Concrete cutting in Sunnyvale CA - straight, clean cuts where you need them
Need a doorway in a foundation wall or a section of driveway taken out? We cut it straight and leave the site clean.
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What's involved in cutting concrete at my house?
Concrete cutting in Sunnyvale means sawing straight, controlled lines through a driveway, patio, floor or wall, so a damaged section can come out cleanly or a doorway or window can open in a foundation wall. A saw cut leaves a clean edge to pour against or frame into, instead of a broken one that keeps crumbling.
Most people call us because something has to come out or go through: a sunken stretch of driveway, a patio being cut back, a trench for a new pipe, or an opening in a foundation wall. The price turns mostly on how many feet we cut, how thick the concrete is and how much steel is in it, whether it's a floor or a wall, and how easily we can reach the spot with the saw and haul the pieces away. The schedule depends on what we learn about the slab beforehand and on whether the city wants a permit for your project, and once I've seen the job, the estimate gives you the scope and the price in writing.
How we do concrete cutting, from walk-through to cleanup
Before any cut, I walk the job with you and we talk through what may be inside the slab or wall, such as rebar, the steel bars that hold concrete together, or pipes and wiring, and I ask for any drawings you have of the house. Then we mark the lines exactly where you want them, choose the saw that fits the surface, and set up to contain the cutting water and the slurry, the gray paste the blade makes. We make the cuts, break out the pieces inside the lines and haul them away, and we clean up the slurry before we leave so the edges are ready for whatever comes next.
Cutting is usually the first half of a job. When part of a driveway has cracked or settled, we saw out the bad section and pour new concrete through our concrete driveway building work, and when a patio needs to shrink, grow or be replaced, we cut the old edge clean and carry on with concrete patio construction. On those pours we also saw control joints, shallow cuts that give the new slab a planned place to crack, so any cracking follows a line we chose instead of running across the middle.
What concrete cutting in Sunnyvale means for permits and drains
Whether your cut needs a permit depends on the project, and the city's One-Stop Permit Center at City Hall is the office that reviews building plans and makes that call. We don't guess at it. When it isn't clear, I check with the permit office before we start, and when a permit is needed, we handle the application and the inspections and keep you informed.
Cutting water is the other local concern. In the Santa Clara Valley, storm drains carry water straight to local creeks and San Francisco Bay without any treatment, so slurry that washes into a street drain ends up in those waters. Local best practices written for paving crews call for protecting drain inlets during saw cutting, and we cover the nearby inlets before the saw starts and keep the water and slurry on your side of the curb. We follow the same routine on jobs in Cupertino and Santa Clara.
What clean concrete cuts look like
Get a written scope and price for your concrete cut
We reply within one business day to set up a visit, and I come out to look at the cut and give you the estimate myself, at no cost and with no obligation. After the visit, you get the scope and the price in writing.
(669) 215-2122Concrete cutting questions from Sunnyvale homeowners
How much does concrete cutting cost per linear foot in Sunnyvale?
Professional concrete cutting across the US usually costs about $3 to $10 per linear foot for the cutting work, and that's a national figure, not our price. Thicker concrete, more steel, wall cuts and tight access push a job toward the top of that range. Once I've seen your job, you get the scope and the price in writing.
What is the best way to cut a doorway in a concrete foundation wall?
Wall sawing is the standard method for a doorway or window opening in a foundation wall, with a saw that runs on a track fastened to the wall so each side of the opening comes out straight. Flat sawing, the most common method, is for floors, driveways, sidewalks and pavement, so the surface you're cutting decides the saw.
Is concrete cutting done wet or dry, and where does the slurry go?
Most flat and wall sawing is done wet, with water running over the blade to hold down the dust and turn the cuttings into slurry. Dry cutting with a vacuum is used where water isn't practical, such as some indoor work near finished floors and walls, so ask which your job will get. Local practice for paving crews is to vacuum, shovel or absorb the slurry, and that's how our crew collects it once the cutting is done.
How do I make sure nothing inside the slab gets hit when cutting concrete?
Plan the cut around what's inside before the saw starts, because one contractor's guide names cutting blind as the common way these jobs go wrong. Ask any contractor how their plan handles what may be in the slab or wall and what they need from you to go ahead safely. That's why I ask for your drawings at the walk-through.
Who do I call at the City of Sunnyvale about a project that involves concrete cutting?
Call the city's Permit Center at City Hall, which takes calls from first-time applicants who want to learn what their project needs. The city says every project has different requirements, and the staff there explain the process, the documents you'll need and whether your project will require plan review.
Will the rest of my driveway crack after you cut out a section?
A clean saw cut usually leaves the rest of the slab as it was, because the break stops at a straight line instead of running into the good concrete. What a cut can't fix is the reason the old section failed, which is usually the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, so before we pour the new piece we dig out the soft material and pack a firm base. That base is the part nobody sees, and it's the last place I'd save money.
Plan your concrete cut in Sunnyvale
We take calls evenings and weekends, so call (669) 215-2122 or use the form with the surface, the rough length of the cut in feet and any plans of the slab or wall, and I'll come ready to price it.