Concrete & Foundations
Footings, stem walls, crawlspace foundations, slabs and flatwork. Formed and poured by the same crew that dug the hole and compacted the pad underneath.
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New concrete driveways, extensions, garage aprons and replacements across Whidbey Island, Camano Island and north into Skagit County.
Whidbey Dirt Works handles concrete driveway installation on Whidbey Island, Camano Island, Stanwood and north into Skagit County. We pour new concrete driveways, driveway extensions, garage aprons and replacements for driveways that have cracked or sunk. As concrete driveway contractors, we also do the dirt work the concrete sits on, down to the compacted rock base. We are based out of Langley, so our excavators and dump trucks start the day on the island.
This page covers the concrete driveway itself: the base, the forms, the pour, the finish and the joints. If you would rather drive on a crushed rock gravel driveway, our gravel page covers how we build one. Road work has its own page, which covers a private road that serves several lots and the culverts under it. We also pour foundations, footings and garage slabs, and that work is on our concrete foundations page.
Tell us about your project — we’ll get right back to you.
Under the topsoil, much of Whidbey Island is dense glacial till mixed with rock and outwash, called hardpan locally. Water that soaks through the topsoil perches on the till and travels sideways to the low spot. Cut a driveway into that ground and it can become the low spot through the wet months, November through March. That is why a concrete driveway here usually fails from underneath, where the ground below it goes soft.
Even on a solid base, concrete can crack, and industry guidance says cracks cannot be prevented entirely. Control joints are planned cracks: we tool them into the fresh surface early in the finish, and cracks follow them. The same guidance caps joint spacing at 15 feet and wants each panel square or close to it. Where the driveway meets the garage slab, a set of steps or a sidewalk, an isolation joint separates the two.
The job starts with clearing the route for a new driveway, then stripping off the topsoil and organics. Our excavators cut down to firm subgrade, and the tilt rotator trims it to the slope the concrete will follow. Rural lots here are often steep, so the work can include grading a driveway onto a sloped lot. Then crushed rock goes down in thin lifts, and the roller compactor attachment on our excavator packs each one.
Where water runs sideways through the ground, a drain line along the uphill edge of the drive catches it. The forms set the edges and the slope, so rain runs straight off the finished concrete. The finish can be a broom finish for grip or exposed aggregate, with a textured border band as an option. The same company builds the base and pours the concrete, so slope and drain are planned with the pour.
Wet winters here run November through March, so we schedule each pour between storms and watch the forecast for cold. Fresh concrete freezes below about 25 degrees, so in cold weather it is protected about two days after the pour. Curing starts right after the finish and typically runs 3 to 7 days, and it reduces surface dusting and scaling. Concrete left to dry out can lose as much as 50 percent of its potential strength.
When a new driveway meets a county road, you apply for an access permit and we build to its conditions. Conditions the county can attach include keeping the driveway at least 5 feet from the property line. Another is a 20-foot flat landing at the road, no steeper than 2 percent unless approved in advance. That approval covers county right-of-way only, and other permits may apply, so we check the county maps with you.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Whidbey Island & Island County.
(360) 544-9109From the first walkthrough to the final one, here’s exactly how your project runs.
We come out and look at the actual ground: the growth, the slope, the wet spots and the access. We listen to what you want done and give you a clear, written estimate. No pressure, and no guessing at a price over the phone.
We lock in a date, plan equipment access and where the debris goes, and account for drainage, buried utilities, and anything on the property that has to be protected. You know the plan before a machine moves.
Our own crew runs our own machines, and the job is supervised on site. We keep the ground under control, keep you posted, and read what we find as we dig instead of forcing the plan through it.
We walk the finished property with you, deal with the debris the way the plan called for, and leave the ground clean, graded, and draining, ready for whatever you are building next.
Common questions about concrete driveways across Whidbey Island & Island County. Don't see yours? Give us a call — we're happy to help.
Footings, stem walls, crawlspace foundations, slabs and flatwork. Formed and poured by the same crew that dug the hole and compacted the pad underneath.
New gravel driveways built from the subgrade up, plus repair and regrading for potholes, ruts and soft spots. Base rock in lifts, crushed rock on top, crowned to shed water.
New gravel driveways, long private roads, turnarounds, culverts, and rebuilds of drives that wash out or turn to mud.
French drains, footing drains, infiltration systems, culverts, and swales, engineered to move water off your property and away from your foundation.
Cut, fill, shape, and finish grade: building pads, yards, and lots left level, compacted, and draining away from what matters.
Structures, outbuildings, foundations, slabs, and fire damage taken down safely and hauled off, leaving a clean site.
Three decades clearing, grading, and digging on Whidbey. Under the topsoil here sit glacial till, hardpan, rock and water that stays where it should not, and our work leaves ground that drains and builds right.
A registered Washington general contractor, bonded and fully insured on every job: a real, accountable company, not a rented machine and a handshake. Your property and your liability are covered.
We look at the ground with you and put a plain-English price in writing, with the whole job in it. We tell you what the job really takes, then we show up and do it.
We live and work here. No ferry delays, no out-of-town crews, no subbing the job out and hoping. One company handles the job from the first call to the final grade, and our own machines and operators do the work.
Straight from the landowners, builders, and neighbors we’ve cleared and graded for.
“Jeff was very professional and finished the job in a timely manner. He exceeded our expectations and did a great job on our driveway! Definitely recommend his company.”
“Jeff did an outstanding job grading my lot, which entailed removal of big stumps. Highly recommend.”
“We had a great experience with Culver Construction. Especially enjoyed the workers that Jeff has. They are very knowledgeable about their work and do a great job.”
Need land cleared, a lot graded, a driveway put in, drainage fixed, or a storm mess hauled off? Reach out for a free, no-obligation estimate. We’ll look at the ground with you, give you a written price, and get your job on the schedule.
Tell us about your project — we’ll get right back to you.
