Concrete Contractor in South San Francisco - Slabs Built on a Solid Base
Elite Redwood City Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Redwood City that builds driveways, patios, walkways, steps, retaining walls and foundations for homes and businesses in South San Francisco, starting with the ground under the slab.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
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South San Francisco homes and the concrete around them
A lot of what we see in South San Francisco is older houses on small lots, with shops and commercial property mixed in, and most calls are about concrete that's done its time. That means a driveway cracked across the middle, a patio tipped toward the back door, or front steps that have pulled away from the porch. It's the same work we do next door in Daly City and down the road in San Mateo, and the same problems show up there too.
On a tight lot, getting the old slab out and the new concrete in takes as much planning as the pour, because there's often no room for a truck beside the house. So I work out the demolition and the access before I put a price on anything.
Concrete work we do in South San Francisco
When an old driveway has cracked through or sunk by the garage, we tear it out, pack a new base and pour one that drains toward the street.
On a small backyard, every square foot counts, so we pitch the patio away from the house and keep the slab flat enough for a table.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walkway the look of stone or brick, pressed into the slab while it's wet, over the same packed base as plain work.
Older front walks lift and trip people once roots or settling dirt get under them, so we replace the bad sections and set them flush.
A garage floor that's cracked, stained or pitched the wrong way can be torn out and repoured, with a slope that sends water out the door.
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns dress up an entry or patio without a second material to maintain, because the finish is part of the slab itself.
Where a slope leans on a yard or driveway, a concrete wall holds the dirt back, with steel inside and a drain behind it.
For a workshop, basement or addition that needs a solid interior floor, we prepare the ground and pour a flat slab ready for whatever goes on top.
A pool deck has to shed splash water away from the pool and the house, so we set that slope first and give the top some grip.
Front steps on an older house often crack, settle away from the porch or go uneven underfoot, so we rebuild them on footings with steel inside.
For an addition, garage or backyard unit, a slab foundation starts with digging to firm ground and packing the base, because everything above depends on it.
New foundations for additions and rebuilds on tight lots get footings and walls set to the plans, with the steel checked before any concrete arrives.
For shops, offices and small commercial lots, we pour concrete parking areas thick enough for the traffic they'll get, with joints and drainage laid out first.
Decks, fences, walls and additions need footings, the concrete under the load, and we dig them to the depth the plans call for before we pour.
When part of an older house has settled and doors stick or floors slope, we look at why first, then lift and support that section of foundation.
We saw-cut openings, trenches and removal lines in existing slabs, so a plumber can get through or a bad section comes out without wrecking the rest.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in South San Francisco
Send the form and I'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, 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 South San Francisco: permits, licenses and cost
In South San Francisco, whether your concrete job needs a permit is the city's call, through its Building Division, which keeps handouts on which home projects need a permit and which are exempt. If yours needs one, I'll say so at the estimate, and we handle the paperwork and the inspections with the city, but the start date waits on that, so it pays to sort it out early. Before you hire anyone, us included, look the contractor up with the Contractors State License Board, the state board that licenses and regulates contractors in California. We're licensed and fully insured.
Price moves with the size and thickness of the slab, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much soft dirt comes out before we pack the base, and the finish, from a plain broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires some grip, up to stamped and colored work. The schedule turns on the permit, the demolition and the cure, and your estimate spells out what's in the price. We do this the same way up and down the Peninsula and as far as Mountain View, so a driveway here gets the same base and drainage checks as one in Redwood City.
Why concrete here cracks, sinks and holds water
A lot of the old driveways and patios we break out here went down over dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the slab sank with the dirt and cracked. We dig to firm subgrade, the ground the slab actually sits on, pack the base, and set rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it does crack, before any concrete shows up. Nobody sees that part once it's poured, and it's the part that decides how the slab holds up.
The other thing we see is water running the wrong way, toward the house or into a puddle at the garage door. We work out where it goes before we set a form, and we cut control joints, grooves that tell the slab where to crack, because concrete is going to crack somewhere and I'd rather pick the spot.
How a concrete job runs in South San Francisco
Here's what happens once you get in touch, from the first call to the last walk around the finished job.
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Call and I come out
Call (650) 587-4028 or send the form, and I'll set a time to look the job over myself, ideally with you there to show me where the water sits. I check the base, the drainage and the access, ask a lot of questions and write up the estimate, so you see the whole price before anything starts.
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Our crew does the work
Our own crew does the digging, forming and pouring, and I check it at each stage. That way nothing gets buried under concrete before I've looked at it.
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We walk it with you
When it's done, we walk the job with you and go over curing, the wait while the concrete gains strength. You'll know when it's safe to walk on and when it's ready for the car.
Questions about concrete work in South San Francisco
Which building codes apply to a concrete project in South San Francisco?
Home work here is built to the current California Building Code and California Residential Code, with changes the City Council has made, and the Building Division enforces them. The city lists the codes in force on its building codes page. On a job that needs a permit, the inspections check the work against those codes.
Where can I read South San Francisco's Municipal Code?
The city posts its Municipal Code online. That online version is for information only, so if it ever differs from the official printed code or the ordinances behind it, the official version is the one that counts.
How much can a contractor ask for as a down payment in California?
Under the state licensing board's rules, a down payment on a home improvement job can't be more than $1,000, and on a smaller job the limit is lower. Any other payment has to be listed clearly in the contract and match work already done or materials already delivered to your house.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in South San Francisco?
The price comes mostly from how much concrete goes in and how much has to come out first, and I put your number in writing after I've seen the driveway. If the budget's tight, keep the money in the base and go simpler on top, because a fancy finish on a bad base just cracks in a fancier pattern. Call (650) 587-4028 and I'll come take a look.
What is the best way to fix a sunken concrete patio?
Usually it's tearing the patio out and rebuilding what's under it, because a patio sinks when the dirt below it settles, and patching the top doesn't fix the dirt. We break it out, dig down to firm ground, pack a new base and pour, after checking that water won't run back under the new slab.
How do I choose a concrete contractor in South San Francisco?
Look up their state license first, then ask what goes under the slab, meaning how deep they dig, how they pack the base, where the water will run and when they cut the joints. A contractor who only talks about the finish is selling you the part you see on day one. I'd rather tell you no than sell you something you don't need.
Get your South San Francisco concrete estimate
Cracks and sinking only spread once water gets under a slab, so call (650) 587-4028 or send the form, any day of the week, while it's still a smaller job.
Redwood City, CA