Concrete Contractor in St. Louis, MO - Slabs That Drain and Hold Up
Caliber Chesterfield Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in St. Louis, MO. From our base in Chesterfield, we pour driveways, patios, steps, sidewalks and foundations for homes and businesses, starting with what goes under the slab.
St. Louis as we see it on concrete jobs
St. Louis is its own city and county, separate from St. Louis County, which wraps around it. That matters on a concrete job because your permit questions go to the city's own offices, not the ones a job out in Manchester or Creve Coeur answers to. The price here mostly follows how much has to come out and what goes under the new slab, and the schedule turns on permits and rain.
Most of our calls in the city are about older houses. We see front walks and steps that have settled away from the porch, garage slabs that hold puddles, and driveways off the alley that have cracked into pieces. Lots are tight, so there's often only a few feet between the house and the property line to get water moving the right way. That's what shapes the job here. Before anything gets poured, we work out where the rain will go and dig down to firm ground, because a new slab on the same tired base ends up looking like the old one.
Why St. Louis slabs need a better base
Most of what goes wrong with concrete in the city comes down to water and age. Here's what we run into on St. Louis properties, and why it changes how we build.
The city's flood map marks blocks where people reported over 3 feet of water after a 2022 flash flood, so runoff matters.
Many houses here are decades old, and their walks, steps and driveways have had a long time to settle, heave and crack.
Freeze and thaw every winter pries at any crack that holds water, so a small crack in an old slab rarely stays small.
Tight lots leave little room to move water, so an old slab that tips toward the house sends rain straight at the foundation.
Summer afternoons here get hot enough that concrete poured at midday can set too fast and leave a weak, dusty top.
You can see most of this on a walk around the house, so I look at the old slab, the grade and where your water goes before I price anything.
Working in St. Louis from our Chesterfield base
We're a concrete contractor based in Chesterfield, MO, and we work in St. Louis and across the cities around us in St. Louis County and St. Charles County, including plenty that aren't on this list.
Concrete services for St. Louis properties
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has sunk, cracked or tipped toward the house, we dig it out, pack a new base and pour a slab that sheds water away.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio on a tight city lot has to drain somewhere, so we decide which way it slopes before the pour and keep water off the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of brick or stone that suits older houses here, poured on the same packed base as plain concrete.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walks heaved by roots and freeze-thaw turn into trip hazards, so we replace them and cut control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor that's pitted, cracked or holding puddles gets broken out and repoured with rebar, steel bars that keep any crack from opening up.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes let new concrete sit next to old brick and stone without looking out of place, and we tell you how each handles winter.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard drops off or soil creeps onto a walk, a concrete retaining wall holds it back, with drainage behind so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
For basements, shops and additions, we pour interior floors on firm, packed ground so the slab stays flat under shelves, cars or a finished room.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck has to shed splash water and give wet feet some grip, so we slope it away and choose the finish for traction.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have pulled away from the house or crumbled at the edges get torn out and rebuilt on footings set in solid ground, not fill.
Slab foundation building
For garages, additions and new buildings on city lots, we pour slab foundations on a packed subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, with rebar throughout.
Foundation installation
When an addition or new build needs a foundation, I check the soil and the drainage first, then our crew forms and pours to suit what we found.
Concrete parking lot building
Small businesses and apartment buildings here need lots that carry cars all day and drain in a hard rain, so we build the base for both.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions all stand on footings, the concrete nobody sees once it's buried, and we dig and pour them on solid, undisturbed ground.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation has dropped and left cracks or sticking doors, I look at why it sank before we talk about raising it.
Concrete cutting
Cutting lets us open a slab for a drain line, widen a driveway or take out one section without breaking up the concrete you're keeping.
Get a free written estimate for your St. Louis concrete job
Send us your St. Louis address and what you'd like poured, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the ground and where your water runs, and write a free on-site estimate that spells out what's in the price and what isn't. There's no pressure and no obligation.
- Call
- (636) 237-0079
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Why St. Louis homeowners hire our crew
I spent my summers on other people's concrete crews and opened this business in 2017. Here's what that means when we take on a job in the city.
The base gets the budget first
If something has to give, I'd rather cut a fancy finish than the base. Nobody admires a dug-out, packed base on day one, but it decides whether your slab settles with the dirt later.
Permits lined up before the pour
We find out which offices your St. Louis address answers to and handle the permit paperwork with you, so approvals are in place before we set a pour date.
Licensed, insured and straight with you
We're fully licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed. If a job isn't worth doing, I'll tell you that before I'd sell it to you. Call (636) 237-0079 to set up a visit.
St. Louis concrete questions we hear most
How do I find out if I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in St. Louis?
Ask the city's Building Division, because its permit rules cover new construction and structural or major changes, and its list names decks and porches but doesn't spell out driveways or patios. If your concrete is part of a deck, porch or new building, that work needs a building permit. We find out which offices your address answers to and handle the paperwork with you, so approvals are lined up before we set a pour date.
What changes for concrete work in a St. Louis historic district or flood zone?
Both can add a step even where a building permit wouldn't otherwise be needed. In a City Historic District or on a City Landmark property, the city requires approval for exterior work like fences, and the Cultural Resources Office usually requires a building permit there even for work the building code exempts. In a flood area on the FEMA floodway or flood insurance rate maps, every construction project needs a Floodway Development Permit, so give us your address early and we'll work out which applies before planning the pour.
Does a concrete contractor need a city business license in St. Louis?
Yes, every contractor and subcontractor working inside the City of St. Louis has to hold the city's graduated business license for contractors. City business licenses run from June 1 through May 31 of the following year, so a license from an earlier year has already expired.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in St. Louis?
The price follows how big the slab is, how much old concrete and soil has to come out and what the base needs, so I won't guess a number before I've seen it. Tearing out a broken slab, regrading so water runs away from the house and adding rebar all raise it, and a plain broom finish, a swept texture that gives shoes and tires grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. Your written estimate lists what's in the price and what isn't.
How long until I can use a new concrete driveway in St. Louis?
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, and you stay off it until it has cured, the wait while it hardens to full strength, which I'll go over for your pour. The bigger wait here is often the weather, because a soaked base has to dry before we pour, and the weather service has logged a record wettest April of 10.85 inches in St. Louis. Permits can also set the start date.
What causes concrete driveways and patios to crack and sink in St. Louis?
Most sinking starts under the slab, when the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab drops as the dirt settles. Water running toward the house does the rest, and joints cut late or skipped let cracks run wherever they like. We dig to firm ground, pack the base, slope the slab away from the house and cut the joints on time, so cracks land where we chose.
Tell us about your St. Louis concrete job
Call (636) 237-0079 or send the form with your address, so we can look up which city rules your block falls under before I come out.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM