Concrete Contractor in Redwood City - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Benchmark Sunnyvale Concrete Company builds concrete driveways, patios, walks, garage floors, footings and slabs for homes in Redwood City. I come out to every estimate myself, and our own crew does the work.
Redwood City as we see it from the driveway
Redwood City sits up the Peninsula from our base in Sunnyvale, past Palo Alto and East Palo Alto. It's a mix of older single-family streets, newer townhomes and apartments closer to downtown, and businesses along the main roads. As everywhere we work, most of the calls come from homeowners whose driveway, patio or front walk has reached the end of its life, along with some property owners and builders who need a slab or footings done properly.
The lots here run from flat ground near the bay to slopes toward the hills, so I look at every site before giving a price. An old driveway on flat ground and a new patio on a hillside are different jobs.
Permits, licenses and pricing for concrete work in Redwood City
Building permits in Redwood City go through the city's Building Division, which assists with applications and inspections, so on a job that needs a permit, the city's review and inspection dates set the schedule as much as we do. When a job needs one, we handle the application and the inspections with the city and keep you informed, and when it isn't clear whether yours does, I check with the Building Division before we start. The city also requires every contractor to get a Redwood City business license before working in the city, so it's fair to ask any company you're considering about that, and about whether they're licensed and insured, as we are.
What moves the price here is the same as in Los Altos or anywhere else we work: the size of the area, whether an old slab has to be broken out and hauled off, how much digging and packing the base needs, how easily the concrete truck can reach the spot, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit and on curing, the days new concrete needs to harden before it can take weight. If the budget is tight, I'd ask you to keep the money in the base and choose a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires some grip, because nobody sees the base on the first day, but a fancy surface over a poor base settles and cracks just the same. After my visit you get the scope and the price in writing, so you can weigh those choices with your own figures in front of you.
What we find under Redwood City driveways and patios
Many of the driveways and walks I look at in Redwood City are as old as the houses, and the signs are familiar: cracks running across the slab, a section that has sunk below the garage floor, or water pooling against the house after rain. Most of the time the cause is underneath, because the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled and took the concrete with it. We dig down to firm ground, pack the base, set the slope so water runs away from your house, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack, soon after the pour so any crack lands where we chose rather than across the middle.
On the sloped lots in the hillier parts of the city, a level patio or a wider driveway often means holding the soil back first, which is where our concrete retaining walls come in. We plan the wall and the slab together, because the water coming down the yard has to go somewhere other than under your new concrete.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Redwood City concrete
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your house in Redwood City. I look over the site myself, and afterward you get the scope and the price in writing. There's no pressure and no obligation.
(669) 215-2122How a concrete job in Redwood City goes, from call to walk-through
Call us or send the form
When you call (669) 215-2122 or write through the form, we set a time for me to come out to your house. It helps to tell us roughly what you have in mind and whether there's an old slab to remove.
I look over your site
I walk the area with you, check where the water runs and how the old base has held up, and see how the concrete truck will reach the spot. Then I hear what you'd like, and we talk through the choices.
You get a written estimate
After the visit you get the scope and the price in writing. Take the time you need to decide, and call me with any questions.
We handle the city's part
Once you decide to go ahead, we take care of what the city needs, including the permit and inspections when the job requires them, and the city's review sets how soon we can start. The city keeps contractor work to 7 AM to 8 PM, Monday through Friday, and weekend or holiday work needs a request filed 30 days before the job starts and approved in writing, so we plan the pour for a weekday.
We pour and walk it together
Our own crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and any rebar, the steel bars that help hold a slab together, then pours and finishes while I oversee the work. Before we leave, we walk the finished job with you and tell you when it's ready to walk on and when you can drive on it.
Concrete driveways, patios and walls
Redwood City concrete questions we hear
Do I need a building permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Redwood City?
Plan on asking before you assume you can skip one, because Redwood City requires a building permit for all work that isn't on the exempt list in the state building code. The city's Building FAQ names fences 7 feet tall and under, painting, flooring and similar finish work in connection with that list, and it doesn't name driveways, patios or slabs. As I said above, we check with the city before we start whenever it isn't clear.
How long does a building permit last in Redwood City?
A Redwood City building permit is good for 365 days from the day it's issued, and each field inspection that passes extends it another 365 days from that inspection. That's plenty for most driveways and patios, but it's worth knowing if you plan to do a larger project in stages.
How do I find out if past concrete work on my Redwood City house had a permit?
Ask the city, because Redwood City keeps each property's permit history at the Building Department, on microfiche and in digital records. If you find work that was done without a permit, the city requires a permit to legalize it, with plans submitted for review. It's better to know that before we pour new concrete next to it.
Where do I put a dumpster for concrete removal in Redwood City?
On your own property, because Redwood City doesn't allow dumpsters, PODs or similar bins on the street at any time, and anything that can't be wheeled away is stored on site, such as on a driveway or in the yard. On a driveway replacement the driveway is the very spot being torn out, so I work out where a bin and our trucks can sit during the site visit. The city also expects at least 65% of construction debris to be recycled, with proof due within 90 days of the permit's final inspection, and the city's permit page points to its Engineering permits for encroachments and bins.
Can I work on my own concrete project on a weekend in Redwood City?
Yes, Redwood City lets residential property owners work on their own property on weekends and holidays from 9 AM to 5 PM, while contractors are held to weekdays unless the city approves otherwise. If you'd like to break out an old walk yourself on a Saturday and have us pour during the week, tell me at the visit and we'll plan around it.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Redwood City?
The cost of a concrete driveway in Redwood City is set mostly by its size, whether the old one has to come out, and how much base work the ground needs, with access and the finish adding to it. A few things here can add more: a permit when the job needs one, a sloped lot that needs a wall, and hauling broken concrete away to be recycled. The written estimate after my visit gives you your own figure, with the scope spelled out.
Book a site visit in Redwood City
Call (669) 215-2122 or use the form, and an early visit gives the permit time to come through before the week you'd like the work done.