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 Fife, WA - Driveways and Slabs on a Packed Base

J&R Federal Way Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Federal Way, WA, and we pour driveways, patios, walks, steps, footings and slabs for homes and small businesses in Fife.

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

Fife homes and businesses, a short drive from Federal Way

Fife sits between Federal Way and Tacoma, an easy drive from where we're based. It's a mix of houses and businesses. That matches our work in general, which is mostly homeowners with a driveway, patio or walk that's cracked, sinking or holding water, and some small business owners who need a lot, a walk or a slab.

We do the same work in Des Moines and Tacoma, and the job doesn't change much from city to city. What changes it is your lot, where the water runs and whether the old slab ever had a packed base under it.

Concrete services we bring to Fife properties

We bring every service on this site to Fife, from driveways, patios and steps to footings, foundations and concrete cutting. Every job starts with a look at the site, where the water runs, what the old slab sat on and how the truck gets in, because that sets the plan before anything gets formed. Then we form, pour and finish to that plan. Pick a service to see what that job involves.

  • Concrete driveway building

    Most driveways we replace sank because they sat on raked dirt instead of a packed base. We tear out, dig down, pack the base and pour so water runs away from the garage.

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  • Concrete patio construction

    A patio that holds puddles or tips toward the back door is a drainage mistake, not bad luck. We set the slope before the pour so rain runs out into the yard.

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  • Stamped concrete services

    Stamped concrete suits a patio or walk where you want the look of stone without pavers that shift. We press the pattern in while the slab is soft and seal it once it cures.

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  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Walks that trip people usually lifted at the seams because roots or a thin base pushed them out of line. We tear out the bad panels and pour new ones flush with what's staying.

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  • Garage floor concrete

    Garage floors take car weight and wet tires, so a cracked or dusty one usually means a thin slab or weak top. We pour it thick enough for the load and finish it hard.

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  • Decorative concrete

    Decorative concrete is for the spot you see first, like an entry, patio edge or steps. We work color, borders and finishes into the pour, and I'll tell you which ones hold up underfoot.

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  • Concrete retaining walls

    Yards with a grade change need a wall that holds the dirt and drains the water behind it, or it leans. We pour on a proper footing with drainage built in.

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  • Concrete floor installation

    Shops, sheds and basements need a floor that's flat and stays put under weight. We grade the base, set forms to height and finish the slab smooth or textured for the job.

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  • Concrete pool decks

    Pool decks stay wet, so slick spots and water pooling by the edge are the usual complaints. We slope the deck away from the pool and give it a finish with grip.

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  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps on older houses chip at the edges and settle away from the porch. We form every step the same height and pin them to the house with steel so they stay put.

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  • Slab foundation building

    Additions, garages and shops on a slab need the ground under them dug out, packed and checked before any concrete arrives. We set the forms, place the steel and pour it level.

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  • Foundation installation

    New homes and additions start with a foundation that has to be square, because every wall above it inherits its mistakes. We lay it out, form it and pour it to the plans.

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  • Concrete parking lot building

    Small business lots take trucks, turning tires and standing water, and a thin slab breaks up at the entrance first. We pour them thicker with steel and slope them to the drains.

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  • Concrete footings

    Decks, posts, sheds and additions sit on footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight down into firm ground. We dig them to the depth the job calls for and pour before framing starts.

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  • Foundation raising

    A house that's settled shows it in sticking doors, cracked walls and a gap at the sill. We raise it back toward level and set it on new concrete support.

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  • Concrete cutting

    You need cutting for a doorway in a wall, a pipe trench in a slab, or one bad section out. We saw clean lines and keep the wet slurry off your yard.

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What well-built concrete looks like up close

These photos show the kinds of concrete work homeowners ask about in Fife, from driveways and stamped patios to footings and steps. Look for straight joints and clean edges, the parts you can see of work done right.

  • 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.

Working in Fife: permits, licenses and what moves the price

Before any concrete shows up, there's a permit question, a license check and a price to settle. Here's how each one works in Fife and what we handle for you.

Who issues permits and who you can check

Permits in Fife come from the city's building official, and a required permit gets applied for before the work starts. That wait usually sets the start date more than our crew does. Before we schedule, I check which office covers your address and look at the city's permit types table, and when your job needs a permit, we handle the application and plan around the wait.

Before you sign with anyone, check two things. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with L&I, the state's Labor & Industries agency, and Fife's business license is a city endorsement through the state Department of Revenue, so a contractor working here should be able to show both. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'd rather you check than take my word.

  • Digging or staging in the street needs a city street use permit.
  • Inspection days are set by the city, so pour dates follow them.
  • You can find your parcel number on the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer site.

What moves the price and the schedule

Price comes down to size, what's coming out and what goes under the new slab. Tearing out old concrete and hauling it costs money, and so does digging out the subgrade, the dirt your slab sits on, and packing a real base. A driveway also gets rebar, steel inside the slab that holds it together if it cracks, and a thicker pour than a walk.

The schedule turns on the permit wait, the city's inspection days and curing, the wait after the pour while the concrete hardens enough to take weight. Walking or parking on it early is how a good slab gets damaged, so I'll tell you when it's ready. Your own number comes on the estimate I write after I've seen the job.

  • Digging out and packing the base costs more than raking dirt level.
  • A broom finish, the brushed texture for grip, costs less than stamped.
  • Tight access for the truck can mean pumping or wheelbarrows, which adds labor.

Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Fife

We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to your Fife property myself to look at the job and write the estimate. It's free, and there's no obligation to book with us.

(253) 652-2604

Problems we find on driveways and slabs around here

Most of the concrete we replace failed for one of a few reasons, and they show up the same way in Fife as anywhere around Federal Way. Here's what to look for on yours.

  • Water pooling by the garage

    If water sits at the garage door or runs toward the house, the slab usually falls the wrong way because nobody checked where the water would go. We set the slope before the pour so it carries water out to the street or yard, away from your foundation.

  • Sinking and uneven slabs

    A slab that's dropped at one corner or tipped toward the yard was usually set on dirt that got raked level and never dug out or packed. The dirt settled, and the concrete went with it. We dig down to firm ground, bring in base rock and pack it before the forms go up.

  • Cracks in random places

    Every slab cracks a little, so the question is where. Control joints are lines cut or tooled into the concrete to give it a place to crack neatly, and when they're cut late or skipped, it cracks wherever it likes. We plan the joints before the pour and cut them on time.

  • Chipping and a dusty surface

    Steps and slabs that flake or leave grit on your shoes usually got a weak top from a pour finished in the heat of the day or worked while it was too wet. We schedule the pour early and time the finishing so the top comes out hard.

  • Driveways that break at the edges

    A driveway poured as thin as a walk crumbles at the edges and where it meets the street once a work truck, trailer or delivery van uses it often. We pour driveways thicker than walks, with rebar through them, so the slab carries the load instead of breaking where the tires land.

Why our concrete holds up, and how we run a job

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

We spend the money on the base first

The base is the part you never see. On day one it's packed rock and dirt, and once we pour it's covered for good, which is why it's the first thing a tight bid cuts. Concrete shows every shortcut sooner or later, and a skimpy base shows up as sinking, cracks and puddles that no finish can hide.

So if the budget's tight, I'll steer you to a plain broom finish over a good base before I'll put stamped concrete on a weak one, because a pretty surface on bad prep cracks just the same. When you're ready, call (253) 652-2604 or use the form, and I'll come look at your job.

  • I write every estimate myself

    I come out to look at your job, walk the lot with you and write the estimate. Then I'm on site running our crew while we form, pour and finish, so the person who made the plan is the one making sure it gets built that way.

  • Straight talk on what won't work

    If the slope, the access or the budget won't support what you're picturing, I'll say so at the estimate. I'd rather lose a job than pour one I know will give you trouble, and I'll usually have another way to get you close.

  • Licensed, insured and guaranteed

    We're fully licensed and insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. That goes for flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks, and for the footings and foundations a lot of crews would rather pass on.

  • A clean site and clear street

    Your neighbors didn't hire us, so we keep the trucks, forms and dirt out of their way and the sidewalk passable. We clean up as we go, not just at the end, and leave the street the way we found it.

Questions Fife homeowners ask about concrete work

These cover the Fife questions that matter before a pour: permits, inspection days, contractor checks, flood maps, the sidewalk out front and price. If yours isn't here, ask me when I come out.

How do I know if I need a permit to repair concrete in Fife, WA?

Start from Fife's permit rule, which requires a permit before you repair or alter a building or structure, not just before you build a new one. The same rule covers enlarging, moving and demolishing, and the city's permitting FAQ spells it out. We check how it applies to your job before we schedule anything.

What days does the City of Fife do building inspections?

The city's public portal lists inspections Monday and Thursday mornings and afternoons and Wednesday mornings only, with none on Tuesday or Friday. A next-day request has to be in by 4:00 PM, the portal prefers you book through the Online Permit Center, and the city's FAQ shows a different schedule, so confirm before you count on a day. We plan pour dates around it.

How do I check that a concrete contractor is registered in Washington?

Ask for their registration and check it with L&I, because registration is where the state's bond and insurance rules come in. To register, a contractor buys a $30,000 surety bond as a general contractor or $15,000 as a specialty contractor, and carries $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage insurance, or a $250,000 combined limit. On any home job of $1,000 or more, they also have to give you the state's disclosure notice to customer.

Which flood maps cover Fife, WA?

FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps for all of Pierce County cover Fife, and the city posts them on its FEMA flood maps page. They show flood zones, base flood elevations and the floodway, and Fife's also show a new seclusion area tied to a levee that isn't accredited, which may be revised later. If your lot is in a mapped zone, tell me at the estimate, and for drainage trouble, Pierce County's flooding staff take calls at (253)798-2725 and will visit on request.

Who has to fix the sidewalk in front of my house in Fife?

You do, because Fife's city code makes the owner of the property next to a sidewalk responsible for its repair and maintenance. Sidewalk work usually means digging or staging in the street, which needs the street use permit mentioned above, and we take care of that before the crew shows up.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Fife?

I'll give you a written price after I see it, and what sets it is how big it is, how much old concrete comes out and how much base goes in. Stamped or colored finishes raise it, a plain broom finish keeps it down, and a driveway that takes trucks needs a thicker pour with more steel. If the job needs a city permit, add that too, since Fife's calculated permit fees are estimates until the application goes in and leave out other charges such as impact fees.

Service areas

Fife is one of the cities around Federal Way we work in, along with Kent, Auburn, Edgewood, Tacoma and the others listed here. If your city isn't on the list, call (253) 652-2604 and ask.

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(253) 652-2604Get an estimate