Concrete Contractor in Walnut Creek - Flatwork and Walls for Lived-In Homes
Driveline Pleasant Hill Concrete pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and retaining walls for homeowners in Walnut Creek, CA. We tear out the old concrete, rebuild the base it sits on and leave your yard the way we found it.
Walnut Creek, from the flat streets to the hill lots
Walnut Creek sits right next to our base in Pleasant Hill, and the calls we get here usually come from houses people have lived in for a while, with a driveway, a back patio and a front walk that have taken years of cars, feet and roots. The streets near downtown run fairly flat. Out toward Shell Ridge, the open space that starts a short way from downtown and runs up to Mount Diablo, the yards start to tilt.
That tilt shapes most jobs here, the same way it does over in Lafayette. A slab on a sloped yard has to send water somewhere other than your foundation, and a patio cut into a hillside usually needs a wall to hold up the ground behind it.
Services in Walnut Creek, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here are often cracked and lifted by cars and roots. We tear out the broken concrete, rebuild the base and pour new.
Concrete patio construction
Back yards that slope toward the house tend to pool water on old patios. We set the new patio to drain away from your walls.
Stamped concrete services
Plenty of homeowners here want a patio that looks like stone without pavers to weed. Our stamped concrete gives you the pattern over a packed base.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped lots often need a wall to hold back the yard above a patio or driveway. We pour concrete retaining walls on footings sized for what they hold.
Concrete steps construction
Houses set above the street often have entry steps that have cracked or settled. We break out the old steps and pour new ones with even step heights.
Concrete cutting
Where a tree has to stay, the slab next to it usually has to give. We saw-cut the lifted section out cleanly so only that part gets replaced.
Working in Walnut Creek: permits, schedule and price
If your house is inside the city limits, permits come from the city's Community Development Department, and the city's rule is that adding a structure or physically changing your property calls for a building permit. I'll tell you at the estimate which office handles your address and what your job needs from it. When a job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork for our part of the work and point you to the right office for anything outside it, and the permit wait goes on the calendar ahead of pour day.
The price here mostly turns on things you won't see once we're done. That means how much old concrete comes out, how much base we dig out and pack, how far the crew wheels concrete when the truck can't get close, and whether you want a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps shoes from slipping, or something stamped. The schedule turns on any permit and on curing, the wait while new concrete gains strength before you walk or drive on it. The estimate I write after seeing your job gives you your own figure, the same way we price work out in Antioch and everywhere else we go.
What Walnut Creek yards do to concrete
Big trees are part of what makes these streets nice, and part of what pushes driveways and walks out of level. The city protects any tree, dead or alive, that measures 9 inches or more at 54 inches above the ground, and taking one out needs a Tree Removal Permit the City Arborist may approve, so if you were planning to remove one before a new driveway, check with the city first. Usually the tree stays and the concrete works around it. We cut out the lifted section, rebuild the base and place the control joints, the shallow cuts that tell a slab where to crack, so the next crack lands in a line we picked.
On the hill lots, the problem is water. A slab that falls toward the house sends rain at your foundation, so we check where the water runs before we set forms and build the patio or walk to carry it away, with a wall or steps where the yard calls for one.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Walnut Creek project
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out to your Walnut Creek address, look at the job and write the estimate myself. It's free, done on site, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
What happens when you call us about a Walnut Creek job
Call or send the form
Call (707) 750-8660 or use the form and tell us what you're seeing, whether it's a cracked driveway, a sinking patio or a wall that's starting to lean. We set a time for me to come out.
I look at the job
I come out myself, look at the slab and the yard around it, and ask how you use the space, where the cars park and where the kids play. Then I write up the estimate.
We plan around your house
If you go ahead, we set the dates around your cars, your garden and your neighbors, plus any permit wait the job carries. You clear off the old slab, and we handle the rest.
Dig out, pour and finish
Our own crew, licensed and fully insured, tears out the old concrete, digs out and packs the subgrade, which is the ground the slab sits on, then pours and finishes. I'm usually there on pour day.
Clean up and let it cure
We cut the joints, haul off the old concrete and leave the place the way we found it, minus the old concrete. You stay off it while it cures, and satisfaction is guaranteed on every job.
Walnut Creek concrete questions we hear
How much does it cost to replace a concrete driveway in Walnut Creek?
Your price comes from the size of the driveway, how much old concrete and bad base comes out, and the finish you pick, and I put a number on it once I've seen it. Stamping or color costs more than a plain broom finish. If something has to give, cut the finish and keep the base, because a fancy top on a lazy base cracks just as fast and costs more to tear out.
Do I need a permit to replace my driveway apron or sidewalk in Walnut Creek?
Yes. The city requires an Encroachment Permit to replace the driveway approach or the sidewalk in front of your property. That's the strip where your driveway meets the street, so if your new driveway runs all the way out, plan on that permit.
How do I apply for a building permit in Walnut Creek?
You apply online. The city takes all permit applications through its Online Permit Portal, which you'll find on the city's building permits page, and it no longer accepts paper or emailed applications. Before the permit is issued, it needs the signature of the legal property owner or a California licensed contractor.
Can concrete work be done on a Saturday in Walnut Creek?
Only with an after-hours permit, which the city requires for construction on Saturdays and City Holidays. No construction is allowed at all on national holidays such as Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. We plan pours for weekdays, and if your schedule needs a Saturday, we'll talk it through before we book the date.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Walnut Creek?
It does when the wall is taller than 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing, holds back more than 3 feet of soil, or carries extra weight above it, like a driveway or a slope, which the city calls a surcharge. The footing is the buried concrete the wall stands on, so a wall that looks 3 feet tall from your yard can measure over 4. We measure it at the estimate and plan the wall around the answer.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack?
Most cracks in a new driveway come from a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, joints cut late or skipped, or a pour in the midday heat that leaves the top weak and dusty. We dig out and pack the base, pour early enough to finish ahead of the heat, and cut the joints on time. Concrete still cracks, it's rocks and water after all, but it should crack in straight lines we chose.
Tell us about your Walnut Creek project
Call (707) 750-8660 or use the form, and mention it if a big tree or the street sidewalk is part of the job so I show up knowing what to check.