Concrete contractor in Bothell, WA - driveways and patios built for sloped lots
Kirkland Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Kirkland that pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps and retaining walls for homeowners in Bothell, from the river flats to the hillside lots, with the base dug and packed first.
Bothell, from the river to the hillsides
Bothell is a growing city that sits across the King and Snohomish county line, between Kenmore, Woodinville and Kirkland. On our jobs here we see a real mix of older homes with driveways and front walks that have settled over the years, newer houses still waiting on a patio, and plenty in between.
The ground changes as you cross town, with lower lots near the Sammamish River and steep yards up Maywood Hill, and that decides how much digging, base and drainage work goes under the concrete.
What we've learned pouring concrete in Bothell
Inside city limits, permits come from the City of Bothell's Development Services team and its Permit Center, which handle everything from home repairs to new commercial buildings. The city's general rule is that new construction and repairs to existing structures need a permit, so whether your driveway, patio or wall needs one is something I answer at the estimate, and then we take care of the application or walk you through it so you know where it stands. When a permit is needed, the pour date follows it, which is why we sort that out before we book the truck. We're licensed and fully insured.
On price, what moves a Bothell job most is what's under it: how much old concrete and dirt comes out, how much base a sloped lot needs, and how far we wheel concrete when the truck can't back up to the forms. The schedule turns on the permit and on curing, the wait while fresh concrete gains strength, and your free estimate gives you the plan and the price for your own job. If a new driveway runs close to the neighbor's side, the city's CobMap shows approximate property lines and critical areas, though only a survey settles exactly where the line is. We do the same work in Kenmore and back home in Kirkland.
What Bothell lots and older slabs do to concrete
A lot of Bothell sits on a grade, with driveways that climb up from the street and backyards that fall away from the house, and water on a slope goes wherever the concrete sends it. If the old slab tips toward the garage or the back door, you'll see pooling water right where you don't want it, so we check where the water runs before we set forms and pitch the new slab away from the house. On steeper yards that can mean a few steps or a short retaining wall instead of one long slab, and I'd rather talk that through at the estimate than fight the hill later.
Older driveways and front walks here usually fail from underneath, because the base was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the slab sank with the dirt and cracked. We dig down to firm ground, pack the subgrade, which is the layer the slab sits on, and add rebar, steel that keeps cracked pieces from drifting apart, where the load calls for it. If it's a heaved or broken front walk you're dealing with, our concrete sidewalk building page covers that work.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Bothell
Send a few lines about your Bothell driveway, patio or walk, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out myself to look at the site, hear what you have in mind and walk you through the plan and a free estimate, with no obligation to book.
(425) 285-8643How a Bothell concrete job runs once you call
Tell us about the project
Call (425) 285-8643 or fill out the form with what you want poured and roughly where it goes. A photo of the old slab or the slope helps me come out ready.
Walk the site with me
I come out myself, look at the ground, the grade and where the water goes, and hear what you have in mind. Then I lay out the plan and a free estimate.
Settle the permit question first
If the job needs a permit from the city, I tell you at the estimate and either file the application or walk you through it. The pour date gets set once we know where that stands.
Dig, pack and set forms
Our crew digs out to firm ground, packs the base and sets the forms so the slab falls away from the house. All of that is ready well ahead of the concrete truck, so pour day isn't rushed.
Pour, finish and let it cure
I run the crew on pour day, and we give the surface a broom finish, a light texture that gives shoes and tires grip, then cut control joints, shallow grooves that give cracks a straight place to go. You keep off it while it cures, and I'll tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for the car.
A look at concrete flatwork
Bothell concrete questions we hear most
How do I apply for a building permit in Bothell, WA?
The City of Bothell takes all permit applications online through MyBuildingPermit.com, not on paper at the counter. If you'd like to ask questions in person first, the Permit Center takes walk-ins Monday through Thursday from 8am to noon and 1pm to 4pm, and Fridays from 8am to noon. When your concrete job needs a permit, we can file it for you.
Do I need a grading permit to dig out for a patio or driveway in Bothell?
Not for a small, shallow dig-out, going by the city's list of work exempt from permits. Digging out under 50 cubic yards is exempt from a grading permit when it's less than two feet deep or doesn't cut a slope steeper than two feet across for every foot down, and fill under 50 cubic yards is exempt when it's less than a foot deep on natural ground flatter than five feet across for every foot of rise. That covers the digging, not the slab, so I check the whole job against the city's rules at the estimate.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Bothell?
Not if it's four feet or less from the bottom of the footing, the wide base the wall stands on, to the top of the wall, unless it's holding up extra load like a driveway or more slope above it. Walls taller than that, or with that kind of weight behind them, aren't on the city's exempt list, and they also take more steel and a bigger footing, which I'll account for at the estimate.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Bothell?
A Bothell driveway is priced off its size and thickness, the prep underneath and the finish on top, and you get your own number from me at a free estimate on site. A plain broom finish keeps it down, while stamped or colored concrete adds to it. If the budget gets tight, I'd cut the fancy finish before I'd cut the base, because you can redo a surface but a slab that settles has to come out.
What causes concrete driveways in Bothell to crack and sink?
Most cracks that matter come from the ground moving under the slab or from control joints cut late or skipped, while fine hairline cracks are mostly concrete shrinking as it dries. We pack the base, set the slope so water runs off instead of soaking under, and cut joints in time so cracks land in the grooves. I won't tell you a slab will never crack, because nobody honest can, but a well-built one cracks where we planned it to.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can park on it, and I'll give you both dates for your slab before we pour, since curing time shifts with the mix and the conditions that week. Driving on it early is the easiest way to crack a slab that was otherwise built right, so plan on parking on the street for a while.
Tell us what you want poured in Bothell
Call (425) 285-8643 or use the form, and a quick description of your slope and the old slab lets me show up with the right questions for your lot.