We're B&C Lake Charles Concrete Company, a concrete contractor based in Lake Charles, and we pour driveways, patios and slabs for Jennings homes that people keep living in while we work. Call (337) 549-5674 and I'll come take a look.
(337) 549-5674
Most of our calls from Jennings come from people who've been in their house a while. It's usually a driveway that has settled and cracked across, a patio that holds water after a rain, or steps that have pulled away from the porch, with a fence, a flower bed and the mailbox a few feet from where the forms go. I started this business for that kind of job, where we work around a family's routine instead of a bare lot.
We reply to calls and messages within one business day. I'll drive out to Jennings to look at the job, measure it and write up what's included, and the estimate is free with no pressure to book. Call (337) 549-5674 or send the form and tell me what you're dealing with.
(337) 549-5674Around Jennings we replace driveways that have settled, pour patios and walks that drain away from the house, and build steps that sit square to the porch. We also do garage floor concrete when an old floor has cracked or chipped after years of parking, along with slab foundations, footings and concrete cutting for additions and repairs.
Inside Jennings city limits, the City Inspector issues building permits and reviews plans for new construction, and that office also has the setback rules for how close to your lot line you can build. Before we schedule anything, we check with the city or parish office that covers your address, and if a permit's needed we handle the paperwork or walk you through it, so the pour date follows the permit. You can check two things about any contractor here, us included. Every business working in the city needs a current business license, which Jennings calls an Occupational License, and bigger jobs need a state license or registration, which the questions below cover. We're licensed and fully insured.
Getting to you is a straight run east on I-10 from Lake Charles, so a Jennings job goes on our calendar the same way a job across town does, just as we cross the state line for work in Orange, TX. The price turns on how big the slab is, how thick it has to be for what drives on it, whether old concrete comes out first and how much base work the ground needs. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and the days the new concrete needs to cure, or harden, before you use it. I write all of that into the estimate with what's included, so you see your own figure before you decide.
I come out to look at the job, measure it and write the estimate myself. Our own crew does the work, and I'm on site while it's going on, so the person who priced your job is the one there to answer your questions.
Before we set a pour date, I'd rather settle the small things with you, like where you'll park while the driveway's out, who hauls the old concrete away and which fence or flower bed needs room. That way nothing catches you off guard halfway through.
The base under a slab gets buried on day one, so it's the first thing people want to cut. I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because the nicest surface poured over loose dirt still settles and cracks right along with it.
We leave your place the way we found it, apart from the new concrete, with the forms pulled, scraps hauled off and tire tracks raked out. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. When you're ready, call (337) 549-5674 or send the form and I'll set a time to come out.
Your price comes from the size of the driveway, how thick it needs to be for what parks on it, whether the old slab has to be broken up and hauled off, and how much digging and packing the ground needs before we pour. A broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps shoes and tires from slipping, costs less than stamped or decorative work. I measure all of it on site and write up one figure with everything it covers.
Yes, once the job is big enough. The state licensing board says home improvement work over $7,500, up to $50,000, needs a home improvement registrant or a licensed contractor, and residential work of $50,000 or more, or any job with structural work, needs a licensed Residential Building Contractor to bid it and do it. Ask any contractor which one they hold before you sign anything.
You can walk on it well before you can park on it, because the slab keeps curing for days after the pour and a car's weight too early can mark or crack it. I'll give you the dates for your slab before we pour, so you can plan where to park in the meantime.
Most of the time it's what's underneath. A base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed settles with the dirt, water running toward or under the slab softens what it sits on, a pour in midday heat leaves a weak, dusty top, and control joints, the shallow cuts that give concrete a planned place to crack, get cut late or skipped. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, check where the water runs and cut the joints on time, so if a crack comes it lands in a line we chose.
You don't have to do much, because our crew handles the prep, but tell me about anything we need to protect. When I come out, we settle where you'll park, where the truck can reach and who hauls the old pieces, and we mark the fence, flower beds and sprinkler lines we'll work around. On pour day, keep cars, kids and pets clear of the forms, and I'll be there to answer questions while the work goes on.
