Concrete contractor in Covington, WA - slabs built for sloped lots
D&L Kent Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Kent, WA. We pour driveways, patios, walkways, steps and retaining walls for homes in Covington, and we dig out, pack the base and set the forms before any concrete arrives.
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- Free in-person estimates.
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Homes and yards across Covington
Covington is mostly neighborhoods of single-family houses, with shops and offices along the main roads and a lot of newer homes built on hilly, wooded ground. We're based in Kent, just west of here, and the calls we get from Covington look a lot like the ones we get in SeaTac and the other cities around us. Usually it's a driveway that's cracked or settled, a patio sinking by the back door or front steps pulling away from the house.
The ground sets the job here. So many lots have a grade to them that the slope decides how deep we dig, how we set the forms and whether a slab needs steps or a wall to sit level.
Our services in Covington, WA
- Concrete driveway building
Driveways on a grade here often settle and crack over a thin base. We dig out soft soil, pack crushed rock and slope the new slab away from the garage.
- Concrete patio construction
Patios by the house often sink into the loose fill against the foundation. We dig that fill out, pack a firm base and pitch the slab away from the wall.
- Concrete retaining walls
Sloped backyards here often need a wall to make flat ground. We set concrete retaining walls on solid footings and drain the soil behind them so water doesn't build up.
- Concrete steps construction
Front steps often pull away from the house here as the fill under them settles. We pour new steps on footings dug down past that fill.
- Concrete sidewalk building
Side-yard walkways on a slope often wash out underneath and sink. We pour them on a packed base with a slight pitch, and add steps where the grade gets steep.
- Concrete pool decks
Pool decks on a sloped yard must drain away from both the pool and the house. Our concrete pool decks sit on a packed base with a textured finish for wet feet.
What Covington's sloped lots ask of a slab
Water is the biggest problem for concrete on a sloped lot. It runs downhill, slips under the edge of a slab and either washes out the base or softens the soil until the slab drops. So on a Covington estimate I start by finding where the water goes. Then we set the subgrade, the packed dirt and rock the slab sits on, and the slope of the new slab so water runs off and away from the house. If your lot drops off steeply near the work, the city's slope rules can apply too, and the questions below cover those.
Base work is hidden the day we pour, so it's the first thing people want to cut from a budget. It's the one place I won't cut, because a nice finish on a bad base still cracks and sinks. The base is also what moves the price most here, along with access and the finish you pick, and the schedule mostly turns on the dig and the curing wait before you can use the slab.
Get a free written estimate for your Covington concrete job
Send us the details and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Covington property myself to measure and walk the site, and you get a free estimate in writing with each part of the job listed. There's no pressure and no obligation.
Concrete driveways, patios and walls
Covington concrete questions answered
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Covington?
Some concrete jobs in Covington need a permit, and the city decides which ones, so we check before any work starts. We find out which city or county office covers your address, take care of the permit when your job needs one and keep you posted on where it stands. That check matters, because the city adds an extra fee when permit-required work starts before the permit is issued. If you'd like to ask the city yourself, Covington City Hall's number is 253.480.2400.
What rules apply to building near a steep slope in Covington?
Work within 50 feet of a steep slope or landslide hazard area falls under the city's hazard area rules, and the city counts a slope as steep at 40 percent or more where the ground drops at least 20 feet. The city's director can approve work as close as 15 feet, but only with a critical area report showing the work is safe and adds no hazard risk. Without a report, the default is a 50-foot buffer from the top or bottom of the slope. If your yard drops off near where the slab would go, I'll flag it at the estimate so it's sorted out before we plan the pour.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Covington?
A Covington driveway's price comes down to its size, how much old concrete comes out, how much digging and base the ground needs and the finish you choose, so I give you a figure after I've measured, not before. Sloped lots usually cost more to prepare because the base and forms take longer to get right, and a spot the truck can't reach adds work. Your estimate is free and lists each part of the job, so you can see what changes if you pick a broom finish, the plain brushed texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, over a stamped one.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can usually walk on new concrete within a few days, but you'll wait longer than that before driving on it, because the slab keeps gaining strength while it cures. Curing is the slow hardening after the pour, and a car parked on it too soon can crack it or leave a weak, dusty surface. Cool, damp weather slows curing down, so I tell you when it's ready based on how the slab is coming along instead of promising a date up front.
What causes a concrete patio to crack or sink in Covington?
Most sinking comes from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, and most random cracking comes from control joints that were cut late or skipped. Control joints are the straight grooves we cut into the slab, so that when the concrete shrinks and cracks, the crack follows the groove instead of running across the middle. Rebar, the steel bars set inside the slab, helps hold any cracks tight. A few hairline cracks can still show up in good concrete, and I'd rather tell you that now than have it surprise you later.
Does a concrete contractor working in Covington need to be registered and licensed?
Yes. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the Department of Labor & Industries and to be bonded and insured, and Covington requires a city business license endorsement before a contractor starts business in the city. The state registration number has to appear on the contractor's estimates, bids, business cards and ads, and on residential jobs of $1,000 or more they have to give you the state's disclosure notice to customers. Since July 1, 2026, eligible customers who lose money from a contractor's work can also apply to L&I for recovery payments.