Slab foundation building in Midland TX - built for ground that shrinks and swells
Planning a home or addition on Midland's shifting dirt? We settle the slab type and design first, then pour it on a base that's packed right.
- Bids you can compare We price the slab type your plans call for.
- Engineer's plans come first We ask early whether an engineer designed your slab.
- Base before finish We'd cut finish extras before we'd cut the base.
- Time for flooring to dry We help you leave the new slab time to dry.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
How do you know your lot and plans are ready for a slab?
Most slab problems start before the pour, in the dirt, the water or the plans, so these are the things worth sorting out while they're still easy to fix.
Bids that don't line up
One bid comes in well under the rest. Usually it priced a different slab type or less base work, and you find out after it's buried.
Dirt that cracks in summer
Your lot splits in dry spells and turns sticky after rain. That's ground that shrinks and swells, and a slab not planned for it moves when the dirt does.
Water standing on the pad
After a storm, water sits where the house will go. If the ground's slope isn't fixed before the pour, that water keeps soaking the dirt under your foundation.
Fill dirt hauled onto the lot
Someone raised the pad with brought-in dirt. Loose fill settles under weight, so unless it's dug out or packed in layers, the slab sinks with it.
Cracks in the old slab
Your old shop slab cracks in odd places. That usually means a soft base or control joints, the cuts that tell concrete where to crack, made too late.
Flooring already picked out
You've chosen flooring that doesn't like moisture and set a move-in date. A new slab holds water for a while, so flooring laid too soon can get damaged.
How we build your slab foundation
A slab foundation is the concrete your house sits on, so it has to carry the walls and still handle dirt that moves under it. I start by asking whether an engineer has designed your slab, because that drawing sets the type and the steel, and we price the slab type on the plans so you can line our bid up against anyone else's. Price mostly moves with the size, the slab type and how much dirt work the lot needs, and the schedule turns on the design, the permit and the weather, all of which your written estimate lays out. On the job we dig out soft dirt and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, check that rain will run away from the house, set the forms and the steel the plans call for, and pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't dry out weak. Then the slab cures, a wait while it gains strength, before anyone builds on it. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it on the base than on anything you can see, because the base is buried on day one and it's the one part you can't go back and fix.
When your plans call for more than a slab on ground, or an addition has to tie into what's already there, our foundation installation work covers it. For business owners putting up a building, we also handle concrete parking lot building, so the lot and the building pad get planned at the same time.
What happens when you call about a slab in Midland?
Here's how a slab job runs with us, from your first call to the day I walk the finished work with you.
Call or send a message
You call or send a message, and I come out to the lot. I measure, ask how you'll use the slab and go over your plans.
Get a written estimate
I leave you a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you can compare it line by line.
Permit, forms and pour
Once you say go, we sort out the permit, which in Midland has to be issued before work starts. Then we set forms, pour and finish.
Clean up and walk through
We clean up, and I walk the finished slab with you. A city inspector also checks the work at stages along the way.
Why Midland builders and homeowners call R&C Midland Concrete Construction
Our crew lead runs the pour
Our crew lead runs the pour with our finishers while I check in, so the plan from the estimate gets followed.
Doing concrete since 2017
We've poured concrete since 2017, and we're best known for slabs, driveways and patios that come out the way we said.
Licensed and fully insured
Ask to see our coverage at the estimate, because anyone working on your lot should be able to show it.
Midland dirt work came first
I hauled and moved dirt around Midland for years before concrete, so I pay close attention to what's under your slab.
Get a written estimate for your slab foundation
Send the lot address, its zoning, the size of the home or addition and any soil report or plans you have. We'll reply within one business day, and I'll come out for a free estimate with no obligation.
Slab and foundation work examples
Look through these examples of slab foundations and related concrete work to get a feel for the forms, the steel and the finished pour.
Slab foundation questions we get
These are the questions Midland homeowners and builders ask us about slab foundations. If yours isn't here, call or send the form and I'll answer it for your lot.
How much does a slab foundation cost in Midland, TX?
A reinforced concrete slab in Midland usually runs about $6 to $11 per square foot. That's the going range in the area, not our quote, and the size and slab type on your plans decide where yours lands. Bring your plans when I come out and I'll price it in writing.
Should an engineer design my slab foundation in Midland?
If your lot has expansive clay, fill dirt or other tough ground, yes. Design guidance from the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers says home foundations on those sites should be designed by a licensed engineer. Plan for that design in your schedule and budget, and have any soil report ready when I come out.
What is the best way to choose between a post-tensioned slab and a rebar slab?
Go with what your engineer designed, then make sure every bid prices that same type. The Post-Tensioning Institute, the trade group for the method, calls post-tensioned slabs, which use steel cables tightened after the pour to squeeze the concrete, a cost-efficient, high-performance choice on soil that shrinks and swells. It says that built-in squeeze resists ground movement better than a regular slab held together with rebar, the steel bars laid inside it, so if one bid is much lower, ask which type it priced.
How long does a new slab need to dry before flooring goes down?
Plan on drying time on top of the cure, because the vapor retarder under the slab, a plastic sheet that keeps ground moisture out, also keeps the concrete's own mix water from leaving through the bottom. The slab needs time and the right conditions to dry before flooring that doesn't like moisture goes down, so build that into your move-in date. We'll help you plan the job so the slab gets that time.
How do I keep a new slab foundation from moving in Midland?
Keep the moisture around it steady with working gutters, ground that drains away from the house and plantings that stay put. One soil analysis rates Midland County's main soil as moderately shrink-swell, which shrinks in long dry spells and can pull support away from the slab edges, then swells back in wet seasons. Steady moisture matters more on that kind of ground than where the rating is low.
Do I need a permit and a registered contractor to build a slab in Midland?
Most construction projects in Midland need a contractor who's licensed, bonded and registered with the city, and the city's permit office covered below is where you confirm whether your slab needs a permit. If it does, we can apply as your contractor or help you through it if you'd rather apply yourself. Work then has to start within 180 days of the permit, and if it stops entirely for more than 180 days the permit expires and you apply again.
Slab foundations around Midland
The city's Development Services Department issues Midland building permits, and its list doesn't name slabs, so we ask them before scheduling. Outside Midland, pick your city below or call.
Get your Midland slab foundation planned and priced
Call (432) 219-6562 so we can settle the slab type and the design with you before the permit application goes in.