Concrete driveway building in Pleasant Hill CA - a slab that cures before you park on it
Old driveway cracked, sinking or holding water? We break it out, pour a new one and keep cars off until it's cured.
What does it take to build a new concrete driveway in Pleasant Hill?
Concrete driveway building in Pleasant Hill means breaking out the old driveway, then forming, pouring and finishing a new slab of flat concrete and letting it cure, so you end up with a surface that resists wear from cars and weather.
Most people call when the old one has cracked, sunk at the edges or started holding water by the garage, and by then patching has stopped making sense. The price moves with the size of the driveway, how much old concrete has to come out and get hauled off, how easy it is to get a truck to the spot, and whether the work reaches the street. The schedule turns on the weather, the cure, and where your cars live while the new slab sets up. When the job does reach the street, curb or gutter, that part needs a city permit, and we take care of the paperwork for our part of the work. The estimate gives you the price and the plan for your driveway.
What happens after you call about a new driveway in Pleasant Hill?
Call or send the form
You call (707) 750-8660 or write through the form, and we set a time for me to come out. It helps if I can see the driveway with the cars moved off it.
I walk it and write it up
I come out myself, look at the old driveway and where the water runs, and ask how you use it and where the cars go. You get a written estimate with the price for your job, so there's nothing to guess about later.
We plan around your house
We pick the day with you, let your neighbors know when the trucks are coming and keep the street clear. If the job reaches the street or curb, the city's permit terms keep that part of the work between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. unless Public Works approves other hours, so we plan the day around it.
Pour, finish and clean up
Our own crew pours and finishes the slab, I'm usually there on pour day, and we haul off the old concrete and leave the rest of your yard the way we found it. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
How we build a concrete driveway, and the work that often goes with it
The pour is the easy part. The hard part is keeping cars off the new slab while it cures, so before we set a pour date I sort out with you where you'll park, and we check early whether the work reaches the street or curb, since that brings the city into it. Then we break out and haul off the old driveway, set the forms to the shape you want and to send water away from the house instead of toward it, and pour in the cooler part of the day when we can, because concrete finished in midday heat tends to end up with a weak, dusty top. Once it's finished we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a place to crack where we choose instead of where it feels like. After that it cures, which is the wait while it hardens enough to carry a car, and we clean up before we leave.
A new driveway is often the first piece of a bigger plan, because once the trucks and forms are here it's a good time to look at the rest of the yard. If the back of the house needs a slab too, our concrete patio construction uses the same crew and the same care with drainage and joints. If you'd like a walk or patio with a pattern pressed in next to a plain driveway, that's our stamped concrete work.
Get a written estimate for your new driveway
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look at the driveway. The estimate is free, done at your property, and comes with no obligation.
Driveway questions we hear in Pleasant Hill
Do I need a permit to replace my driveway in Pleasant Hill?
If any of the work touches the street, curb or gutter, you need an encroachment permit from the city's Engineering Division, which handles work on city property. The city's permit form says it can require the driveway and sidewalk to be built to the city's standard details, plus a call to USA, the utility locating service, at least 48 hours before anyone digs. Those are the form's terms, so confirm the current ones with the city, and we'll tell you at the estimate whether your driveway reaches that far.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Pleasant Hill?
A concrete driveway in the Bay Area usually costs about $16 to $24 per square foot. That's the regional going rate, not our price, and the estimate at your house gives you the figure for your own driveway in Pleasant Hill.
How long does a new concrete driveway take to cure before I can drive on it?
Curing typically runs 3 to 7 days after the concrete is placed and finished, and the job isn't done until it's over, because concrete that skips its cure ends up with a less durable surface. The slab may look ready to drive on before then, which is exactly why we settle where your cars go before the pour.
Who is allowed to build a concrete driveway in California?
A contractor licensed by the state for concrete work, which covers forming, pouring and finishing pavement and other flat concrete. The state licensing board's minor work exemption tops out at $1,000 and only applies when the job needs no permit and the person doing it employs no one, so a crew with helpers doesn't qualify for it. We're licensed and fully insured.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack?
Concrete shrinks as it hardens, so some cracking is normal, and the control joints we cut decide where it happens. A slab that doesn't get a proper cure is also more likely to show crazing, dusting and scaling, which are fine surface cracks, a powdery top and flaking.
When should I seal a new concrete driveway?
Wait until it's at least 28 days old, according to concrete trade training out of Michigan, because sprayed-on sealers are meant for hardened concrete. A sealer limits how much water soaks in, but the film-forming kind sits mostly on the surface and may need putting back on often as weather and traffic wear it off.
Other concrete work near your driveway
Concrete patio construction
A patio out back gives you a flat spot for a table and grill, and it's easy to plan while the crew and trucks are already coming.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a pattern into a walk, patio or pool deck so it looks like stone or brick, without loose pieces that shift and weed up.
Book a driveway estimate in Pleasant Hill
Call (707) 750-8660 or send the form with the driveway's rough size and whether it reaches the street or curb, so we know before the visit whether a city permit is part of the plan.