Concrete Contractor in Oakland, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
Walnut Creek Concrete Works is a concrete contractor building driveways, patios, steps, walls and foundations in Oakland, CA. I look at every job myself, and my crew and I pour on a base that's dug out and packed.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Oakland houses and lots as we find them
Oakland is a big, old city, and the concrete we're called to replace usually shows its age. In the flats there are blocks of older bungalows and two-story houses on narrow lots, with one driveway squeezed along the side and a front walk the street trees have been pushing on for years. Up in the hills the houses step down steep lots, so the work leans toward stairs, retaining walls and driveways on a grade. Mixed in are small apartment buildings and shops that need parking and walks of their own, much like the older streets over in Berkeley.
That mix shapes the job before we pour anything. Tight side yards limit how we get concrete to the forms, and old slabs often sit on whatever dirt was there, so most of our Oakland work starts with digging out and building a proper base.
Concrete work we do for Oakland homes
Concrete driveway building
Many older Oakland driveways we tear out were poured thin on loose dirt, so we dig to firm ground and pack a real base before the new pour.
Concrete patio construction
Small Oakland backyards often have one flat spot worth using, and a patio there works best when it's pitched so water runs away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick that suits an older house, poured as one slab instead of hundreds of pieces.
Concrete sidewalk building
When roots from Oakland's street trees have lifted your front walk into a trip hazard, we cut out the lifted run and pour new sections that sit flush.
Garage floor concrete
Old garage floors in Oakland are often cracked, stained and sunk near the entry, and a new slab gives you a sound floor pitched toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored, exposed-aggregate or scored finishes let new concrete match the character of an older Oakland home, from a front walk to the whole entry.
Concrete retaining walls
On sloped Oakland lots, a concrete wall holds the hill so you gain flat yard or parking, with drainage behind it so water doesn't build up.
Concrete floor installation
For a basement or workshop under an older Oakland house, we pour an interior floor that's level, set over a moisture barrier and ready to finish.
Concrete pool decks
When the deck around an older Oakland pool is cracked or lifting at the edge, we replace it with a textured surface that's less slick when wet.
Concrete steps construction
Hillside homes in Oakland often have long runs of steps from the street, and we rebuild them with even step heights so feet don't catch.
Slab foundation building
For an addition or new garage on an Oakland lot, we form and pour the slab foundation on a packed base so the building sits level.
Foundation installation
When an older Oakland house needs a new foundation under part or all of it, we dig, form and pour it to the engineer's plans.
Concrete parking lot building
Small apartment buildings and shops in Oakland often share a tight lot, and we pour concrete parking that drains properly and stands up to daily traffic.
Concrete footings
Decks, fences, sheds and carports on Oakland's sloped yards need footings, the concrete pads that carry the load, set deep enough to stay put.
Foundation raising
If an older Oakland house has settled and floors slope or doors stick, raising it back toward level comes before any new foundation work under it.
Concrete cutting
On tight Oakland lots, we saw-cut old concrete for a drain line, a wider driveway or a new opening, leaving a clean edge and the rest intact.
Get a free written estimate for your Oakland concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the site and give you a free written estimate with no obligation.
- Based in
- Walnut Creek, CA 94596
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Permits, licenses and costs on Oakland jobs
Building permits here go through the City of Oakland's Planning & Building department, and its Bureau of Building oversees the process for construction in the city, so when a job needs a permit, the city's steps set our start date. Before you hire anyone, check two things. The contractor should hold a state license from the Contractors State License Board, and because the city requires everyone doing business in Oakland to file and pay its annual business tax, including businesses based outside the city like ours, you can ask for their Oakland business tax certificate and look up the current terms on the city's business page.
If your job needs a permit, I tell you at the estimate and we handle the application with the city. The price here mostly comes down to size, how much old concrete comes out, how much base work the ground needs and access, because narrow streets and tight side yards can mean a pump or wheelbarrows instead of a chute straight off the truck. The schedule turns on the permit steps and our calendar, and your written estimate gives you your own numbers. We do the same work in Vallejo and in Walnut Creek, where we're based.
Older houses and hillside lots shape the work
A lot of the concrete around Oakland's older houses was poured on whatever dirt was there, raked level and never dug out or packed. As that dirt settles, the slab sinks, cracks and often tips back toward the house, where water pools against the foundation. When we replace it, we dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab actually rests on, pack a proper base on top and set the slope so water runs away from the house.
In the hills, driveways climb, steps run long and walls hold up the yard, and on the flats big street trees push up walks and driveway edges. We set rebar, the steel that keeps a cracked slab from pulling apart, in slabs and walls where the load or the roots call for it.
How an Oakland concrete job runs, start to finish
Here's what happens from the time you get in touch until you're walking on the finished concrete.
Call or send the form
Call (925) 532-0140 or send the form with a few lines about the job, and we set a time for me to come out. Try to be home for the visit so you can walk the site with me.
I look and write it up
I check the ground and where the water runs, and ask how you'll use the space. Your written estimate lays out each part of the job, from tear-out and base to the finish, so you can see where the money goes.
We line up permits first
If your job needs a permit, an engineer or a designer, we get that lined up before we schedule the pour. Oakland wants an approved Recycling Plan and Recycling Summary Report before it issues a building permit, so we get those in early with the application.
We pour and walk it together
My crew and I do the work with me on site, from digging out the base to cutting the joints and cleaning up. When it's done we walk it with you, and I tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it.
Questions about concrete work in Oakland
How do I find out if my concrete project in Oakland needs a permit?
Ask me at the estimate, because I check that for every job and tell you before we schedule. The city's building permit page lists work that needs no building permit, including small structures, fences, retaining walls and certain home improvements, but each has limits the city sets out on its exemption page. Since those limits matter, I don't assume your job is on that list until I've checked it.
When does a concrete contractor need a state license in California?
The state board requires a license whenever the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials on one or more contracts. A small job can go without one only when it needs no permit, uses no employees, costs less than $1,000 combined and the person doesn't advertise as a licensed contractor. We're fully licensed and insured.
How much of a down payment can a contractor ask for on a home project in California?
No more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less, according to the state board. The board applies that limit to home improvement projects across California and repeats it in its guidance for rebuilding after declared disasters.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Oakland?
I give you a price for your driveway in a written estimate after I've seen it, because size, tear-out, base work and access change the number from one Oakland lot to the next. If the budget's tight, cut the finish before the base, because a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives shoes and tires grip, over a well-built base holds up better than a fancy top over loose dirt. The base can't be fixed later without tearing the whole slab out.
Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?
It may get a hairline crack or two, because concrete shrinks a little as it dries, but it shouldn't sink and break up the way an old slab on raked dirt does. We cut control joints, straight grooves that give the slab a planned line to crack along, on the day of the pour, since joints cut late or skipped leave cracks wherever the slab chooses. The packed base underneath is what keeps sections from settling out of level.
How long does new concrete take to cure before I can drive on it?
You'll wait longer to drive on it than to walk on it, and I give you both dates for your slab when we finish. Curing is the slow hardening that goes on for days after the pour, and a car on it too early can crack or mark a slab that's still gaining strength underneath.
Talk to me about your Oakland concrete job
I answer my own phone at (925) 532-0140, so the person you describe the job to and ask about permit steps is the same one who'll be on site for the pour.