead of a truck chute. Size, thickness, a sloped lot and the finish all move it from there, whether that's a broom finish, a light swept texture that gives shoes and tires some grip, or color and pattern. If something has to give in the budget, I'd trim the finish before the base, because a fancy surface on a poorly packed base cracks just the same. The schedule turns on any permit review and on curing, the time new concrete needs to gain strength before you load it, and you'll walk on it well before you can drive on it. Your written estimate spells out what we'll do on your job.
Services in Auburn, WA
Concrete driveway building
Older Auburn driveways usually crack and sink where the base was never packed. We tear out the old slab, dig down and pack a new base before we pour.
Concrete patio construction
Plenty of backyards here are tight or sloped, the awkward jobs we like. We set the patio to drain away from your house and plan how the concrete gets back there.
Decorative concrete
When a plain gray slab doesn't suit the house, we add color, texture or pattern with decorative concrete. It sits on the same packed base as any slab we pour.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots lift and trip people once a panel settles or heaves. We replace the panels and cut control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a newer yard steps down toward the street or a neighbor, the dirt creeps unless something holds it. We build concrete walls on footings with drainage behind them.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older Auburn houses chip, wear and pull away from the porch. We pour new ones with rebar, steel bars inside that hold the concrete together.
Your written estimate for concrete work in Auburn
Send the form or call (253) 354-0081 and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Auburn property myself, look at the job and write the estimate, and you get it in writing so you can take your time with it. It's free, with no pressure and no obligation.
- Phone
- (253) 354-0081
- Location
- Tacoma, WA 98402
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
- Credentials
- Fully licensed and insured.
What Auburn homeowners can count on
We're based in Tacoma, WA, and cover 16 concrete services across 12 service areas, Auburn among them. Estimates are free and done in person.
- Based in
- WA
- Tacoma
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 12
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if my Auburn address is inside city limits?
Look your property up on the City of Auburn's interactive map, which shows whether it's inside city limits and regulated by the city. Some addresses that say Auburn fall under King County, Kent or Federal Way instead, and that decides whose rules apply to your driveway or patio. If you're not sure, I check it before we start.
Do I need city approval to pour concrete near the Green River or a creek in Auburn?
You might, because the city's critical area rules cover digging, filling, clearing and building on a site that meets the definition of a critical area or sits in its buffer. Flood hazard areas count, and they include land subject to 100-year floods and the storage floodway of the Green River, White River, Mullen Slough or Mill Creek on FEMA flood maps. The city's critical area maps are only a general guide, so a qualified consultant marks the areas on your site and the city decides, and we want that settled before we dig.
Do I need health department approval to pour a slab at an Auburn house on septic?
For most changes to an existing home on a septic system, yes, you need approval from the Seattle King County or Tacoma Pierce County public health department, and a new house on septic needs it too. A slab for an addition or a new garage is the kind of change to check on before the pour. We'd also want to know where your tank and lines run before we dig anything.
How much does a concrete driveway or patio cost in Auburn?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen your site, because the cost here swings more on what's under and around the slab than on its size alone. Tear-out, a tight or sloped yard and a decorative finish push it up, while open access and a plain broom finish keep it down. I'll walk it with you and put the price in writing.
What causes new concrete to crack or sink in Auburn yards?
Most cracking and sinking starts under the slab, with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, water running under it or toward the house, or control joints cut late or skipped. Most concrete cracks a little, and joints are there so it cracks along a line we chose instead of across the middle. We pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, check where your water goes, cut joints on time and pour early in the day, since midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top.
What should a contractor give me in writing before a concrete job in Auburn?
On any residential job of $1,000 or more, a registered contractor has to give you L&I's disclosure statement, called the Notice to Customer, and the same goes for commercial projects of $1,000 to $60,000. State law also makes contractors put their registration number on estimates, bids and ads, so if it's missing, ask why. Our estimate comes in writing so you can read it over at home.
Tell us about your Auburn concrete project
Tell me whether it's cracking, sinking or holding water when you call (253) 354-0081 or send the form, so I come out knowing what to look for.