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 Burien, WA - driveways, patios and foundations built on solid prep

J&R Federal Way Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors, footings and foundations for homeowners and small businesses in Burien, WA. I look at each job myself and run our crew through the pour.

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

How Burien houses and lots shape a concrete job

We're a concrete contractor based in Federal Way, WA, and our crew works in Burien the same way we do in Des Moines next door or down in Fife. Most calls here come from homeowners with an established house and a driveway, patio, walk or set of steps that has cracked, sunk or started holding water. Some come from small business owners who need a lot or a walk redone.

Lots here vary, from houses near the Puget Sound shoreline to ones well inland, so I don't assume anything about the ground until I've seen it. What's under the slab gets most of my attention at the estimate, because how deep we dig, how we pack it and where the water goes decide how long the new concrete holds up.

Concrete work we do for Burien homes and businesses

Most of our calls are for flatwork, the flat pours like driveways, patios, walks and garage floors, and we also take on footings, foundations and retaining walls. Small business owners call us for lots, walks and slabs. Every job here gets planned around what's under the old concrete and where the water runs, because that's what decides how the new slab holds up. Pick the work you need below to see how we handle it.

  • Concrete driveway building

    Older driveways crack, sink at the edges or pool water where the base gave out. We dig to firm ground, pack a new base and pour a slab pitched away from the house.

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  • Concrete patio construction

    Plenty of backyard patios have settled or tipped toward the house over the years. We rebuild them on a packed base, sloped away, with joints cut so cracks land where we choose.

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  • Stamped concrete services

    Stamped concrete suits homeowners who want a patio or entry to look like stone or brick without loose pavers. We color and press the pattern into the fresh pour, then seal it.

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  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Front walks and business walkways get lifted by roots until somebody trips on an edge. We cut out the bad sections and pour new ones flush with the rest.

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  • Garage floor concrete

    Garage floors in older houses tend to be cracked, stained or sloped wrong, so water sits by the door. We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour one that drains out.

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  • Decorative concrete

    When a plain gray slab isn't what the house calls for, decorative concrete adds color, scored lines or texture. We settle the look with you before the pour, because it can't change after.

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  • Concrete retaining walls

    Yards that step up or down need a wall that holds the dirt without leaning. We pour it on a proper footing with drainage behind it, because trapped water is what pushes walls over.

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  • Concrete floor installation

    Shops, basements and additions need a floor that's flat and level for whatever goes on it. We set the base and vapor barrier first, then pour and finish it smooth.

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  • Concrete pool decks

    Around a pool, the deck has to shed water and give grip when it's wet. We pitch it away from the pool and give it a broom finish, a brushed texture for bare feet.

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  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps on older houses crumble at the edges and pull away from the porch. We form new steps with even heights and steel inside so they stay put.

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  • Slab foundation building

    Additions, garages and outbuildings often start with a slab foundation poured in one piece. We pack and check the ground under it before any concrete shows up.

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  • Foundation installation

    A new house, addition or rebuild needs a foundation set square and level, because every wall above follows it. We form, reinforce and pour it to the plans.

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  • Concrete parking lot building

    Small business owners call about lots that broke up under daily traffic and hold water in low spots. We build on a deeper packed base and pitch the lot to drain.

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  • Concrete footings

    Decks, posts, walls and additions rest on footings, the concrete below them that carries the weight. We dig to the depth your plans call for and pour on firm ground.

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  • Foundation raising

    When a corner of the house sinks and doors stick or cracks open in the walls, the foundation often needs raising. We find out why it moved first, then lift and support it.

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  • Concrete cutting

    Sometimes you need an opening in a foundation wall, a trench through a slab or a bad section cut out clean. We saw straight lines and keep the dust and mess down.

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The concrete work we do, from base to finish

These photos show the kinds of concrete work we do, from the packed base and forms to the finished surface. They're examples of the trade, not pictures of particular Burien jobs.

  • 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 know before a concrete job in Burien

Before any pour in Burien, there's paperwork to sort and a plan to set. Here's how the city's permit and license rules touch your job, and what moves your price and your start date.

Who issues the permit and who can pull it

In Burien, permits come from the city's Permit Center, and the kind of permit depends on what you're building. That's the city's call, not ours, so before we schedule your job 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, so you're not left with a crew booked and no approval.

The city won't issue any permit until the contractor shows proof of a state contractor registration with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and a Burien endorsement through the state Department of Revenue. Ask any contractor you're considering for both, because without them your job can't get a permit. We file that proof with the application ourselves.

  • The permit type depends on the project, so we check yours first.
  • Ask any contractor for state registration and a Burien endorsement.
  • We file the application, so you're not chasing paperwork yourself.

What moves your price and your start date

Your price comes from the size of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul off, how much base work the ground needs and how close the truck can get. A slab that sank needs its base rebuilt, not just new concrete on top, and that costs more than a pour on solid ground. You get your own figure at the estimate, after I've seen all of it.

The schedule turns on the permit wait if there is one, our crew's calendar and curing, the wait while fresh concrete gains strength before it can take weight. You'll walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you those days for your job before we pour. It's the same planning we do in SeaTac and the cities around it.

  • Tear-out, base work and truck access move the price most.
  • Tight access for the truck can add labor and time.
  • Curing decides when you get your driveway or patio back.

Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Burien

We reply within one business day, and there's no obligation. After you send the form, I come out to your Burien property myself, look at the old concrete and the ground under it, and write your estimate.

(253) 652-2604

What we see on Burien houses, yards and streets

Most of what we're called out for in Burien is the same wear we see in the cities around it. Here's what usually turns up at the estimate, and what it means for your job.

  • Slabs that pitch toward the house

    A lot of older patios and driveways have settled until water runs back toward the house instead of away. You can't patch that on the surface. We check where the water goes before we plan anything, and the new slab falls away from your house.

  • Cracks nobody planned for

    Random cracks wandering across a driveway usually mean the joints were cut late or skipped. Control joints are the straight cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack. We cut ours on time and lay them out for the size and shape of your slab.

  • Chipping, dusty surfaces

    When the top of a slab chips, flakes or leaves dust on your shoes, it usually goes back to pour day, often a midday pour that dried the surface too fast. We plan pour times around that and keep the new slab damp while it cures.

  • Houses near the shoreline

    Burien runs down to the Puget Sound shoreline, and the city keeps shoreline flood zone maps and a code chapter on flood damage prevention. If your house sits near the water, we look at where your lot falls before planning a slab, foundation or footing there.

  • Tight streets on pour day

    On a lot of residential streets, there isn't room for a concrete truck, a pile of broken concrete and the neighbors' cars all at once. We plan where the truck parks and where the tear-out goes before pour day, so the street stays usable.

How we work, from the first visit to the cleanup

I grew up on a family farm mixing concrete for fence posts, then spent years on other crews before starting this business in Federal Way in 2017. Here's how we work, and why.

We spend on the base before the finish

On day one, nobody sees the subgrade, the ground your slab sits on. That's why it's the first thing people want to cut from the budget, and it's the wrong one. Concrete shows every shortcut sooner or later, and a base that was only raked level settles with the dirt under it and takes the slab down with it.

So if the budget is tight, I'll tell you to go plainer on the finish before I'll thin out the base. We dig to firm ground, pack the base, check where the water runs and set rebar, steel that holds a slab together, where the job calls for it. A plain slab on a good base usually outlasts a fancy one on a bad base.

  • I write the estimate myself

    I come out to look at your job myself, check the ground and the drainage, and write the estimate. Then I'm on site running our crew while we form, pour and finish, so the person who priced your job is the one making the calls on pour day.

  • Straight answers before you sign

    If something you want won't hold up, I'll tell you at the estimate, not after the pour. That goes for a slab that can't drain the way it's drawn, or a finish that won't fit the budget once the base is done right.

  • Licensed in Washington and insured

    We're fully licensed and insured, which matters here because the city wants license proof before it issues a permit. The same paperwork goes with us to every city we work in, from Burien to Tacoma. Every job we pour is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.

  • Footings and foundations we take on

    Footings, foundations and foundation raising are work we form and pour to your plans, since every wall above depends on them. We keep the site tidy and clean up as we go, out of respect for your neighbors. Call (253) 652-2604 or use the form to set up a visit.

Burien concrete questions we hear at the estimate

These are the questions that come up about permits, contractor rules, codes and the ground under a Burien concrete job. If yours isn't here, ask me at the estimate.

Does a concrete driveway or patio in Burien need a permit?

It can, because the city says many building and land use projects need an application and plan review, and the kind of permit depends on the project. A permit comes with specific forms, plans, documents and fees, and Burien takes submittals only through MyBuildingPermit. We check your job before we schedule and handle the application when one's needed, and the city's permit techs take questions at permittech@burienwa.gov.

What licenses does a concrete contractor need to work in Burien, WA?

A contractor needs a Washington contractor registration and a Burien endorsement, the two things the city checks before it issues a permit. The state requires every registered contractor to be bonded and insured, with a $30,000 bond for general contractors and $15,000 for specialty contractors. Burien treats unlicensed contractor work as a misdemeanor, punishable by 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine or both, and on residential jobs of $1,000 or more a registered contractor gives you a disclosure notice from L&I.

Which building codes apply to a concrete project in Burien?

Permit applications in Burien have to show the plans meet the 2021 codes, including the International Residential Code, the rule book for houses, and the Washington State Energy Code, which you can check on the city's construction codes page. The state's code council says the 2024 codes take effect May 3, 2027. If your application won't go in until then, ask which set will apply, and we plan the work to the codes in effect when it's filed.

How do I find out if my Burien property is in a critical area?

Look up your address on the city's Critical Areas Map, which shows whether a property falls within one. Critical areas are spread throughout Burien, and the city regulates them because they can pose a threat to safety and to public and private property. If your lot shows up on it, tell me at the estimate, because I'll want to know before we plan the work.

What causes concrete driveways in Burien to crack, and will a new one crack too?

Most driveway cracks come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, water getting under the slab, or joints cut late or skipped. A new slab can still crack, but on a packed base with joints cut on time, a crack usually runs along a joint where it doesn't show. We also let it cure before anyone drives on it, because loading it early is how a good slab gets hurt.

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

Your cost is set by the driveway's size, the tear-out, the base work it needs and the finish you pick, and you get your own figure at the estimate. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or decorative work, and when the job needs a city permit, its fees are part of the total. If the budget's tight, I'll tell you where to save, and it isn't the base.

Service areas

We're based in Federal Way and work across the cities below, from SeaTac and Des Moines to Tacoma and Auburn, plus plenty of places in between. If your city isn't listed, call (253) 652-2604 and ask.

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(253) 652-2604Get an estimate