# St. George's Hometown Concrete Contractor

> Hernandez Concrete Works is based in Shenandoah, inside the City of St. George. Driveways, patios, sidewalks and slabs, with a written estimate from Gerardo.

Canonical page: https://hernandezconcreteworks.com/st-george

Hernandez Concrete Works (Hernandez Concrete Works LLC) is a family-owned concrete contractor based in Baton Rouge, LA 70817, owned by Gerardo Hernandez. Baton Rouge's family-owned concrete contractor for homeowners who want it done right beneath the surface: honest diagnosis, drainage-first prep, written estimates, and a job site left clean. Insured with general liability and workers' compensation. No foundation repair. Phone (225) 363-8576, Mon to Fri 8am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 1pm, Sun closed.

Hernandez Concrete Works is a concrete contractor in St. George, LA, and that is where we are based, not a slogan: we work out of the Shenandoah area, inside the city limits. When a St. George homeowner calls about a cracked driveway panel, a patio that needs more room, or a slab for a new shed, Gerardo Hernandez is close by, and he walks the property himself before anyone talks about price.

## A young city with concrete of every age

St. George is one of the newest cities in Louisiana. Voters approved incorporation on October 12, 2019, and the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld it 4 to 3 in a decision dated April 28, 2024. Wikipedia puts the city's population at 86,316, which makes it a big place under a new name. Bayou Manchac now forms its southern border.

The concrete inside those city limits is a lot older than the city. The Village St. George subdivision was built between 1956 and 1968. In the former Census places that are now St. George neighborhoods, the American Community Survey (2020 to 2024) puts the median year a home was built at 1994 in Inniswold and 1989 in both Shenandoah and Old Jefferson. A driveway poured with a 1989 house has now been through more than thirty-five Louisiana summers, and if your walk or patio is original to the house, it has seen just as many.

That mix is why concrete work in St. George covers so much ground: a single root-lifted panel, a worn-out drive that has earned full replacement, or a brand-new slab for a shop or shed behind the house. We handle all three, and we tell you which one you are looking at.

## Permits in St. George since October 16, 2024

The City of St. George has issued its own building permits since October 16, 2024. Its permits page sends anything filed before that date to East Baton Rouge Parish, so older paperwork for your property may sit with the parish while anything new goes through the city.

The city's permit page lists a Right-Of-Way Permit application, a Culvert Permit Application, Drainage Tie In and Drainage Improvement permits, a Disturbance Permit, a Slab Elevation Certificate and a Flood Zone Determination. Its residential list covers accessory buildings over 200 square feet, or any size in a flood zone, which matters if your slab is going under a shed or a shop. The page says permits are required for most construction, alterations and repairs, and it tells you to contact the Building Department if you are unsure.

What the list does not spell out is a standalone permit for a driveway or flat patio on private property. We will not guess on your behalf. Call the Building Department at 225-508-7920 or email Permits@stgeorgela.gov before the pour, and if the work reaches the street side of your lot or a ditch culvert, ask about those right-of-way and culvert forms too.

> St. George Building Department: 225-508-7920, Permits@stgeorgela.gov.

## Water, soil and the 2016 flood in St. George

When The Advocate reported extensive flooding near the Amite River on August 14, 2016, it named Shenandoah and Old Jefferson, from Tiger Bend down to Hoo Shoo Too Road. Across East Baton Rouge Parish, about 41,000 housing units were damaged in that storm. Nobody who lived through it pours a slab here without thinking about where the water goes.

The ground matters too. USDA NRCS soil data flags shrink-swell as a limitation for slab homes on roughly 4 in 10 acres in East Baton Rouge Parish, and Louisiana averages about 60 inches of rain a year. Soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, plus water that sits against a slab, is a recipe for cracks.

The Hernandez name has served Baton Rouge area properties since 2013 through Hernandez Lawnscape, our sister company, and most of that work was drainage. So slope and runoff get planned as part of every pour, with water sent away from the house instead of toward it.

## How to choose a concrete contractor in St. George, LA

Most homeowners collect two or three quotes, and they should. Bad concrete can look perfect the day it's poured. Ask any contractor how they prep the base and set the slope before you sign. Ask what happens to the old concrete and the debris. Gerardo judges any contractor by the cleanup, and our job is not finished until the forms are pulled, the waste is hauled off, and the property looks better than before.

Check the paperwork as well. Louisiana's Licensing Board for Contractors requires a home improvement registration for work on an existing home over $7,500 and up to $50,000, and a Residential license above $50,000. We are insured, with general liability and workers' compensation, and we put every estimate in writing so you can compare it line by line.

- Who walked the property, and did they explain what is actually wrong?
- Does the estimate say how the base is prepared and which way the slab will drain?
- Is removal and haul-off of the old concrete included?
- Is the contractor registered with the LSLBC for the size of your job?

## St. George neighborhoods with their own pages

Three former Census places are now neighborhoods of the City of St. George, and each has its own page with advice that fits it. Inniswold, between Bluebonnet Road and Siegen Lane, has the driveway section repair page, for homeowners with a panel a tree root has lifted. Shenandoah, where we are based, has the patio extension page, for homeowners whose original patio feels too small. Old Jefferson, along Old Jefferson Highway, has the sidewalk repair page, for walkways with a panel a root has pushed up.

If you are looking for a concrete contractor in St. George, LA, you will not find one much closer than our base in Shenandoah. Call (225) 363-8576 or send the estimate form, and Gerardo will come walk your St. George property, tell you what is actually wrong, and put a written estimate in your hands. Our name is on every pour.

## Services

- [Concrete Driveway Repair in Baton Rouge, LA](https://hernandezconcreteworks.com/concrete-construction/concrete-driveway-repair.md)
- [Concrete Patio Contractors in Baton Rouge, LA](https://hernandezconcreteworks.com/concrete-construction/concrete-patio-installation.md)
- [Patio Covers and Screen Rooms in Baton Rouge, LA](https://hernandezconcreteworks.com/concrete-construction/patio-covers.md)

## Local resources

- City of St. George: https://stgeorgela.gov/
- City of St. George building permits: https://stgeorgela.gov/departments/community-development/building-permits/
- East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections: https://www.brla.gov/2688/Permits-Inspections

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hernandez Concrete Works actually located in St. George?

Yes. We are based in the Shenandoah area, inside the City of St. George. Our mailing address still reads Baton Rouge, LA 70817, which confuses a lot of people, but we sit within St. George city limits. That makes St. George our home base, and most of the city is a short drive away.

### Who issues concrete and building permits in St. George?

The City of St. George does, for anything filed on or after October 16, 2024. Applications submitted before that date belong to East Baton Rouge Parish. The city's Building Department is at 225-508-7920 and Permits@stgeorgela.gov, and the online permit portal is linked from the city's building permits page. If you are not sure your project needs a permit, the city itself says to call and ask.

### Do I need a permit for a shed or shop slab in St. George?

You may. The city's residential permit list covers accessory buildings over 200 square feet, and accessory buildings of any size in a flood zone. A slab under a building that size is part of that project, so check with the Building Department before the pour. The same permit page also offers a Flood Zone Determination and a Slab Elevation Certificate if you need to know where your lot stands.

### Which parts of St. George do you serve?

All of it. That includes Inniswold, Shenandoah and Old Jefferson, the former Census places that are now St. George neighborhoods, and older subdivisions like Village St. George. Much of the city falls in the 70809, 70810 and 70817 ZIP code areas, so a Baton Rouge mailing address does not mean you are outside the city. Call and we will tell you how soon Gerardo can walk your property.

### How soon can I use a new driveway or patio?

Wait a full day, about 24 hours, before walking on new concrete, and 5 to 7 days before driving on it or putting anything heavy on it. Concrete keeps gaining strength well after it looks dry, and loading it early is one of the easiest ways to crack a slab that was poured correctly. We will give you the timing for your job in writing.

### Do you repair foundations in St. George?

No. We pour new slab foundations for metal buildings, sheds, pole barns, shops and garages, but we do not repair house foundations, and we say so plainly. If what you are seeing is a foundation problem, a foundation specialist is the right call. If it is a driveway, sidewalk or patio problem, Gerardo will tell you whether it is one section or the whole slab.

## Contact

- Hernandez Concrete Works, Baton Rouge, LA 70817
- Phone: (225) 363-8576
- Hours: Mon to Fri 8am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 1pm, Sun closed
- Free written estimate: https://hernandezconcreteworks.com/contact-us