Concrete Contractor in East Palo Alto - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Solid Base
Benchmark Sunnyvale Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Sunnyvale that builds driveways, patios, walks, garage floors and slab foundations for homeowners in East Palo Alto, with the base, drainage and joints done right underneath.
East Palo Alto as we see it on the job
East Palo Alto is a short drive up from our base in Sunnyvale, set between the freeway, Palo Alto and the bay. Most of our calls here come from homeowners with single-family houses on modest lots, where the driveway, the side walk and the back patio have often been patched more than once, and from owners adding an ADU or a new slab out back. The space between the house, the fence and the street is usually tight, so before anything else we plan how the truck and the crew will reach the pour.
The ground runs flat and low out toward the bay wetlands on the city's east side, and on a flat lot water doesn't leave unless the concrete sends it somewhere. That's why the slope of the slab and what it sits on matter more here than the finish on top.
Working in East Palo Alto: permits, licenses and what sets the price
In East Palo Alto, building permits come from the city's Building Services Division, so on a job that needs one, the city's review sets the start date more than our own calendar does. As part of that process the city checks the contractor's license with the state licensing board, and if a contractor registered as having no workers shows up with a crew, the city stops the job until a workers' comp certificate is provided. Before you hire anyone, you can check their license with the state board and ask whether they hold an East Palo Alto business license, which contractors apply for through the city. We're licensed and insured, our own crew does the work, and when a job needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections with the city and keep you informed.
Price here turns mostly on the size of the job, whether an old slab has to be broken out and hauled away, how much soft ground we have to dig out and replace, and how easily we can get a truck to the pour. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on the curing wait before you can use the new concrete. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you choose a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps the surface from getting slick, than cut back on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the slab settles. We prepare the ground the same way here as we do in Redwood City or down in Los Gatos, and after I've seen your site you get the scope and the price in writing.
What brings East Palo Alto homeowners to call us
The call we get most often here is about water. On these flat lots, an old driveway or patio that was poured level, or that has settled back toward the house, holds puddles against the foundation and in the garage after every rain. When we replace it, I set the subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, so the finished surface falls away from the house and toward the street or a spot where the water can soak in.
The other call is about cracks. Many older driveways here were poured without control joints, the grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, so they cracked wherever they liked and then heaved or sank in pieces. A new slab with a packed base, rebar where the load calls for it, meaning the steel that holds the concrete together if it does crack, and joints cut in the right places will hold up far better than the old one did.
Get a free on-site estimate for your East Palo Alto concrete
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your house in East Palo Alto and look over the site. After that visit, you get the scope of the work and the price in writing, with no pressure and no obligation to go ahead.
(669) 215-2122How a concrete job runs when you call us in East Palo Alto
Call or send the form
Call (669) 215-2122 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to have a rough idea of what you'd like poured and where your cars need to park while we work.
I look over your site
I check the old concrete, the ground under it and where the water runs on your lot, and I listen to what you have in mind. If you know of a sprinkler line or utility near the work, please point it out then.
Get your estimate in writing
After the visit, you get the scope of the work and the price in writing. You can take your time deciding.
We take care of the city
When the job needs a permit, we send the application to the city, and its staff come back with next steps within two business days. Work that can't be approved over the counter goes through the city's 30-day review, plus two-week rechecks if changes are asked for, so that review usually sets your start date.
We pour and walk it together
Our own crew does the work with me on site, and we keep the job card and any approved plans at the house, because the city reschedules inspections without them. Before we leave, I walk the finished job with you.
Driveways, patios and slabs
Concrete questions from East Palo Alto homeowners
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway in East Palo Alto?
It may, and we ask the city before we start rather than guess. The city's Building Services Division issues building permits, and the city's Engineering staff handle grading and encroachment permits and the public sidewalks and streets, which a new driveway apron often meets. If your job needs a permit, it's part of the work we take on.
What happens if concrete work starts without a permit in East Palo Alto?
The city charges a penalty fee for work started without a required building permit, and it says it also reports the contractor to the state licensing board for investigation. The city actively looks for unpermitted construction, so skipping the permit to save a few weeks usually costs more in the end.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in East Palo Alto?
Your price comes mostly from the size of the driveway and the work underneath it, and you get your exact figure in writing after I've seen the site. Stamped or colored finishes, extra steel for heavy vehicles and any work where the driveway meets the city sidewalk raise it, while a plain broom finish on a sound base keeps it lower.
What causes concrete driveways to sink and crack in East Palo Alto?
Most sinking starts underneath, when the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the dirt settles and the slab goes down with it. On flat lots, water with nowhere to go softens that base further, and a slab poured in the midday heat or left without joints cracks where nobody chose. We dig down to firm ground, pack the base, slope the surface and pour in the cooler part of the day.
How long will I be without my driveway after the pour?
You can walk on new concrete after a short wait, but cars have to wait longer, and I'll give you the dates for your slab before we pour. That wait is curing, the time the concrete needs to gain strength, and driving on it early is how a good slab ends up with chipped edges and cracks.
How do I get a permit for an ADU slab in East Palo Alto?
For a junior ADU or an ADU under 800 square feet, the application goes by email to the city's building staff, and a larger one goes to the planning staff first so they can check that it's complete. Once the plans are approved, we build the footings and the slab foundation to those plans and schedule the inspections the city requires.
Plan your East Palo Alto concrete work
We answer (669) 215-2122 into the evening seven days a week, so you can call after work, or send the form whenever it suits you.