Concrete contractor in Bellingham, WA - driveways and patios built from the base up
Craftsman Bellingham Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Bellingham, WA. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors and footings for homes here, and slabs and lots for small businesses and builders.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Bellingham houses and lots, as we see them
Bellingham is where we're based, and most of our calls here come from homeowners with a driveway that has cracked and dropped at one edge, a patio that holds water by the back door, or front steps that have started to lean. We also pour slabs, footings and small lots for local businesses and builders. The houses run from older homes on established streets, where the original concrete has had decades to settle, to newer builds on hillside lots, and we take plenty of jobs just outside the city too, out toward Sudden Valley.
Many lots here slope, some of them steeply, so a driveway or patio often needs its ground cut down and built up before the slab can sit level, and sometimes a step or a short retaining wall to finish the grade. On those lots I plan the slab around where the water will go before anything else.
Concrete work we do for Bellingham homes and businesses
Concrete driveway building
Older Bellingham driveways often crack and sink where the base was never packed, and steep hillside drives need a broom finish, a light brushed texture, for grip.
Concrete patio construction
We build patios that slope away from the house, which matters in Bellingham back yards where a flat or backward slab sends water toward the foundation.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, a good fit for older Bellingham houses where plain gray would look out of place.
Concrete sidewalk building
We replace front walks that have heaved near tree roots in Bellingham's older neighborhoods, so the path to your door is level again.
Garage floor concrete
Garage floors in older Bellingham houses are often cracked, dusty or sloped the wrong way, and we replace them with a slab that sheds water toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored, stained or exposed-aggregate finishes let a new slab match the brick, stone or wood already on your Bellingham house instead of standing out.
Concrete retaining walls
On sloped Bellingham lots, a concrete retaining wall holds back the hill so you get a flat yard, a wider driveway or room for a patio.
Concrete floor installation
We pour interior floors for Bellingham basements, shops and additions, with the ground packed and prepared first so the slab stays flat under a finished floor.
Concrete pool decks
A Bellingham pool deck has to grip when wet and drain fast, so we slope it away from the pool and give it a textured top.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on hillside Bellingham houses take a beating, and we rebuild them with even risers and rebar, the steel inside that keeps cracks from spreading.
Slab foundation building
For new homes, additions and outbuildings in Bellingham, we pour slab foundations on ground that has been dug out, packed and checked for where water runs.
Foundation installation
We form and pour foundations for new builds and additions, which on Bellingham's sloped and soft lots starts with a close look at the ground.
Concrete parking lot building
Small Bellingham businesses call us for parking lots and pads built thick enough for delivery trucks and sloped so water runs to the drains.
Concrete footings
Decks, additions and retaining walls on Bellingham lots need footings that reach firm ground, and we dig down to it rather than pour on loose fill.
Foundation raising
When part of a Bellingham house has settled, we look at why first, then raise and support the foundation to bring the floors back toward level.
Concrete cutting
We cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing Bellingham slabs, so a section can come out for a drain or repair without breaking up the rest.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Bellingham property
Thank you for writing. We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out, and the written estimate I send after that visit is free, with no pressure to book.
Call (360) 312-3799- Based in
- Bellingham, WA 98225
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
Permits, licenses and pour day in Bellingham
Inside city limits, the office we deal with is the City of Bellingham's permit center, and building and land-use applications go to it by email at permits@cob.org. Whether your slab, wall or foundation needs a permit is the city's call, and when it does, we handle the paperwork with them, or give you what you need from our side if you'd rather apply yourself. Any review becomes part of the schedule, so we set the pour date around it. You can check any contractor you're considering, too, because the state requires construction contractors to register with the Department of Labor & Industries, and nearly every business working in Bellingham has to register with the state Department of Revenue and add a Bellingham endorsement to its state business license. We're licensed and insured.
Bellingham's hillside streets and narrow older driveways matter on pour day, because the concrete truck has to get close enough to reach the forms, and when it can't, we plan for a longer chute or a pump. Access, the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging and base the ground needs, and the finish you pick are what move the price, and your written estimate spells out each of them for your job. The schedule mostly turns on any permit review and on curing, the wait while new concrete gains strength before you use it. We work the same way north of here in Ferndale and Lynden.
Cracking, sinking and pooling on Bellingham properties
Most of the cracked, sunken driveways we see here were poured on a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled right along with the loose dirt under it. On every job we dig down to firm ground and pack the base before any concrete goes in. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you spend less on the finish than on the base, because a fancy surface on a weak base cracks just the same, and the base is the one part you can't fix later without tearing the slab out.
The other common trouble is water, from a patio or walk that falls toward the house or runoff that works its way under the slab. On sloped lots we look at the ground closely, because the state's hazard maps note that an area with no mapped landslide can still carry landslide hazard, so a map alone won't tell us how your hillside behaves.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Bellingham
From your first call to the walkthrough at the end, here's how a Bellingham job usually runs and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Thank you for calling or writing. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out, and it helps if you can be there so we can walk the area together.
Site visit and written estimate
I look at the site, measure, check where the water runs and ask how you'll use the concrete. The written estimate spells out the scope, including the base work nobody sees later, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
Permits, then ground preparation
We confirm whether you're in the city or the county and handle the permit with that office when the job calls for one, and if the city reviews your project, the pour date waits on that review. Then our crew digs out, packs the base and sets the forms, and I work the job alongside them.
Pour, finish and care walkthrough
We pour, finish and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack. Before we leave a tidy site, I walk you through curing and when you can walk and drive on the new concrete.
Questions about concrete work in Bellingham
Call (360) 312-3799How do I know if my Bellingham address is inside city limits?
A Bellingham mailing address doesn't settle it, because many properties with a Bellingham address sit in unincorporated areas outside city limits. The city's permit rules cover property inside the city, so I check this with you at the estimate and we work with whichever office covers your lot.
Do concrete jobs in Bellingham go through the city's online permit portal?
The city requires its online portal for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, water heater replacement, re-roof and sign and awning permits, and concrete work isn't on that list. Building and land-use projects go to the city by email instead, so whether your slab or wall needs a permit is a question for the city's permit center, and we'll check that for you before we schedule anything.
Which building codes apply to concrete work in Bellingham right now?
The 2021 codes are in effect in Bellingham and have been since March 15, 2024. The state building code council says the 2024 codes take effect May 3, 2027, so if your foundation or slab will be permitted around then, we'll confirm with the city which edition applies.
What does a contractor need to work legally in Washington State?
A Washington construction contractor has to register with the Department of Labor & Industries and, under state law, be bonded and insured. Registration calls for a $30,000 surety bond for a general contractor or $15,000 for a specialty contractor, plus liability insurance of $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined single limit. On a home job of $1,000 or more, the contractor must also give you the state's disclosure notice to customers, and its registration number has to appear in its ads and bids.
How much does a new concrete driveway or patio cost in Bellingham?
Your price comes from the written estimate I give after measuring your site, because the things that move it, from access and slab size to old concrete removal and base work, change from one Bellingham lot to the next. The estimate spells out the scope line by line, so you can compare it fairly with other bids. Call (360) 312-3799 to set a time.
How do I keep a new concrete driveway from cracking like my old one?
Build the parts nobody sees right, with a packed base, drainage away from the slab and rebar where the slab needs it, then cut the joints on time so any crack follows them. Pouring early in the day matters too, because concrete placed in midday heat can dry too fast and leave a weak, dusty top. No one can honestly promise a slab won't crack, but those steps keep cracks small and in the places we chose.
Bellingham, WA
Book your Bellingham concrete estimate
Setting up the visit before you pick a pour date leaves time to sort out city limits and any permit, so call (360) 312-3799 or send us the form.