Concrete Contractor in Palo Alto, CA - Driveways and Slabs Built From the Base Up
Elite Redwood City Concrete pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps, retaining walls and foundations for homeowners in Palo Alto. I look at the job myself, and our own crew digs out, builds the base and does the pour.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Palo Alto homes and the concrete around them
Most of our Palo Alto calls come from quiet residential streets where the houses have stood a long time and the driveway has been patched more than once. In older neighborhoods like Old Palo Alto, big street trees shade the front yards and push up the walks. Plenty of houses here are getting remodeled or adding an ADU out back, which brings new flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks that lie flat on the ground, along with new slabs and foundations. There are apartments and shop lots too, and their parking takes a beating. We see the same mix next door in East Palo Alto and Mountain View.
That mix shapes the job. An old slab here often sits on a thin base nobody packed, roots run under it and side yards are tight, so we plan the tear-out and how the truck reaches the pour before we ever talk about finishes.
Concrete services we do for Palo Alto homes
Older Palo Alto driveways are often patched, lifted by tree roots or poured over thin base, so we tear out, dig down and rebuild what's under it first.
A back-yard patio here often goes in alongside a remodel or a new ADU, so we set its grade to carry rain away from both buildings.
Stamped concrete presses a stone or brick pattern into fresh concrete, which suits the older houses here when a plain gray slab would look out of place.
Front walks lifted by yard trees turn into trip hazards, so we cut out the raised sections, deal with the roots where we can and pour new.
Old garage slabs here are often cracked and stained from decades of use, so we break them out and pour a new floor sloped toward the door.
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns let new concrete sit well beside the brick, stucco and shingle houses on established Palo Alto streets.
Where a yard is terraced or a driveway cuts into a bank, we build walls with steel inside and a drain behind so the soil stays put.
Remodels and additions here often need a new interior slab, and we set the base, vapor barrier and steel before the pour so the floor stays flat.
Pool decks here get wet constantly, so we slope them away from the pool and the house and give them a textured finish for bare feet.
Front steps on older houses often settle and pull away from the porch, so we rebuild them on footings with every step the same height.
New ADUs and additions in Palo Alto often sit on a slab foundation, which we pour to the approved plans, steel and all.
When a remodel or rebuild needs a new foundation under an older house, we dig, form and pour it to the engineer's drawings.
Shop lots and apartment parking in Palo Alto wear out under daily traffic, so we pour them thick with steel and grade them to drain.
Decks, fences and garden walls here all sit on footings, the buried concrete that spreads the weight, and we size them for what they carry.
When an older house has settled at one corner, we can raise and level the foundation, which often eases sticking doors before a remodel starts.
We saw-cut door openings, plumbing trenches and clean edges where old slab meets new, so a Palo Alto remodel doesn't mean breaking out the whole floor.
Get a free estimate for your Palo Alto concrete job
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
Working in Palo Alto: permits, access and what moves the price
In Palo Alto, building permits come from the city's Development Services office, which also does plan review, the check of drawings against the code, and the inspections. Its list of permit work names remodels, new homes and ADUs but doesn't spell out driveways or patios, so I'll tell you at the estimate whether your job needs one, and if it does, we handle the paperwork and inspections with the city. A permit puts the city's review at the front of the schedule, which is why we sort it out before we book a pour date. We're licensed and fully insured. If you're comparing bids, a contractor with a fixed place of business in Palo Alto has to hold the city's business registry certificate, so it's fair to ask, and we're a concrete contractor based up the road in Redwood City, CA.
Access is most of what we plan for here. Cars parked along residential streets, mature trees and narrow side yards decide where the truck parks and whether we pump concrete back to a patio, and that, along with how much old concrete comes out, how much base we dig out and replace, the steel and the finish you pick, is what moves the price. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, the days concrete needs to harden before it takes weight, and your estimate gives you your own figure. We do the same work up the Peninsula in South San Francisco and next door in Menlo Park.
Why Palo Alto driveways and slabs wear out
A lot of driveways and walks here were poured decades ago straight onto the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, with little or no packed base under them. Add the roots of big street and yard trees and you get the cracked, lifted and sinking slabs we see all over town, with water pooling in the low spots. We don't patch over that. We break it out, dig down to firm ground, bring in new base and pack it, and cut roots where the tree can spare them.
The other driver is new building. Remodels and back-yard ADUs need slabs, footings, walks and patios, so we set every new surface to carry water away from the walls before anything gets poured.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Palo Alto
Here's how a Palo Alto job goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and what I'll need from you along the way.
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Call or send the form
Call (650) 587-4028 or fill out the form with a line about the job, and I'll set a time to come out. It helps if you're home, because I ask a lot of questions.
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I look the job over
I check the old slab, where the water runs and how the truck gets in, then write up an estimate that breaks out tear-out, base and finish. That way you see where the money goes before you decide anything.
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Our crew does the work
If the job needs a permit, the pour date waits until the city's review clears it, then our own crew digs out, packs the base, sets the steel and pours. I check each stage as it goes, because the parts that get buried are the ones I care about most.
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We walk it with you
When it's finished, we walk the job with you and go over how long to stay off it while it cures, a few days for feet and longer for cars. Then you get your driveway back.
Questions about concrete work in Palo Alto
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Palo Alto?
The price comes down to your driveway's size and what's under it, so the estimate is where you get your number. Tearing out the old slab, replacing bad base, cutting roots, getting the truck in and adding rebar, the steel bars that keep cracks from spreading, all add to it. A plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps shoes and tires from slipping, costs less than stamped or colored work, and if the budget's tight that's where I'd save, not on the base nobody sees.
What causes concrete driveways to crack and sink in Palo Alto?
Most cracking and sinking here comes from what's under the slab: a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, tree roots pushing up or water running underneath. We pack the base, check where the water runs, pour early before the midday heat and cut control joints, grooves that tell the slab where to crack. All concrete cracks a little. We just tell it where.
Which building codes apply to a concrete project in Palo Alto?
Projects submitted to the city after January 1, 2026 have to meet the 2025 California Building Codes along with the city's own amendments. That covers anything going in for a permit now, so a slab or foundation that needs one is drawn and inspected to those rules, and we build to the approved plans.
How do I submit permit plans to the City of Palo Alto?
Everything goes to the city in digital format, so plans for a home project are sent as digital files, not paper. If your concrete work needs a permit, we handle the submittal and the inspections for you.
Can I get an instant building permit in Palo Alto for a small concrete job?
Maybe, because the city offers an instant building permit for some minor projects, which can shorten the wait on small jobs. The city decides which work qualifies, and its building permit page is where you apply. If your job needs a permit, I'll check at the estimate whether it fits.
Is an emailed PDF invoice from the City of Palo Alto real?
Not if it asks you to reply to get a payment link, because the city says its staff don't send emailed PDF invoices like that. You can treat one as coming from outside the city. When we're handling your permit, we'll tell you what to expect from the city so a strange email stands out.
Book your Palo Alto concrete estimate today
If a remodel or ADU is coming, calling before it starts lets us plan the slabs, drainage and any cutting around it instead of breaking into new work afterward.
Redwood City, CA