Concrete contractor in Franklin, CA - driveways and slabs built on packed ground
Standard Merced Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Merced, CA, pouring driveways, patios, garage floors, footings and foundations for homes and properties in Franklin-Beachwood, just west of the city.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Franklin-Beachwood concrete work, right next to Merced
Franklin-Beachwood sits against Merced's west side with Highway 99 along its southern edge, so it's one of the closest places we work from our base in Merced. Most of what we do here is flatwork, the flat pours like driveways, patios and garage floors, and the calls usually start the same way: a driveway that's dropped at the street, a patio cracked into pieces, a garage floor that's carried cars for a long time. Property owners call too, for a shop slab or a lot that needs redoing, and the houses over in Atwater bring us much the same kind of work.
A lot of homes here have had their concrete for years, so many Franklin jobs start with breaking out the old slab and hauling it off before we touch the ground underneath. How easily we can get equipment in, down a side yard or past a fence, shapes how that first day goes.
Concrete services we pour in Franklin
Concrete driveway building
Older Franklin driveways often sink at the edges or crack across the middle. We tear out what's failing, dig out and pack the base, then pour new.
Concrete patio construction
When the backyard is bare dirt or worn-out pavers, a concrete patio gives you a flat, easy-to-clean spot out back, set to drain away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete pressed with a pattern gives a Franklin patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, in one solid pour with no loose pieces.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks lifted by roots or broken by years of foot traffic turn into trip spots. We cut out the bad sections and pour them back level.
Garage floor concrete
A cracked, oil-stained garage floor in an older Franklin home can be broken out and replaced with a fresh slab that's easy to sweep and park on.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns let you dress up a plain front entry or yard slab without the upkeep that pavers or tile usually bring.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard changes level or a driveway cuts into a bank, a concrete retaining wall holds the dirt back on a footing sized for the load.
Concrete floor installation
Shops, sheds and add-on rooms on bigger lots need a flat inside floor. We pour concrete floors level enough for shelving, equipment and floor coverings.
Concrete pool decks
Around a backyard pool, the deck needs a surface that grips wet feet and drains away from the water, so we finish it for traction, not shine.
Concrete steps construction
Crumbling front or back steps on older homes are easy to trip on. We form and pour new concrete steps with even heights that line up with the door.
Slab foundation building
Building a new home, garage or shop on your Franklin lot starts with a slab foundation. We prepare the ground, set the steel and pour it level.
Foundation installation
For additions and new buildings that need more than a flat slab, we dig, form and pour concrete foundations built to the approved plans.
Concrete parking lot building
Property owners with a shop, rental or small business call us when the parking area is cracked, patched and holding water after every rain.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, carports, block walls and sheds all need footings, the concrete base that carries the weight down into firm ground. We dig and pour each one.
Foundation raising
When part of a house or slab has settled and doors start sticking, we raise the low section back toward level and support it from below.
Concrete cutting
Running a new line, adding a door or removing a broken section often means cutting existing concrete. We saw clean, straight edges so new concrete fits tight.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Franklin
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the job and give you a written estimate listing what's included and what isn't, with no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Merced, CA 95340
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Working in Franklin: county permits and contractor checks
Franklin sits outside any city limits, so your building permit comes from Merced County, where the Building and Safety Division issues permits and inspects construction in the unincorporated areas. When your job needs a permit, that's usually what sets the start date, so we check with the county office for your address and take care of the permit steps with you. Before you hire anyone, you can ask for two things, a state contractor license and a Merced County Business License, which every business working in the county's unincorporated areas has to hold. We're licensed and insured.
Our crew comes over from Merced, and we run the same kinds of jobs farther out in Chowchilla and Livingston. What moves the price here is the size of the job, how much old concrete comes out, the base work and the finish you pick. The schedule turns mostly on the permit, when there is one, and on the pour day we settle with you.
Franklin slabs: why they crack, sink and hold water
Most of the cracked and sinking concrete we see here traces back to what's under it and how it was cut. If the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, was raked smooth instead of dug out and packed, it settles over the years and takes the concrete down with it. If the control joints, the shallow cuts that give the slab a straight place to crack, were cut late or skipped, it cracks wherever it wants. Concrete still cracks, so we dig out and pack the base, check where the water runs so the slab falls away from the house, and cut joints while the concrete is fresh so the cracks land where we chose.
Properties with room to spare bring heavier use, like an RV pad, a shop floor or a driveway that sees a work truck every day. Those slabs get extra thickness and rebar, steel bars set inside the concrete to hold it together if it does crack, plus a broom finish, a light dragged texture so the surface isn't slick when it's wet.
How a Franklin concrete job goes once you call
Here's how a Franklin job runs from your first call to the day you're back on the new slab, with me there from the visit through the pour.
Call us or send the form
You call (209) 308-1029 or send the form, and I set a time to come out myself. It helps if you're home for the visit so we can walk the spot together and talk about how you'll use it.
Get a written estimate in hand
I look at the old concrete, the ground and where the water runs, then you get a written estimate that says what's covered and what isn't. That way you can see what each part of the job costs before you decide anything.
Settle the plan and permit
We agree on the pour plan with you before any forms go in. If the job needs a permit, the county issues some over the counter the same day when no plans are required and no other department has to review, and otherwise we wait on the county's review before we pour.
Pour, finish and cure
On pour day our crew works quickly with me running it on site, and we finish clean and haul off the mess. Then we look after the slab while it cures, the wait while it hardens and gains strength, and tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for cars.
Questions about concrete work in Franklin
How do I know if my concrete job needs a permit in Franklin, CA?
Check before anyone pours, because Merced County's rule of thumb calls for a building permit on all new construction, repairs, alterations and improvements, with exceptions it lists. Ask at the estimate visit and we'll find out for your address before any forms go in.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Franklin?
A concrete retaining wall over 4 feet high needs a permit from the county, and that height is measured from the bottom of the footing. The footing sits below ground, so a wall that looks shorter from the yard can still cross that line, and we measure it the county's way when we plan it.
When does a concrete contractor need a California state license?
A contractor needs a state license from the Contractors State License Board whenever the project needs a building permit, uses hired workers, or the contracts on it add up to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Ask any contractor for their license before you sign.
How do I pull my own building permit for a slab in Franklin?
With a few exceptions, only the property owner or a licensed contractor can get a building permit in Merced County, as state law sets it out. If we're doing your job, the permit is part of the steps we take care of with you.
How much does it cost to replace a concrete driveway in Franklin, CA?
A driveway costs more as it gets bigger and thicker, and more again when the old concrete has to be broken out and hauled or the ground needs a lot of digging and base. If the budget needs trimming, I'd drop a stamped pattern before I'd skimp on the base, because a fancy top over loose dirt still cracks and sinks, while a plain broom finish on packed ground holds up. Your written estimate lists each part so you can see where the money goes.
Does a backyard shed and its slab need a permit in Franklin?
A small shed can be exempt from a building permit in Merced County if it's one story, detached, no more than 120 square feet of roof and 12 feet high, with no plumbing, mechanical or electrical work, and only one per parcel. That exemption is written for the shed itself, so ask about the slab under it at the estimate visit before we pour.
Merced, CA
Get your Franklin concrete job on the calendar
We pick up every day from 8 AM to 9 PM, so call (209) 308-1029 or send the form whenever it suits you.