Concrete cutting in San Clemente CA - straight cuts and clean holes where you need them
Need a trench for a new pipe or a hole in the slab for a drain? We check what's inside first, then cut it straight.
What's involved in cutting a concrete slab or wall?
Concrete cutting in San Clemente means sawing straight lines through a slab or wall and drilling round holes, so a new pipe, drain, conduit or opening can go right where you want it without breaking up the concrete around it.
Usually you're calling because a bigger plan has run into concrete, like a plumber who needs a trench across the garage floor, an opening you want through a wall, or a cracked section that has to come out before anything new goes in. The price moves with how thick the slab is, how much steel is in it, how easy the spot is to reach and how many round holes you need, plus whether hauling off the pieces is part of the job. The schedule mostly turns on what we need to know before cutting, because a slab that might have cables in it gets scanned first, and a bigger project that needs a permit has to have it in hand. When I come out, I'll give you a written quote that spells out each of those for your job.
How we handle a concrete cutting job
Before anyone cuts or cores, I want to know what's inside your slab, so I ask for any drawings you have, and if there's a chance it has post-tension cables, which are steel cables pulled tight inside some slabs, we set up a scan ahead of time. On the commercial jobs I came up on, nobody touched a slab like that without one, because cutting a cable is a far bigger problem than a late start. Once the lines are marked and agreed, our crew sets up the right saw or drill, makes the cuts, keeps the watery slurry from the blade contained and cleans up. The quote says plainly whether hauling off the cut pieces is ours or yours, so you're not surprised by a stack of concrete panels on the driveway.
A lot of cutting is the first half of a bigger job. If we're taking out a cracked or too-narrow section of driveway, the new concrete that goes back in is part of our concrete driveway building work, and cutting out a worn slab out back often leads straight into concrete patio construction. Planning both at once means the cut edge sits right where the new pour needs it.
Saw cuts for slabs and walls
A flat saw rolls across floor slabs, driveways and patios to make straight cuts and trench lines, while a wall saw runs on a track up a wall or a steep surface. It suits you if you're opening up a section, running a pipe trench or squaring off an edge for new concrete.
Core drilling for round holes
A core drill bores a clean round hole through a slab or wall, and it's the usual way holes for pipes, drains and conduit get made. It suits plumbing and electrical work where you need a few holes rather than a long cut.
Concrete cutting in San Clemente, permits and what we find
The City of San Clemente's Building Services issues permits for new construction, additions, renovations, alterations and remodels, and that list doesn't name concrete cutting, so it doesn't settle whether a cut on its own needs one. If you're not sure, ask the city, and when the cut is part of a bigger project that does need a permit, we get it as your licensed contractor and work with the office that issues it. If you're doing the work yourself, the city offers an Owner Builder permit once you complete its verification form. Either way, I'll tell you early if the city needs anything from you, like old soils reports or property drawings.
We're based in San Clemente and work across south Orange County, and plenty of the houses we see sit on slabs where nobody remembers what's under the garage or the patio. So we treat every slab as unknown until drawings or a scan say otherwise, the same way we do on jobs in Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.
Cuts, cores and clean edges
Why call us for concrete cutting
I come out and quote it
I look at the job myself and put the estimate together, and our own crew does the cutting with a crew lead running the site. You're talking with the person who made the plan, not someone handing it off to strangers.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. That matters when a saw is working inside your house or across your driveway, because you shouldn't be the one carrying the risk.
Running our own crew since 2021
I started this business in 2021 after years on big commercial slabs, parking lots and foundations. Those jobs taught me to plan a cut and get the paperwork straight before a blade ever spins up.
Help finding your property plans
If you don't have drawings, San Clemente owners can request their property's blueprints from the city through a public records request. I'll tell you early whether we need them, because they help us plan the cut and the scan.
On this job, what matters most is knowing what's inside the slab before the blade touches it, so send us photos, the cut lines you want and any drawings you have and I'll take it from there.
(949) 312-6327Get a written quote for your concrete cutting
Send photos of the area, where you want the cuts and any drawings you have, and we'll reply within one business day, most of the time with me on the phone. I'll come out for a free estimate at your property and leave you a written quote, with no obligation to go ahead.
Concrete cutting questions from San Clemente
How much does concrete cutting cost in San Clemente?
Professional saw cutting of an easy-to-reach concrete slab usually runs about $4 to $10 per linear foot across the US, and that's the market's price for the cutting itself, not ours. Reinforced or deeper slabs cost more per foot, and round holes for pipes are usually priced apart from saw cuts. The estimate at your property gets you a number for your own job.
Does a concrete cutting quote include removing the cut pieces?
Not always, because sawing concrete and removing it are separate jobs, and some cutters cut the lines and leave the panels where they are. When you compare quotes, check who hauls the pieces away. That's why ours spells it out.
Should my slab be scanned before cutting or core drilling?
If your slab may have post-tension cables, yes. One scanning firm advises a professional scan before cutting or coring that kind of slab, because drawings and what you can see on the surface help but can't prove a spot is clear. The scan has to be booked before the cutting date, so we set it up early.
Do I need a licensed contractor to cut concrete in California?
For most jobs, yes. California's license for concrete related services contractors covers concrete sawing, breaking and coring, and the state's minor work exemption only covers work under $1,000 that needs no permit, done by someone who employs no one. Past that, hire a licensed contractor unless you're doing the work yourself under an Owner Builder permit.
How do I get ready for a concrete cutting job at my house?
Start by agreeing on exactly where the cuts go and marking what's set in the concrete on and near those lines. One industry specification puts that marking on the owner, along with checking for utility lines in or beside the concrete and having them shut off. The same spec makes the owner responsible for safe disposal of slurry, the watery waste from cutting, agreed before work starts. We walk through all of it with you.
What is the best way to cut thick or heavily reinforced concrete?
A wire saw usually handles thick or heavily reinforced sections, and a hand saw reaches tight spaces and smaller openings the bigger saws can't get to. Which one fits depends on the thickness, the steel and the room around the cut, and I'll tell you which we'd use once I've seen it.
Plan your concrete cutting and the pour after it
Call (949) 312-6327 and we'll plan the cut and the new concrete together, so the cut edges are ready for the pour that follows.
