Concrete Contractor in Horizon City, TX - Slabs Built on a Packed Base
Formcraft El Paso Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Horizon City, TX. We pour driveways, patios, sidewalks, garage floors, slabs and footings for homes here, and build parking lots and cut concrete for businesses.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Horizon City homes and the concrete jobs we get
Horizon City is mostly homes. Street after street, it's single-story houses with a driveway out front and a block wall around the backyard, plus businesses along the main roads. Most of our calls from here are for driveways, patios, walks and garage floors, along with slabs and footings for builders putting up new houses. We do the same work out in Chaparral with the same crew.
Houses sit close together on a lot of these streets, so side yards are narrow. Getting concrete to a backyard patio often means a long wheelbarrow run or a pump, and I plan for that at the estimate so it doesn't surprise anyone on pour day.
Concrete services for Horizon City homes and businesses
Concrete driveway building
If a driveway has sunk at the garage or split down the middle, we tear it out, dig to firm ground and pour the new one on a packed base.
Concrete patio construction
Plenty of backyards here are still bare dirt behind the house. We pour patios that slope away from the back wall so water heads into the yard.
Stamped concrete services
If you want the patio or front walk to look like stone or brick, we stamp a pattern and color into the concrete while it's still workable.
Concrete sidewalk building
For a walk from the driveway to the front door or down the side yard, we set the forms straight and slope it so water doesn't sit.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor that's cracked, stained or pitted can be broken out and repoured, with a light slope toward the door so spills and water run out.
Decorative concrete
For a front entry that should look finished, we add color, a scored pattern or an exposed finish, all poured on the same packed base as a plain slab.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps up or down from the next lot, a poured wall with rebar, the steel bars that hold it together, keeps the dirt in place.
Concrete floor installation
For a shop, storage building or room addition, we pour an interior floor flat and smooth so it's ready for tile, a coating or plain everyday use.
Concrete pool decks
Around a backyard pool, we pour a deck with a texture that grips wet feet and slopes water away from both the pool edge and the house.
Concrete steps construction
When front or back steps have pulled away from the house or crumbled at the edges, we form and pour new ones with every step the same height.
Slab foundation building
For a new house, garage or addition, we dig, pack the base and pour the slab it sits on, with the ground checked before anything is formed.
Foundation installation
Builders adding homes or additions here call us to lay out and pour foundations to the plans, so framing starts on something square and level.
Concrete parking lot building
For a shop, office or other business, we pour parking areas thick enough for the traffic they'll carry and grade them so water drains off.
Concrete footings
Footings for a block wall, carport posts or an addition go below the soft surface dirt, so whatever's built on them sits on firm ground.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab has dropped and doors stick or cracks show at the corners, we raise and support the low section before it gets worse.
Concrete cutting
Need a new doorway, a trench for a line, or a section of old driveway taken out? We saw clean edges so the rest of the slab stays intact.
Get a free concrete estimate at your Horizon City home
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to look at the site myself. The estimate is free, done on site, and comes with no obligation.
- Based in
- El Paso, TX 79901
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Working in Horizon City: permits, prices and timing
In Horizon City, construction permits for home work like driveways and sidewalks come from the Town of Horizon City's Building Services Department. Inspections go through the same office, so the pour date follows the paperwork, not the other way around. That office also handles business permits in the city, so it's the place to ask about a contractor's. When a job calls for a permit, we handle the paperwork with the city, and we're licensed and fully insured.
What moves the price here is mostly the size of the job, how much old concrete comes out, how deep we have to dig to reach firm ground, how far the truck can get to the pour, and the finish you pick. A broom finish, the light dragged texture that keeps feet from slipping, costs less than stamped or colored work. The schedule turns on the permit, our crew's calendar and conditions on pour day, and your own figure comes from the estimate. We're a concrete contractor based in El Paso, TX, and the same crew works in Socorro and San Elizario.
Why Horizon City driveways and patios sink and crack
Most of the sinking we see here comes from what's under the slab, not the concrete. A lot of these lots were graded when the neighborhoods went in. Too often the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, got raked level and poured over instead of dug out and packed, so it kept settling and the slab went down with it. We dig out the soft dirt and pack the base before we form anything. That's the part you'll never see, and it's the first thing people want to cut from a budget. I'd spend the money there before I'd spend it on a fancy finish, because a nice surface on a bad base still cracks.
The other thing we see is water. A patio or driveway that tips toward the house sends water at the foundation and leaves puddles that wash out the base along the edges. We check where water runs on your lot and set the slab to fall away from the house.
How a concrete job runs in Horizon City
Here's how a job goes, from your first call to the day you can use the new concrete.
Call or send the form
Call (915) 265-1446 or fill in the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home so you can tell me how you'll use the slab.
I measure and write it up
I look at the site, check the ground and where the water runs, and measure everything. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you can hold it up against other bids before you spend a dollar.
We line up permits and prep
If the job needs a permit, we sort out the paperwork first, and the pour waits on it. Then our crew digs out, packs the base and sets the forms.
Pour, finish and let it cure
Our own crew pours and finishes when conditions make sense, and I'm on site for the pour. Then the slab cures, which is the wait while it gains strength, and you stay off it until we tell you it's ready to walk on and drive on.
Questions about concrete work in Horizon City
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway in Horizon City?
Yes. The city's residential permit list names driveways and sidewalks, along with retaining walls. Patios aren't named, but the list says it isn't limited to the work it shows, so check with Building Services before a patio goes in rather than assume it's fine.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Horizon City?
We price the concrete on site after measuring it, and the city's permit fee comes on top. That fee is at least $70 for work that needs one inspection and $140 and up for work that needs two. If work starts before the permit is issued, the city charges the regular fee plus the same amount again, which is one more reason the pour waits on the permit.
How do I schedule a concrete inspection in Horizon City?
Call Building Services at 915-852-1875 the day before, by 4 PM, to request an inspection or cancel one. On jobs where we handle the permit, we plan the pour date around that deadline.
Can I apply for a Horizon City building permit online?
Yes. The city's Online Permit Center lets you apply for permits, check where an application stands, pay fees and upload documents. It's also a quick way to check the status of the permit for your own job.
How long does a building permit last in Horizon City?
A Horizon City permit expires 12 months from the day it's issued. It also stops being valid if work hasn't started within 180 days, or if the job stops for 180 days once it's underway, so it's worth having the pour on the calendar before the permit is pulled.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack, and will mine?
Concrete shrinks as it dries, so most slabs crack somewhere, and I won't tell you yours won't. What we control is where it cracks, with control joints, the grooves we cut so the slab breaks along a straight line instead of across the middle, and with the packed base covered above. Joints cut late or skipped, and a base that was only raked, are behind most of the ugly cracks we see.
El Paso, TX
Book your Horizon City concrete estimate
If you're planning other outside work this year, a call now lets us fit the concrete around it instead of tearing into new work later.