Stamped concrete services in Sunnyvale CA - a patterned slab built on a solid base

Most people who call us have a tired gray slab that's cracked or sinking, and they'd like a new concrete patio or walk that looks more like stone or brick. The price mostly turns on how big the area is, how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging and packing the base needs, and which color method and pattern you choose. The schedule turns on the weather, any permit the city asks for, and the curing time before you can walk or drive on it. I come out, measure and talk through those choices with you, and after the visit you get the scope and the price in writing.

Before you settle on a pattern, I go over the coloring method with you, because it decides how a chip will look years from now. When work starts, we dig out the old slab and loose dirt and pack the subgrade, the ground the new slab sits on, so it doesn't settle later, and we check where the water runs so the slab falls away from your house and not toward it. We set the forms and the rebar, steel bars that help hold the slab together, and we cover your walls and any neighboring concrete before stamping starts, because the release powder that keeps the mats from sticking is very fine and drifts onto everything nearby. We pour early in the day, since midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top, then press the pattern while the concrete is still soft and cut control joints, planned cuts that give the slab a place to crack, into the grout lines of the pattern so they blend in. After curing, the quiet wait while the concrete gains strength, we seal it, and I'll tell you plainly that the surface will need resealing over the years. If the budget is tight, I'd much rather you choose a simpler pattern than cut back on the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's what decides whether the pattern stays flat.

Stamped concrete usually meets plain concrete somewhere on the lot, and the two need to be planned together. When the front walk needs replacing as well, our concrete sidewalk building work lets us set its height and slope to match the new stamped area, and when the garage floor concrete is worn out, we can line up its level at the door with the driveway or patio outside.

In Sunnyvale, a building permit is what gives legal permission to start a new construction or remodeling project, and the city says owners must apply for a Planning permit for exterior changes, additions and new construction. Whether your stamped patio or walk falls under those depends on the project, and the city's Permit Center is the office that explains what each project needs. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections with the city and keep you informed, and when it isn't clear, we check with the permit office before we start.

Many of the homes we work on here have older patios and side walks poured tight against the house wall and the fence, so the masking and the drainage check get extra attention. We see the same layouts on jobs in Cupertino and Mountain View, and we handle them the same way.