Concrete Contractor in Harlingen, TX - Driveways, Patios and Slabs Built to Drain
Elite Brownsville Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Brownsville, TX. We pour driveways, patios, steps, slabs and footings for homes and small businesses in Harlingen, starting with the ground underneath.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Harlingen homes, lots and the concrete around them
In Harlingen we pour for two kinds of customers. Homeowners call about a cracked driveway or a patio that's started to sink, and shop owners and builders call about a slab, footings or a small lot. Many of the houses are single-story on flat lots. In the older neighborhoods, the original driveways have often settled and broken up over the years, and in the newer subdivisions, the first owners usually want a wider drive or a back patio. It's the same work we do up the road in Mercedes and down toward San Benito.
Most of the ground here is flat, from the streets near the Arroyo Colorado trails to the neighborhoods farther out, and flat ground doesn't move water anywhere on its own. The slope we build into a slab decides where the rain goes, so we set the slope before anything else.
Concrete work we do on Harlingen properties
Concrete driveway building
Older Harlingen driveways often crack and settle where the base was never packed. We tear out the old slab, rebuild the ground and pour a drive that sheds water.
Concrete patio construction
A back patio on a flat Harlingen lot has to slope away from the house, or rain sits against the wall. We set that slope before we pour.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or entry the look of stone or tile. Under this sun it still needs resealing now and then, and we explain when.
Concrete sidewalk building
A walk that's heaved or broken at a joint is easy to trip on. We replace bad sections so the edges meet flush and water runs off.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor takes car weight, oil and hot tires every day. We pour it thick enough for the load, with rebar, the steel inside that holds cracks tight.
Decorative concrete
Colored, scored or exposed-aggregate concrete dresses up an entry or a front walk. On a single-story house, a decorative border at the door is often enough.
Concrete retaining walls
A raised bed or a built-up pad needs its soil held back. We build the wall with drainage behind it so water doesn't push it out.
Concrete floor installation
Shops, storage buildings and additions need an inside floor that's flat and dry. We pour over a packed base, with a vapor barrier when the room calls for one.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck in South Texas sun gets hot and slick. We give it a textured finish and slope it away from the pool so water drains off.
Concrete steps construction
Steps that have pulled away from the porch or chipped at the edges are easy to fall on. We pour new ones with even rises on solid footings.
Slab foundation building
A new house, shop or addition starts with a slab that stays level. We pack the subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, before any concrete arrives.
Foundation installation
We lay out and pour the foundation an addition, garage or small commercial building calls for, set high enough on a flat lot that water runs away from it.
Concrete parking lot building
A business lot has to carry delivery trucks and drain after a hard rain. We pour it thicker where trucks turn and slope it to the drains.
Concrete footings
A carport, a wall or a column puts its weight on footings. We dig them to the plans so that weight sits on firm ground.
Foundation raising
When a slab or part of a house has sunk and doors stick or floors slope, we look at why first. Then we raise it back toward level.
Concrete cutting
We cut old concrete cleanly so a new walk can tie into a drive, a plumber can get under a slab or a door can go through a wall.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Harlingen property
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the job and write up a free estimate at your property with the scope spelled out, and there's no pressure to book.
(956) 505-5331- Based in
- Brownsville, TX 78520
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
Working in Harlingen: permits, licensing and what sets the price
Before we pour anything in Harlingen, I check which city or county office covers your address, because whose rules apply and how long any review takes depend on that office. We help with the permit steps for our part of the job and get inspections on the calendar with you, and if something isn't clear, we ask the office instead of guessing. We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask about that when I come out.
Flatwork is the driveways, patios, walks and slabs that lie on the ground, and its price moves with the size, how thick it has to be for what it carries, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, how close the truck can get and the finish you pick. A tight side yard or a backyard with no truck access means more hand work, and that shows up in the price. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and the curing wait before you can use it. Your written estimate lays out the scope so you can see what's in the price and what isn't, and we run Harlingen jobs the same way we run them in Los Fresnos.
Heat and flat ground are what concrete fights here
Harlingen summers are long and hot. Concrete poured in the middle of a hot day loses water at the top before it's ready, and that leaves a weak, dusty surface that chips later. We pour early in the day when we can, keep the fresh slab from drying out too fast and put on a broom finish, a light texture dragged across the top, so a wet drive isn't slick underfoot.
On flat ground, a heavy rain goes wherever the slab sends it, so a patio that tips even a little toward the house can put water against your foundation. That's why so much of the job goes into what you won't see on day one, digging out soft dirt, packing the base and setting the slope. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you go with a plain finish over a good base than a fancy finish on dirt that's going to settle.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Harlingen
Here's how it goes from your first call to the day we walk the finished concrete with you, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call or send a message
Tell us what you're looking at, a cracked driveway, a new patio or a slab for a shop, and we'll set up a time to come out. You don't need drawings to get started.
I come out and look
I walk the site, check where water runs and ask how you'll use the concrete, so the plan fits your car, your grill or your forklift. Then I write up an estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We prep and pour
Once you say go, we line up the permit steps, dig out and pack the base, set the forms and steel, and pour when the weather suits it. Our own crew does the work, with an experienced lead on site running the pour.
Walk the finished work together
We walk the finished concrete with you and go over curing, the days it keeps hardening before it can take weight, so you know when to walk on it and when to park on it. We clean up and haul off the old concrete before we leave.
Questions about concrete work in Harlingen
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Harlingen?
Your price comes from the driveway's size, its thickness, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out and the finish you pick, and I put it in writing after I see the site. Tearing out a broken drive and rebuilding the base costs more than pouring on ground that's already sound, and a stamped or colored finish costs more than a plain broom finish. The concrete driveway page goes into more detail.
What causes a new concrete driveway or patio to crack?
Most cracks in new concrete come from a base that settles, joints cut late or skipped, or a pour that dried too fast in the heat. Concrete shrinks as it hardens, so we cut control joints, straight grooves that give the slab a place to crack in a neat line, and we pack the base so the slab doesn't sink. I won't promise a slab that never cracks, but a hairline along a joint on a level slab is a very different thing from the broken, sunken drive you may be replacing.
How long does it take before I can drive on new concrete?
You can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it, because the concrete keeps curing and gaining strength for days after the pour. In Harlingen heat we keep the surface from drying out too fast so it cures evenly. I'll give you both waits for your job when we walk it, and it's worth holding to them even when the slab looks done.
How do I check a contractor's license in Texas?
For the trades the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses, its online license search shows whether a person or business holds a current license. The department regulates electricians and air conditioning contractors among others, so if your project brings in one of those, say for lights along a new walk, look them up there. We're fully licensed and insured, and you can ask me about it at the estimate.
Where do I find the flood map for my Harlingen address?
FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official place to look up flood maps, including the one for your community. It shows how likely your area is to flood, which is worth knowing before you add a slab, patio or driveway that changes where water goes on your lot.
What counts as high flood risk on a FEMA map?
FEMA treats any area with a 1% or higher chance of flooding each year as high risk, which works out to at least a one-in-four chance of a flood over a 30-year mortgage. That's FEMA's national definition. If your lot falls in one of those areas, tell me at the estimate so we can plan the slope and height of the new concrete around where the water goes.
Brownsville, TX
Get your Harlingen concrete job on the calendar
A slab that's cracking or sinking usually gets worse, and catching it early can mean replacing a section instead of the whole thing.