Slab foundation building in Orem UT - solid ground under your new building
Planning a garage, shop or addition on a slab? We dig, fill and pack the ground first, so the concrete has something solid to sit on.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
How is a slab foundation built in Orem?
A slab foundation is a layer of concrete poured on undisturbed or compacted ground, with footings or a thicker outer edge carrying the outside walls. We build them in Orem for homes, garages, shops and additions, and when the ground under it is done right, the building sits on a base that resists frost heave, the ground pushing up as it freezes.
Usually you've got a building planned and a builder or a set of plans in hand, and you want the slab under it done right the first time. The price moves with the slab's size and thickness, how much digging and fill your ground needs and which slab type you go with, while the schedule turns on the city's permit check, the weather and when your builder is ready for us. When I come out for the estimate, you'll get a figure for your own slab.
Is a slab foundation right for your building?
Garage or workshop build
A detached garage or shop usually sits well on a slab, with no crawlspace to frame or vent.
Ground-level home addition
A one-story addition can go on a slab when you want the new floor close to the ground.
New home, no basement
On a fairly level lot with no basement planned, a slab is the usual base under the house.
Builder needs a slab crew
Your builder has the plans and needs the ground, forms and steel ready before the inspection.
How we build a slab foundation
Most of how a slab performs is settled before the concrete truck shows up, so that's where we spend our time. If there's old concrete on the spot, I want to know why it failed before we pour over the same problem. We dig down to undisturbed soil, ground nobody has dug before, or build up a compacted base to what your engineer calls for, then lay sand or gravel and pack it so water drains away and the slab doesn't shift later. We talk through a monolithic or stem wall slab with you and your builder, since both are built to carry the walls and stop frost heave, and then we set the forms and the rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together, and have it all ready to be checked before we pour. We plan the pour around the midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, before it picks its own spots.
A slab is often one piece of a bigger job. If your building needs a full foundation with walls, that's foundation installation, and a stem wall slab starts with concrete footings poured first. For small property owners who need parking beside a new building, the same digging and packing goes into concrete parking lot building.
Monolithic slab
The slab and its outer edge go in as one pour, and the edge can be made thicker to carry the walls. It suits garages, shops and simpler buildings on fairly level ground.
Stem wall slab
Footings or short walls go in first, and the slab is poured on top of them or inside them. It suits a sloped lot or a floor that needs to sit higher off the ground.
What happens when you call about a slab foundation in Orem?
Call or send the form
Call (385) 476-8003 or use the form and tell us where the slab is going and what you're building on it. If your builder or engineer has drawn plans, have them handy.
I come out and look
I walk the site, check the ground and what's around it, and ask what you plan to use the building for. You get an estimate for your slab with the things driving the price spelled out, like digging, fill and size.
We check permits and schedule
We check with the city before anything is dug, then set a pour date that suits the weather and your household. The city's inspection of the forms and steel is built into that date.
We pour and walk it
Our crew pours and finishes the slab with me on site, and we walk the finished job with you before we leave. I go over the joints and how to treat the slab while it cures.
Base or finish on a slab foundation?
Put the money in the ground first.
On a slab foundation, the base is the part nobody sees once the concrete is down, so it's the first thing people want to trim when a budget gets tight. A smooth top poured over ground that was raked level instead of dug out and packed will settle right along with the dirt under it.
My advice is to keep the money in the digging, the fill and the compaction, and save on the surface if something has to give. A floor finish can be ground, sealed or covered later, but a soft base is hard to fix once a building is sitting on it.
Examples of concrete work
Look through these examples of concrete work, from slabs and footings to driveways and steps, to get a feel for what's possible on your property.
Get a free estimate for your slab foundation
Send the property address, the slab size in square feet and what you're building, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to look at the ground and give you a free estimate, with no obligation.
Why Orem homeowners call Professional Orem Concrete Construction for slab foundations
The owner at your site
I come out to give the estimate, and I work on site with our crew when the ground is dug and the slab is poured. The person who looked at your ground is the one making sure it's packed right.
Started on new-construction slabs
I spent my first years in concrete pouring footings, foundations and slabs on new construction, where every job began on bare dirt. I started this business here in Orem in 2023.
Licensed and insured on your job
We're licensed and insured. That matters when a crew, an excavator and a concrete truck are working on your property.
Clear about what concrete does
Your satisfaction, guaranteed, and part of keeping that promise is telling you up front what concrete can and can't do, joints and hairline cracks included. When you're ready, call (385) 476-8003 or send us the form.
Slab foundation questions we hear
How much does a concrete slab foundation cost in Orem?
A reinforced concrete slab in Orem usually costs about $7 to $11 per square foot, and that's the going rate around here, not a quote from us. Where yours lands depends on your ground and the slab type you choose. Your own figure comes from the estimate, after I've seen the site.
How long does a new concrete slab take to cure before I can use it?
A new slab should be walkable within 48 hours, but concrete takes about a month to fully cure, which is the slow hardening that gives it its strength. You can plan on light use within days, and you may want to wait a week before heavier loads go on it.
What does Orem inspect before a slab foundation is poured?
In Orem, work that needs a permit needs inspections, and the footing inspection happens once the forms and all the rebar are in place but before any concrete goes in. The city asks you to call (801) 229-7060 to see whether an inspection is needed before anything gets covered up, and the Inspections record in its permit portal lists the ones your job may need. That's why we have the forms and steel ready to be checked before we pour.
Do I need a soil test before building a slab in Utah?
The Utah Geological Survey recommends that licensed professionals do a full engineering-geology and geotechnical investigation for all development in Utah. It warns that problem soils, like expansive, compressible or collapsible ones, can do extensive damage to foundations. If you don't have a soils report yet, ask your builder or engineer about one before we set a date.
Will my new slab foundation crack?
Some cracking is possible, because no method keeps concrete from cracking entirely, but properly designed joints control cracks and keep them to a minimum. We cut control joints so cracks follow lines we picked, and I show you where they'll be before we start so nothing comes as a surprise.
What is the best way to make a concrete slab hold up to Utah winters?
Air-entraining agents, additives mixed into the concrete, are an effective way to help it stand up to freezing and thawing, according to a national residential concrete guide. For any slab that will see winter here, ask about the mix, and we'll go over it with you and your builder.
Planning a slab for a new building?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come out, look at the ground and what's around it, and talk through your plans.
Other work that goes with a slab
Slab foundation building in Orem: permits and frost
The City of Orem issues building permits here and takes them online only, starting with an account in its online submittal system. We check with the city on whether your slab needs a permit before we schedule it, and when one is needed, we take care of the paperwork and the inspections so you aren't chasing them between your builder and the city.
Orem plans for frost about 30 inches down and rates the weather here as severe on concrete, which is why the thickened edge or the footings under your walls matter so much. Winters are just as hard on slabs in Provo and Lindon, and we work across Utah County, so if your city isn't listed, give us a call.