J&R Federal Way Concrete ConstructionJ&R Federal Way Concrete Construction(253) 652-2604
J&R Federal Way Concrete Construction
(253) 652-2604Get an estimate

Concrete contractor in Auburn, WA - driveways, patios and footings built from the base up

J&R Federal Way Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, steps, footings and foundations for homes and small businesses in Auburn, WA. We're based nearby in Federal Way.

Get an estimate(253) 652-2604
A covered poolside patio features a black metal pergola, warm wood panels, string lights, and concrete decking.

Auburn concrete work, from the valley floor to the hills

Auburn is a short drive from our base in Federal Way, and we bring the same crew and the same habits here that we use in Burien or Renton. You'll find older homes close to the center of the city and newer neighborhoods spread up the hillsides, and the work here runs from a single front walk to a full driveway or the footings under an addition.

Part of the city sits low along the Green and White rivers, and part climbs well above them. So before we talk finish, I look at how your lot slopes, where the water goes and what the slab will sit on.

Concrete services for Auburn homes and businesses

Most of what we pour around Auburn is flatwork, the driveways, patios, walks and floors that lie on the ground, along with the footings, walls and foundations under homes, garages and additions. The calls come mostly from homeowners, and some come from small business owners who need a lot, a walk or a slab. Every job gets planned from the ground up, starting with what the concrete will sit on and where the water will run once it's in.

  • Concrete driveway building

    A cracked or sinking Auburn driveway gets worse every year once water works under it. We break out the old slab and pour new, thick enough for whatever you park on it.

    Explore service

  • Concrete patio construction

    A lot of back doors open onto a worn patio or bare ground. We pour a patio at an easy step down from the door, sized for the table and chairs you'll use.

    Explore service

  • Stamped concrete services

    Homeowners who want the look of stone or brick ask for stamped concrete. We press the pattern into the fresh pour, over the same packed base we'd put under any slab.

    Explore service

  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Walks heaved by roots or settled at the joints turn into trip hazards along the front of a house. We tear out the bad panels, rebuild the base and pour them back level.

    Explore service

  • Garage floor concrete

    Garage floors on older homes crack, dust and stain until they're hard to keep clean. We break out the old slab, pack the base and pour a smooth floor that's easy to sweep.

    Explore service

  • Decorative concrete

    Some yards call for more than gray, like a colored border or a walk with the stone showing. We settle color and texture with you before the pour, because they're set once it hardens.

    Explore service

  • Concrete retaining walls

    Sloped lots need walls that hold the dirt back without leaning. We dig a real footing, set rebar, the steel that keeps the wall in one piece, and give water a way out.

    Explore service

  • Concrete floor installation

    Shops, basements and outbuildings need floors that stay flat under shelving and tools. We set the grade, pour and finish the floor smooth, and give it time to cure before anyone loads it.

    Explore service

  • Concrete pool decks

    Pool decks take bare feet, splash water and chemicals every summer. We slope the deck away from the pool and the house and give it a finish that grips wet feet.

    Explore service

  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps that crumble at the edges or pull away from the porch are the ones people trip on. We form each step to an even height and set them on a solid footing.

    Explore service

  • Slab foundation building

    Additions, garages and shops often start as a slab poured right on the ground. We dig out, pack the base and set the steel so the slab carries the walls evenly.

    Explore service

  • Foundation installation

    A new home or big addition needs foundation walls that are level and square before framing starts. We form, reinforce and pour them, and I check the layout before any concrete goes in.

    Explore service

  • Concrete parking lot building

    Small business lots break up fastest where delivery trucks turn and stop. We build a heavier base where the trucks run and grade the lot so water drains off.

    Explore service

  • Concrete footings

    Decks, posts, sheds and additions are only as solid as the footings under them. We dig to firm ground, set the steel and pour footings sized for the load they'll carry.

    Explore service

  • Foundation raising

    A corner of the house that's dropped shows up as sticking doors and cracks over windows. We find out why it settled before we raise and support that part of the foundation.

    Explore service

  • Concrete cutting

    Adding a doorway, a drain line or a new walkway often means opening up concrete that's already there. We saw-cut clean, straight lines so the rest of the slab stays whole.

    Explore service

What a well-built concrete job looks like

These photos show the stages of a concrete job, from forms and the fresh pour to finished driveways, patios and steps. Look at the edges and the joints, because that's where a careful job shows.

  • Fresh concrete driveway leads to a brick house, bordered by grass and a curved red-brick walkway.

  • Tan stamped concrete patio and walkway beside a raised wooden deck, with brick walls and a play area beyond.

  • A modern home stands behind a driveway of large pale concrete panels separated by strips of grass.

What to sort out before a concrete job in Auburn

Most of the planning on an Auburn job happens before anyone mixes concrete. Here's who covers your address, what to check about a contractor, and what moves the price and the schedule.

Which office covers your Auburn address

Start with the address, because an Auburn mailing address doesn't always mean the City of Auburn. Some of those addresses fall under King County, Kent or Federal Way instead, and the city's interactive map shows whether yours is inside city limits. Inside them, the city regulates your property, and work in the public street or sidewalk needs its own right-of-way construction permit.

That permit comes up when a driveway apron or front walk reaches the public street or sidewalk, and the city requires a licensed and bonded contractor for work there. Before we schedule, we check which office covers your address. When the job needs a permit, we handle the application and plan the start date around the wait.

  • The city's permitting is all electronic, with most applications through MyBuildingPermit.com.
  • An address under King County, Kent or Federal Way follows that office's rules.
  • If a permit is needed, the start date waits until it's approved.

Checking a contractor and what moves the price

Washington requires every construction contractor to register with L&I, the state Department of Labor and Industries, and to be bonded and insured, so look the company up before you sign. A general contractor can take on most kinds of construction, while a specialty contractor only works in the specialty it registered for. Anyone doing business inside Auburn city limits also needs a city business license.

On your job, the price moves with the size of the slab, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on any permit wait and on curing, the days fresh concrete needs to harden before it takes weight. I'll give you your own figure when I write the estimate.

  • Tear-out of an old slab adds both hauling and extra base work.
  • A plain broom finish, brushed for grip, costs less than stamped.
  • Fixing a slab that drains toward the house means extra grading first.

Get a free on-site estimate for your Auburn concrete job

Send the form or call (253) 652-2604 and tell us what you're planning in Auburn, and we'll reply within one business day. Then I'll come out, look at the site and write your estimate there, free, with no pressure and no obligation.

(253) 652-2604

What we find on driveways and slabs around Auburn

Most concrete that fails around here fails for a handful of reasons, and you can usually spot them from the driveway. These are the ones we see most, and what we do differently.

  • Driveways that sank at the edges

    When a driveway drops at the edges or dips in the middle, the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, was usually raked level and never packed, so it settled with the dirt. We dig out what's soft and pack the base in layers before any concrete goes down.

  • Water pooling against the house

    Pooling water by the foundation usually means the old slab was poured flat or fell toward the house, so water ends up where you least want it. We check where the water runs before we form, and set the new slab to carry it away.

  • Cracks in places nobody chose

    Concrete shrinks as it dries, so it's going to crack somewhere. Control joints, the grooves cut across a slab, give it a straight line to crack along, and when they're cut late or skipped the slab picks its own spots. We plan ours before the pour and cut them on time.

  • Tops that chip and turn dusty

    A surface that flakes, chips or leaves dust on your shoes was often poured in the heat of the day and finished in a hurry, which leaves a weak top layer. We schedule pours for early in the day and don't rush the finishing.

  • Lots that slope or step down

    Not every yard is flat, so a patio, walk or driveway may need steps, a retaining wall or extra forming to sit right. We work the grade into the plan at the first visit, because you can't fix a slope once the concrete is in.

How we plan, pour and clean up on your job

I started this business in Federal Way in 2017 after years on other crews, and I first mixed concrete on a family farm, for fence posts and barn floors. Here's how that shows up on your job.

The base comes before the finish

Here's the trade-off nobody likes to hear. The base, the dug-out and packed ground under the slab, is hidden by the end of the first day, so it's the first thing people want to cut when a budget gets tight. I'd rather put that money under the slab and keep the finish simple, because concrete shows every shortcut sooner or later.

A stamped pattern on a weak base cracks and sinks just like a plain one, and then you've paid for the pattern twice. A plain slab on a solid base usually outlasts it. If the budget won't cover both, I'll tell you at the estimate which one to give up and why, before you've spent a dollar.

  • Licensed, insured and guaranteed

    We're fully licensed and insured, and every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. You can check any contractor's state registration before you sign, as covered above, and I'd tell you to do that with anyone you're comparing, us included.

  • Same person from estimate to pour

    I come out to look at the job myself and write the estimate. Then I'm on site running our crew while we form, pour and finish, so the person who heard what you wanted is the one making sure it goes in that way.

  • Footings and foundations, not just flatwork

    We're best known for flatwork that comes out true and lasts, and for the footings and foundations a lot of crews would rather pass on. That means one call covers the slab, the footing under the wall and the steps out the door.

  • A tidy site and a clean street

    We keep the site tidy and clean up as we go, because your neighbors share the street with our trucks while we work. Forms, washout and leftover concrete leave with us instead of ending up in your yard or the gutter. Call (253) 652-2604 when you want me to come take a look.

Questions Auburn homeowners ask about concrete work

These are the questions that come up when someone in Auburn calls about a driveway, patio or slab. If yours isn't here, ask me when I come out to look at the job.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Auburn, WA?

The cost of a driveway in Auburn comes down to its size, the tear-out, the base work and the finish you pick, so I don't put a number on it until I've walked the site. Access matters too, because if the truck can't reach the forms we have to pump or wheel the concrete in, and an apron that reaches the street brings in the right-of-way permit covered above. Call (253) 652-2604 and I'll come out and price yours.

What paperwork should a concrete contractor in Auburn give me?

On any home job of $1,000 or more, a registered contractor has to give you L&I's disclosure statement, the Notice to Customer, and the same rule covers commercial jobs from $1,000 to $60,000. The contractor's registration number also has to be on its estimates, bids, business cards and ads, so you can match it to the state's records before you sign.

What is the best way to plan a concrete job near the Green River in Auburn?

Find out early whether your lot is in a critical area or its buffer, because the city's critical area rules cover the digging, filling and construction a concrete job involves. Those areas include flood hazard land, meaning ground subject to 100-year floods and the floodways of the Green River, White River, Mullen Slough or Mill Creek on the federal flood maps. The city's critical area maps are only a general guide, so a qualified consultant identifies what's on your site and the city makes the final call.

How do I pour a slab on an Auburn property with a septic system?

If the slab is for a new home on septic, you need approval first from the public health department for your county, Seattle King County or Tacoma Pierce County, and most changes to an existing home on septic need the same approval. A slab foundation for an addition is the kind of change to ask about before we schedule. On the job itself, we keep the concrete truck off your drain field, so it helps to know where yours is.

Service areas

Besides Auburn, we pour driveways, patios and foundations in Kent, Renton, Fife, Edgewood, Federal Way and the other cities listed here. If your city isn't listed, call (253) 652-2604 and ask, since we work in more places than these.

Ask about your location
(253) 652-2604Get an estimate