Concrete Flatwork • Raleigh, NC
Pads & Flatwork Built for Real Loads in Raleigh, NC
Got a shed, hot tub, generator, or AC unit that needs a flat, solid spot to sit on? Set it on bare ground or a few pavers and it racks, sinks, or tips the first wet season. ALB Concrete Solutions pours reinforced pads sized and thickened to the actual load, over a compacted base, with the ALB project team setting the layout and overseeing the details.
What Makes a Pad Hold Its Load
Flatwork sounds simple — it's a flat slab of concrete. What separates a pad that lasts from one that cracks and tilts is matching the thickness, reinforcement, and base to whatever's going on top of it. A pad for a garden shed and a pad for a hot tub full of water and four people are not the same slab, even if they look identical poured. Around here that math has to account for Cecil clay, which drains slowly and shifts as it wets and dries.
We form the pad, compact a gravel base under it, and reinforce with rebar or wire mesh based on the load. Light-duty pads — AC units, small sheds — usually go 4 inches thick. Heavier loads like hot tubs, large storage buildings, or vehicle traffic step up to 5 or 6 inches with heavier reinforcement. The mix is a higher grade with the right admixtures, control joints are tooled in to manage shrinkage, and the ALB team coordinates the pour so the pad cures strong.
- Thickness and rebar matched to the actual load, not a one-size guess
- Compacted gravel base so the pad doesn't settle into the clay
- Control joints placed to guide shrinkage cracks to the edges
- Level, screeded surface so equipment sits flat and drains right
Pads We Pour
Whatever needs a flat, solid place to sit, we spec the slab to it and pour it like it matters.
Shed & Storage-Building Slabs
A level base that keeps a shed off the wet ground and stops the floor from sagging.
- Sized to the building footprint
- Thickened edges for heavier buildings
- Optional turned-down edge for anchoring
HVAC, AC & Generator Pads
Small, dead-level pads so units sit flat, drain, and stay off the soil.
- AC condenser pads
- Standby generator pads
- Heat-pump and utility pads
Hot Tub & Spa Pads
The heavy one. A filled spa plus people is real weight, so these go thicker and reinforced.
- 5–6 in. reinforced slab
- Drainage built into the slope
- Sized for the spa plus walk-around
Garage & Workshop Floors
Slabs that take vehicle, tool, and foot traffic day in and day out.
- Garage floor slabs
- Detached workshop floors
- Walk-out basement floors
Recreation & Utility Pads
The odds and ends that still need to be done right.
- Basketball and sport pads
- Play-area slabs
- Mailbox and utility pads
Not Sure What You Need?
Tell the ALB team what's going on the pad and the ALB team will spec the thickness and reinforcement for it — there's no job too small, and no upsell to a slab heavier than you need. You'll get an itemized written proposal, usually within about two business days.
Concrete Flatwork Applications
Where a poured, reinforced pad earns its keep around the property.
Shed & Storage Buildings
Sheds sink and rack when they sit on blocks or gravel. A poured pad keeps the floor flat, the door swinging true, and moisture out from under it.
AC, Generator & HVAC Units
A condenser or standby generator needs to sit dead level to run right. A small pad gets it off the soil and out of the mud.
Hot Tubs & Spas
A filled spa can run thousands of pounds. We pour a thicker reinforced slab so it never settles unevenly and stresses the shell.
Garage & Workshop Floors
A flat, reinforced slab that takes vehicle weight, dropped tools, and rolling chests without spalling or cracking apart.
Walk-Out Basement & Workshop Slabs
Lower-level and outbuilding floors poured level and sealed, ready for a finished space or a working shop.
Play & Sport Pads
A flat slab for a basketball hoop, a play set, or a backyard court — sized and finished for the use.
Concrete Pad vs Gravel Pad vs Paver Pad
Gravel is fine for a temporary spot, but it migrates and ruts under any real weight, and pavers shift on our clay every time the ground swells. For anything that has to sit level and stay level — a spa, a generator, a building — a poured, reinforced pad is the only one of the three that won't move out from under it.
Concrete Pad Maintenance
A poured pad is about the lowest-maintenance surface you can put under your equipment. Once it's cured and sealed, it mostly just sits there and does its job — a little upkeep keeps it that way for decades.
Seal It
A coat of sealer every 2–3 years keeps oil, rust, and our freeze-thaw cycles from working into the surface. Garage and workshop floors especially benefit from a fresh seal.
Keep It Clean
Rinse off leaves, dirt, and standing water. On garage and equipment pads, wipe oil or fuel drips before they soak in and stain.
Mind the Joints & Drainage
Keep the control joints clear and make sure water still sheds off the pad and away from the slab. Standing water at the edge is what undermines a base over time.
Don't Rush the First Week
After a pour, give it about a week before you set heavy equipment or a filled spa on it. Loading green concrete is the fastest way to crack a brand-new pad.
Why ALB Concrete Solutions for Your Pad
Plenty of crews see a pad as a quick side job. We spec every one to its load and pour it like it matters, because a slab under a spa or a generator absolutely does.
Sized to the Load by the Project Manager
The ALB team sizes the thickness and reinforcement based on what's going on top — not a default 4 inches for everything. The project manager who scopes the pad stays connected through the pour.
Coordinated Team, Start to Finish
Base prep, forming, reinforcement, and the pour are all ALB. No confusing handoff shows up to do the part nobody wants to own.
Poured for Piedmont Clay
We compact the base for soil that drains slowly and shifts wet to dry, so the pad doesn't tilt the first time the ground gets saturated.
Higher-Grade Mixes
A stronger mix with proper admixtures, reinforcement, and cure planning so the slab is built to resist early cracking.
Spec Your Concrete Pad
Tell us what's going on the pad and the ALB team will follow up to schedule a free on-site estimate, usually the next day. No job's too small, no pressure to over-build.
Concrete Flatwork
FAQs
A light shed or AC unit is fine at 4 inches over a compacted base. A hot tub — which can weigh several thousand pounds filled — gets a 5 to 6 inch reinforced slab so it never settles unevenly. The ALB team sizes it to your specific load during the site visit, so the pad isn't under- or over-built.
Yes. A single AC pad or a mailbox base is just as welcome as a garage floor. Small pours still get the same base prep and mix standards — we don't cut corners because the slab is small.
It depends on the size, the thickness, and how much reinforcement the load calls for. A small utility pad starts low; a thick, reinforced spa or garage slab costs more. You'll get an itemized written estimate after the ALB team measures, not a vague number over the phone.
Give a new pad about a week before loading it with heavy equipment, a building, or a filled spa. The slab keeps gaining strength as it cures, and that first week is when it's most vulnerable to cracking under load.
Most do. Light pads use wire mesh; heavier loads — hot tubs, garages, large buildings — get rebar. Reinforcement holds the slab together if the clay underneath ever moves, which around here is a question of when, not if.
It depends on size and use. Many small pads don't, but larger slabs or anything tied to an accessory structure can. We'll flag whether your job needs one before we schedule the pour.
Related Concrete Services
The coordinated ALB team handles the work that ties your pad into the rest of the property.
Concrete Patios
Reinforced, properly graded backyard slabs — the larger living-space cousin of an equipment or porch pad.
Learn moreWalkways & Sidewalks
Level, slip-resistant paths that connect the pad, the shed, and the side gate to the rest of the yard.
Learn moreConcrete Driveways
The same base prep and reinforcement, scaled up to carry the daily weight of every vehicle you own.
Learn morePouring Pads & Flatwork Across the Triangle
ALB Concrete Solutions pours pads and flatwork for homeowners throughout Greater Raleigh and the surrounding Triangle communities.
A Solid Base for
Whatever Sits On It
Tell the ALB team what you're setting on the pad and a project manager will measure, spec the slab to the load, and leave you a free on-site estimate with an itemized written proposal. No job's too small to do right.