Concrete Contractor in Daly City - Steep Driveways and Patios on a Solid Base
Elite Redwood City Concrete pours driveways, patios, steps, walls and foundations for homeowners in Daly City. We dig out and pack the ground first, plan where the water goes, then pour concrete that suits your lot.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Daly City houses, driveways and the hills under them
Most of what we pour in Daly City starts at the curb. Block after block, the houses here stand shoulder to shoulder with the garage at street level and the living space above, so the driveway is short, often steep, and does all the work of getting a car in and out. After years of tires climbing it, that slab is usually cracked across, sunk where it meets the garage or lifted at the sidewalk, and the front steps beside it tend to be in the same shape.
Out back the yards are small and often sloped, which brings in patios, walls and steps, and we do the same kind of work next door in South San Francisco and down the Peninsula in San Mateo. On lots this tight there's rarely room to drive a truck in, and on a slope the base and the drainage decide whether new concrete stays where we put it.
Concrete services we do on Daly City properties
Steep driveways here take a beating, so we dig out the old base, pack fresh rock and pour a slab that sheds water toward the street.
Back yards here are often small and sloped, so a patio needs the ground leveled and packed and a slight slope that sends water away from the house.
Stamped concrete gives a front walk or patio the look of stone or brick, which helps on a block of look-alike houses when you want yours to stand apart.
Walks down narrow side yards crack and lift over time, so we rebuild them on a packed base with joints cut where we want any cracks to go.
Many houses here have the garage tucked under the living space, and a cracked or sunken garage floor there gets broken out and repoured with steel in it.
Color or a finish that shows the stone in the mix can dress up a small front yard where concrete is most of what's seen from the street.
Sloped back yards here often need a wall to hold the hill, and we build them with footings, steel and drainage so water can't build up behind them.
When a ground-floor room or a converted garage needs a new slab, we prep the ground and pour a flat floor ready for whatever goes on top.
Where a lot here has room for a pool, the deck needs a grippy top for wet feet and a slope that carries water away from the pool.
Front steps here often climb to a door above the garage, and when they crack or settle we break them out and pour new ones with steel inside.
For a new addition or backyard unit squeezed onto a narrow lot, we set the forms, steel and base for a slab foundation the framing sits on.
On sloped ground a foundation often has to step down with the hill, and we dig, form and pour it to your engineer's plans.
Small apartment buildings and shops here need parking areas that hold up to daily traffic, so we build them thicker over a well-packed base with drainage planned in.
Decks, fences and walls on a slope start with footings, the concrete that carries their weight, and we size them for the ground they sit in.
When part of an older house has settled and doors stick or floors slope, we find out why before we lift and support it.
When only part of a walk or driveway is bad, we saw-cut out that section instead of tearing up everything, and we cut openings for drains and pipes.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Daly City concrete
Send the form and you'll hear back from me within one business day. I'll set a time to come out, look the job over and write up a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
(650) 587-4028- Based in
- Redwood City, CA 94063
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
What we deal with on Daly City jobs
A permit here is the city's call, made by the Daly City Building Division, which enforces the building codes the city has adopted, and the rule is broad because it covers building, altering, repairing or removing any building or structure. If your job needs one, I'll tell you at the estimate and we'll handle the paperwork and inspections, so the start date waits on the permit. Before you hire anyone, us included, ask to see a California contractor's license and a Daly City business license. We're licensed and fully insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
As a concrete contractor based in Redwood City, CA, we're a straight run up the Peninsula from Daly City, and what slows a pour here is usually the street, because narrow, steep blocks with cars parked tight mean we plan where the concrete truck can sit, and sometimes we pump or wheel the concrete in. It's the same planning we do on crowded lots in North Fair Oaks, next door to our home base. Price usually comes down to how much old concrete comes out, the size and thickness of the new slab, how much base and steel it needs and how hard the lot is to reach, and the schedule turns on any permit and on the curing time before you can use it. Your written estimate puts your own number on it.
Why Daly City driveways and yards wear out
A driveway that runs down toward a garage under the house sends water straight at the garage door, and older driveways here often have a low spot at the bottom where water sits, soaks in and softens the ground under the slab until it sinks and cracks. When we rebuild one, we shape the slab to carry water off to the side or into a drain at the bottom, because a new driveway that still floods the garage isn't fixed. It's just newer.
Sloped back yards are the other big reason we get called, and when the city drafted its latest code it said it would keep its own local rules covering stormwater, seismic and hillside access. Those are the same things we check on any slope, where the water goes and how the concrete holds to the hill, before we price a patio or a wall.
How a concrete job runs when you call from Daly City
Here's how it goes from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
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Call or send the form
Call (650) 587-4028 or send the form, and I'll get back to you myself to set a time to come out. It helps if you're home for the visit so you can show me what's bothering you.
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I come out and look
I come out myself, look at the slope, the drainage and how the old concrete failed, and ask a lot of questions. You get a written estimate that spells out the base, the steel and the finish, so you know what you're paying for.
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Permit, then our crew pours
If the job needs a permit, some minor ones can be issued over the counter without a full plan review, and the city inspects permitted work at set stages along the way. Our own crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and steel and pours, and I check the work as it goes.
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We walk it with you
When it's done, we walk the job with you and go over what to keep off the new concrete and for how long. Permitted work also gets the city's final inspection once it's complete.
Questions about concrete work in Daly City
Do I need a permit for concrete work in Daly City?
Some concrete jobs do, since certain retaining walls are on the city's list of common projects that need permits and grading can need a separate permit of its own. For a plain driveway, patio or walk, that list doesn't settle it, and even minor work that's exempt from a permit still has to meet the city's planning, zoning and public works rules. I'll tell you at the estimate which way your job falls.
Does a concrete contractor need a Daly City business license?
Yes, the city requires a Daly City business license to do work within the city, and the contractor has to have it before doing business there. It's separate from the state contractor's license, so ask to see both.
When does a contractor need a California license for concrete work?
The Contractors State License Board requires a license when the job needs a building permit, uses any workers beyond the person doing it, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts. Any crew job meets the second test on its own, so someone pouring your driveway with helpers and no license is working outside the rules.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Daly City?
A Daly City driveway's price mostly follows the work you don't see, how deep we dig, how much base goes in and whether the low end needs a drain. A steep street that means pumping the concrete up, or a stamped or colored top instead of a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, adds to it. If a few cracked sections can be cut out instead of tearing out the whole driveway, I'll say so.
How long does new concrete take before I can drive on it?
You can usually walk on new concrete within a few days, but it needs a good while longer before it's ready for a car, because curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength, keeps going long after the top looks dry. I give you the dates for your slab at the walk-through, and on a steep driveway it's worth waiting the full time, since a car climbing it leans hard on fresh concrete.
What is the best way to keep a new concrete driveway from cracking?
The best way is a packed base underneath, steel inside and control joints cut on time, grooves that give the concrete a straight line to crack along instead of a random one. Concrete shrinks as it hardens, so some cracking is normal, and joints cut late or skipped are why so many old driveways have cracks running every which way. If the budget gets tight, I'd cut the fancy finish before the base, because nobody sees the base and everybody sees what happens without it.
Get your Daly City concrete job priced
Call (650) 587-4028 or use the form, because the cheapest time to fix a bad base or a slope toward your garage is before the concrete truck shows up.
Redwood City, CA