Concrete Contractor in Antioch, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Walnut Creek Concrete Works builds concrete driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and foundations in Antioch, CA. I look at every job myself and work on site with my crew, so the person who quoted it is there when it's poured.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Antioch concrete jobs, from cracked driveways to bare yards
Most of our calls from Antioch come from homeowners with a driveway cracked across the middle, a patio that's sunk toward the back door, steps pulling away from the house, or a bare side yard that needs a slab. It's the same work we do closer to home in Pleasant Hill and out west in Berkeley, and what we find underneath usually looks the same too.
When we break out an old slab here, the reason it failed is usually right under it. Somebody raked the dirt level and poured instead of digging down and packing a real base, so the concrete settled right along with the dirt. That's why the first thing I look at on an Antioch job is the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, before we ever talk about color or finish.
Concrete services for Antioch homes and yards
Concrete driveway building
When an Antioch driveway has cracked across or sunk by the garage, we break it out, dig down to firm ground and pack a new base.
Concrete patio construction
For a bare backyard or a patio that's sunk toward the back door, we pour a new slab sloped away from the house so rain runs off.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, and we put the same packed base under it as a plain slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
We replace front walks and side-yard paths that have heaved or tipped into trip hazards, setting the grade so water runs off instead of sitting.
Garage floor concrete
When a garage floor has cracked and dropped in spots, we find out why before we break it out, then repour it on a packed base.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes can dress up an entry or a patio, and I'll tell you honestly where they make sense and where plain is better.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps up a slope or a planter bed is pushing on a fence, we build retaining walls with footings and drainage behind them.
Concrete floor installation
For a shop, a room addition or an outbuilding, we pour interior concrete floors flat and level, with the base packed and the joints placed on purpose.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks take bare feet, splashing and sun, so we pour them sloped away from the pool with a finish that isn't slick when wet.
Concrete steps construction
Front and back steps that have cracked, settled or pulled away from the house get rebuilt with even risers and a footing that ties them in.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, a garage or an accessory building, we build slab foundations with the base, steel and forms checked before any concrete arrives.
Foundation installation
We dig and pour perimeter foundations for additions and new structures, working from the plans and lining up any engineer before the crew starts.
Concrete parking lot building
For a church, shop or small business lot, we pour concrete parking areas thick enough for the traffic, with drainage planned before the forms go in.
Concrete footings
Decks, patio covers, walls and posts all stand on footings, and we dig them to the depth the job calls for and pour them solid.
Foundation raising
When part of a house has settled, we look at what's under it first and tell you plainly whether raising it is worth doing.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut old slabs for removal, open up concrete for doorways or utility trenches, and cut clean edges where new concrete meets old.
Get a written estimate for your Antioch concrete job
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out myself, look at the site and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- Walnut Creek, CA 94596
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Permits and licenses for concrete work in Antioch
Building permits in Antioch come from the city's Building Services Division, which also inspects the work. If your job needs one, I'll tell you at the estimate and we'll handle the application, and that has to be lined up before we can put you on the schedule. Before you hire anyone, check that they hold a California contractor's license and a current City of Antioch business license, which the city requires of everyone doing business here, subcontractors included. We're fully licensed and insured.
We come out from Walnut Creek through Concord on Highway 4, and we time pours so the concrete truck isn't sitting in commute traffic while the crew waits. What moves the price here is mostly what you won't see once it's done: how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground and how much base goes back in. Steel matters too, since rebar, the bars set inside the slab, holds it together if it cracks, and so does the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the weather, on any permit and on curing, the days concrete needs to gain strength before it takes weight, and your written estimate lists each part so you can see where the money goes.
What Antioch's weather does to driveways and patios
Antioch averages only about 13 inches of rain a year, so drainage gets forgotten until a storm leaves water sitting against your foundation or in a low spot in the driveway. We check where the water runs before we set forms and pitch the slab away from the house, so rain heads for the yard or the street.
Warm afternoons are the other problem, because concrete poured in midday heat dries too fast on top and can turn weak and dusty later, so on hot days we pour early. We also cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a chosen place to crack, while the concrete is still fresh, so a crack follows that line instead of wandering across your patio.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Antioch
From your side it's a call, one visit from me and a crew that shows up ready, with me there from the estimate to the final walk.
Call or send us a message
Tell us what you've got and where it is in Antioch, and we'll get back to you to set a time. You don't need measurements or a plan yet.
I look at your site
I walk the slab or the spot with you, check the ground and the drainage, and ask how you'll use it. You get a written estimate that breaks out each part of the job, so you see what you'd pay for before you decide anything.
We build it and walk it
If a permit, an engineer or a designer is part of the job, we line that up first, then my crew and I dig out, pack the base, pour and finish. When it's done I walk it with you and tell you when it's ready for feet and for the car.
Questions about concrete work in Antioch
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway or patio in Antioch?
Most residential concrete flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks around a house, is on the city's list of permit-exempt projects. The word is "most", not "all", so I check your job against that list at the estimate before anything gets scheduled. Work that reaches the street is a separate question, covered below.
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Antioch?
Retaining walls three feet tall or less are on the city's list of permit-exempt projects. A taller wall isn't on that list, so I'll tell you at the estimate whether yours needs a permit, and we take it from there.
How do I widen my driveway at the curb in Antioch?
You need an Encroachment Permit from the city's Engineering Division, because any work in the public right-of-way, including curb cuts and driveway changes at the street, requires one. It's separate from any building permit, so it applies even to flatwork on the exempt list once we're widening the driveway where it meets the street or moving the curb cut. If your plan touches the curb or the sidewalk, we sort that out before we pour.
When does a concrete contractor need a state license in California?
The California Contractors State License Board requires a license when a project needs a building permit, uses any other workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, counting every contract on the job. That covers just about anyone who shows up with a crew to pour a driveway or patio, so ask for the license number before you sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Antioch?
I give you the number in a written estimate after I've seen the site, because the size, the tear-out, the base and the finish change it more than anything else. If the budget's tight, go with a plain broom finish, a light swept texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, before you cut corners on the base. Nobody sees the base on day one, but it decides whether the slab settles a few years in, and no finish can fix that.
How long does new concrete take to cure before I can drive on it?
Usually about a week before a car goes on it, and you can walk on it after a couple of days. It keeps getting stronger for weeks after that, so at the walk-through I tell you when it's ready based on the weather during the cure.
Tell us about your Antioch concrete project
Call (925) 532-0140 or use the form, and if you send a couple of photos of the old slab, I'll show up already knowing what to look at.