Concrete Contractor in Berkeley, CA - Driveways and Slabs Built for Hillside Lots
Premier San Rafael Concrete Company builds driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and foundations in Berkeley, CA. We're based in San Rafael, and the slabs we pour here sit on a packed base and drain away from your house.
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Berkeley concrete work, from the hills to the flats
Berkeley is the south end of where we work, a drive across the bay from San Rafael, so I plan these jobs around the trip and the concrete trucks instead of squeezing them in. The streets climb fast from the flatter blocks near the bay into the hills, and a lot of what we pour here sits on a slope: a driveway that drops to the street, steps up to a front door, a patio cut into a hillside. We take the same kind of work a few miles north in Richmond, and the steep lots here remind me of what we see in San Anselmo.
On a sloped lot, the base and the water decide how long a slab lasts. That's why most of my time at the estimate goes into where the runoff goes and how much digging the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, needs before we set a single form.
Why Berkeley slabs need more than a good finish
- City staff point to how close Berkeley sits to major earthquake faults, so rebar, the steel that holds a slab together if it cracks, isn't something we skip here.
- On a sloped lot, a driveway or patio that falls even slightly toward the house sends every winter storm against the foundation, so we set the grade before we set forms.
- A lot of older driveways and walks here were poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, which is why so many have sunk, tilted or split.
Concrete work we do on Berkeley properties
Concrete driveway building
Good when an old driveway has sunk or split on a steep approach. We dig it out, pack a real base and grade it so water runs to the street.
Concrete patio construction
When the back yard slopes toward the house, a new patio can be pitched away from your walls so rain stops pooling by the back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or slate, and on hillside yards we keep enough texture underfoot for wet days.
Concrete sidewalk building
For front walks that have lifted, cracked or started tripping people, we tear out the bad sections and pour new ones that meet the steps cleanly.
Garage floor concrete
For a garage floor that's cracked, stained or pitched the wrong way, we pour a new slab with a slight fall toward the door so water drains out.
Decorative concrete
Colored, exposed-aggregate or scored finishes for entries and walks on older houses, where plain gray concrete can look out of place against the rest of the house.
Concrete retaining walls
On lots cut into a hill, a concrete retaining wall holds the slope back so a patio, driveway or yard has level ground to sit on.
Concrete floor installation
Interior slabs for basements, workshops and additions, poured flat enough to take tile, wood or a polished finish without grinding down high spots later.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck has to drain away from both the water and the house, with a finish that grips bare feet when it's wet.
Concrete steps construction
Plenty of front doors here sit well above the street, so we form steps with even risers and treads and tie them to a proper footing.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, studio or addition on flatter ground, we build the slab foundation to the engineer's plan, with the base, rebar and vapor barrier done right.
Foundation installation
When a builder or owner needs a foundation poured to plan on a sloped lot, our crew forms it, sets the steel and pours it to the drawings.
Concrete parking lot building
For small apartment buildings and shops whose lot is breaking up, we pour concrete paving thick enough for the traffic and graded so water drains off.
Concrete footings
Footings carry the weight of decks, walls and additions down to firm soil, and on hillside ground their depth and size matter a great deal.
Foundation raising
When part of a house or slab has settled, we can raise it back toward level, and I'll tell you when a hillside job needs an engineer first.
Concrete cutting
Saw cutting for a new drain line, a wider driveway opening or a doorway through a slab, with clean edges and as little dust as we can manage.
- Request an estimate
Get a free on-site estimate for your Berkeley concrete job
Send us the details and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Berkeley property. I look at every job myself, and the estimate is free with no obligation to book.
(628) 234-2042Berkeley concrete questions we hear most
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway or patio in Berkeley?
Ask before you pour, because Berkeley's Permit Service Center issues building permits for all construction work and most repairs unless the work is on the city's list of work exempt from building permits. Even exempt work still has to meet the state building code and the city's own laws, and a zoning permit can still apply. I check with the city for your address before we start, and when a permit is needed we handle the application and the inspections.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Berkeley?
A retaining wall no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, is exempt from a building permit in Berkeley unless it holds up a surcharge, extra weight such as a driveway or a sloped yard above it. A wall inside a required setback, the strip along your property lines where building is limited, needs a zoning permit even when it's short. On a hillside, that load question is the first thing I look at, because a wall holding up a slope is a different job.
Does a concrete contractor need a California license to work in Berkeley?
Yes, for almost any concrete job, because the California Contractors State License Board requires a license whenever a project needs a building permit, uses additional workers or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The contractor has to hold that license before bidding, and Berkeley also requires a city business license of anyone operating in the city, including contractors applying for building permits. We're licensed and insured.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Berkeley?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the site, because on Berkeley lots the price turns on things you only measure in person. The big ones are how much old concrete comes out, how much digging and base the ground needs, how steep the lot is and how far the trucks have to reach, and whether you want a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, or stamped or colored work. The estimate is free and done on site, so that's where you get your own figure.
How long will I be without my driveway after a new concrete pour in Berkeley?
You lose it for the tear-out and the pour, then for curing, the wait while the concrete gains strength before it can carry weight. You can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it, and the weather, the mix and the size of the job set both dates, so I give you yours at the estimate. Beyond that, the schedule mostly turns on how much base work the site needs and on inspections if a permit is involved.
What causes concrete driveways to crack in Berkeley?
Most cracking comes from a weak base, water getting under the slab, and control joints, the grooves cut to give a slab a planned place to crack, that were cut late or skipped. We dig out and pack the base instead of raking it level, grade the slab away from your house, pour early so midday heat doesn't leave a weak, dusty top, and cut the joints on time. Concrete still moves, so the goal is a crack that lands in a joint and stays tight, and that's why I'd put your money into the base before the finish.
Tell us about your Berkeley concrete project
Our phones are on from early morning until late evening every day, so call (628) 234-2042 or use our form and tell us what's cracking, sinking or pooling so I know what to look at.