Concrete cutting in Pleasant Hill CA - straight cuts planned around what's in the slab
Need a trench line, a pipe hole or a bad section of driveway out? We cut it clean, after we know what's inside.
What does cutting a concrete slab involve, and what sets the price?
Concrete cutting in Pleasant Hill means sawing straight lines and openings in a slab or wall, or coring round holes for pipes, conduit and drains, so you can run a trench, add a line or take out a damaged section without breaking up the whole slab.
Usually the call starts with a plan for something else, like a new drain line, a pipe through a garage floor or a cracked panel that has to go before the new concrete can come in. The price moves with how much cutting there is, how thick and reinforced the slab is, whether the cut is in a floor or a wall, and whether the pieces get hauled away. The schedule moves with what's inside the slab and how close the cut is to the street, because a slab with tension cables can need drawings, scanning and an engineer's OK before anyone cuts, and street-side work comes with city notice. We're based in Pleasant Hill and cut slabs here and in the cities around it, and your own number comes from the estimate after I've seen the slab.
What happens after you call about a concrete cut?
Call or send the form
Call (707) 750-8660 or send the form with what you need cut and where, and we'll set up a time to come look. If you have slab drawings or the house's original permit set, dig them out, because they can show what's inside.
I look and write it up
I come out myself, look at the slab, ask how you use the space and mark where the cut should run. The estimate lays out the cutting, any scanning and what happens to the pieces, so you know what you're paying for before you decide anything.
We plan around your house
If you go ahead, we schedule the cut around your cars, your family and your neighbors. Street-side cuts under the city's encroachment permit start with 24 hours' notice to the Public Works Department, and the saw cutting gets its own notice before it begins.
We cut, then clean up
Work in the city right-of-way runs 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Contra Costa, Monument and Taylor Boulevards, unless the city approves other hours. Our own crew does the cutting and leaves your place the way we found it, minus the concrete you wanted gone.
How we handle concrete cutting, and the work that often follows it
We find out what's inside the slab before the saw touches it, because rebar, pipes, conduit and tension cables all look exactly the same from the top, which is to say like concrete. We're licensed and fully insured, and we'd still rather not find a water line with the blade. Then we pick the tool for the cut: a flat saw for floors, driveways and sidewalks, a wall saw that rides a track for walls and openings a floor saw can't reach, or a diamond core drill when you need a round hole for a pipe, a drain or conduit. Most cuts run wet, which keeps the dust down and leaves a gray slurry, and on street-side work the city's permit conditions keep that slurry out of the storm drain, so it gets cleaned up instead of rinsed into the gutter. Cutting and hauling are separate jobs, and some cutters leave the panels right where they fell, so we'll tell you whether hauling the cut pieces away is part of our quote.
A cut is usually the first step, not the last. When a cracked or sunken panel comes out of the driveway, it gets replaced, and if the whole thing is past saving we do full concrete driveway building, starting from a base that's dug out and packed so the new slab doesn't settle with the dirt. A trench across the backyard or an edge cut back for a new layout often leads into concrete patio construction, where we check where the water runs so the new slab falls away from the house, not toward it.
Get a cutting estimate that says what's included
We reply within one business day to set up a time. I come out, look at the cut and write up a free estimate, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Concrete cutting questions from Pleasant Hill
How much does concrete cutting cost per foot in Pleasant Hill?
Across the US, professional slab saw cutting usually runs about $4 to $15 per linear foot, according to a national cost guide, and that's for the sawing alone. Thicker or reinforced slabs land higher, wall sawing usually costs more per foot than slab cutting, and on a small job a minimum charge can matter more than the per-foot rate. Breaking up and hauling the pieces can add more than the sawing itself, which is why your estimate spells out what it covers.
Does my concrete slab need to be scanned before it's cut?
Often, yes, because ground-penetrating radar finds rebar, post-tension cables, conduit and pipes that don't show from the surface. Post-tension cables sit under high stored tension, so they're a much bigger deal than ordinary rebar, which mostly just wears the blade, and one engineering firm advises owners of these slabs to hire a scanning contractor to find the cables and an engineer to approve the cut. A row of small patched pockets along the slab edge can be a clue, and your drawings, the builder or the original permit set settle it.
Do I need a city permit to cut concrete near the sidewalk in Pleasant Hill?
Work in the public right-of-way or an easement in Pleasant Hill needs an encroachment permit from the city, and its list names sidewalk and driveway construction but doesn't mention cutting by itself. That leaves a cut at the street as a question to put to the city before you plan around it. We'll tell you which office handles your address, and when a job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork for our part of the work.
Who is licensed to do concrete sawing and coring in California?
California's Contractors State License Board lists concrete sawing and coring under its D-6 Concrete-Related Services contractor class. It's a fair question to ask anyone before they bring a saw to your slab. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm happy to go over it at the estimate.
What is the best way to cut concrete inside a garage?
Indoors, the usual answer is a hydraulic or pneumatic saw instead of a gas one, because gasoline saws give off carbon monoxide in a closed space. A national cost guide reports that OSHA favors those saws in enclosed spaces. Tell me at the estimate if the cut is inside, and we'll talk through how it gets done.
How do I get utilities marked before cutting a trench near the street?
For work under a Pleasant Hill encroachment permit, the permit holder calls USA, the utility locating service, at least 48 hours before any digging. That covers the lines in the ground under the trench, while the scan covers what's inside the slab, so a cut near the street usually needs both.
Work that often comes after the cut
Concrete driveway building
If the cut is to pull out a cracked or sunken section, a new driveway poured on a packed base may serve you better than patching around it.
Concrete patio construction
When a trench or a cut-back edge reshapes your backyard, a new patio sloped away from the house can finish the space instead of leaving a scar.
Get your concrete cut scoped and priced
Call (707) 750-8660 or use the form, because planning a cut costs a lot less than patching a pipe the saw found first.