Concrete driveway building in San Rafael CA - a slab that stays flat and sheds water
Driveway cracked, sinking or holding water? We dig out, pack a firm base and pour a new slab that drains away from your house.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Is a concrete driveway worth it for a San Rafael home?
Concrete driveway building in San Rafael means digging out soft soil, packing a firm base, shaping the grade so water runs away from the garage, and pouring a slab that spreads each car's weight. It costs more than asphalt up front and needs days to cure, but it holds its shape in summer heat and routinely lasts decades.
Most people call us when the old driveway is cracked, sinking or holding puddles by the garage door, and they ask three things first. They want to know what it costs, how long they'll park on the street and whether the new one will crack like the old one. The price mostly turns on the size in square feet, whether an old slab has to come out first, the heaviest vehicle it has to carry and any decorative finish. The schedule turns on the tear-out, the permit check and the wait before cars can go back on it. For a house you plan to keep, I'd pick concrete over asphalt, because the extra you spend now is spread over a lot of years. The written estimate I send lays out each step, so you see where the money goes before you decide.
How we build a concrete driveway
We start by breaking out the old driveway if there is one and hauling it away, then dig out soft soil until we reach firm subgrade, the ground the slab will sit on. We bring in base rock and pack it in layers with a compactor, because a base that's only raked level settles with the dirt and takes the slab down with it. Then we set forms so the slab falls away from the garage and the house. Before any concrete shows up, I lay out the control joints, the cuts that give the slab a planned line to crack along, so the cracks concrete makes land where we chose and not across the middle of a panel. We pour early in the day, since a slab poured in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top, then give it a broom finish, a light texture that gives tires and shoes grip when it's wet. Curing is the wait while the concrete gains strength before it takes weight, and we tell you how long to keep cars off it. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it's what keeps the slab flat years later.
A driveway is often one piece of a bigger plan. If you've wanted a concrete patio out back, it's worth pricing at the same visit, since the crew and the concrete truck are already coming. And if plain gray isn't what you want at the front of the house, our stamped concrete services press a stone or brick pattern and color into the surface, poured over the same kind of packed base.
Broom-finished slab for everyday cars
This suits most homes, because a driveway that carries passenger cars follows a typical slab plan. It's the plainest finish, so more of your budget goes into the base and the joints.
Reinforced slab for heavier loads
If a truck, an RV or a work van parks on it, or the support underneath is weak, the design changes, and rebar, steel bars set inside the slab, helps keep cracks narrow and holds the pieces together after cracking. Steel doesn't stand in for even support and good joints, so we still do both.
If the old driveway is sinking or sending water toward the garage, call before the rains, because water under broken concrete keeps softening what holds it up.
What happens after you call about a new driveway?
Here's how a driveway job runs with us, from your first call to the day you can park on it again. I'm part of every step, and our own crew does the work.
Call or send a message
Call (628) 234-2042 or fill out the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to look at the driveway.
I measure and write it up
I come out myself, measure, and ask what the driveway has to carry and what you want on top of it. You get a written estimate that lays out each step, from tear-out to curing, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
We settle details and pour
Before pour day we settle the permit question, the layout and where the water will go, then I'm on site with our crew from setting forms to the finish. When we're done, we tell you when cars can go back on it.
Get a written estimate for your concrete driveway
Send the form and we reply within one business day to set a visit. I come out, measure and send a written estimate, and it's free with no pressure to book.
(628) 234-2042Concrete driveway building in San Rafael, from permits to pour day
Whether your new driveway needs a building permit from the City of San Rafael turns on details of your lot, so I check with the city before we plan anything. The city's permit exemption list covers driveways less than 30 inches above the ground next to them, not over a basement or a story below, and not part of an exit path or accessible route. Work that needs no building permit can still get conditions from the city's planning, fire and public works departments, and the project has to be reviewed with them to learn whether it's allowed. When a permit is needed, we handle the application, which the city now takes online, and the inspections.
Many of the driveways we pour around here replace an older slab close to the street, so the forms, the concrete truck and the debris box all need room on pour day, and we work out where each one goes at the estimate. It's the same planning we bring to jobs in San Anselmo and Mill Valley.
Concrete driveway questions from San Rafael homeowners
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in the Bay Area?
In the Bay Area, an un-reinforced concrete driveway usually runs about $8 to $14 per square foot, not counting tearing out an old one. Removing an existing driveway first can push the cost per square foot up, and a reinforced slab or a decorative finish changes it too. Your written estimate gives the price for your driveway once I've measured it.
How long does a new concrete driveway need to cure before I can park on it?
Keep cars off a new concrete driveway for about 7 days, and keep heavier trucks and RVs off for closer to 28 days. Plan on a week or more of street parking, longer if an RV or work truck uses the driveway, and we'll tell you when yours is ready.
Will my new concrete driveway crack?
Yes, concrete driveways crack, and good work steers those cracks into planned joints where they stay tight and hard to see. The honest goal is controlled cracking, not a crack-free slab, so ask about joint layout before you hire anyone.
Do I need a permit for a dumpster when replacing my driveway in San Rafael?
Yes, setting a debris box on a public street or sidewalk needs a city permit, and so does any construction work in the street, sidewalk or alley, through the city's encroachment permit. If someone else bids your job, ask where their debris box will sit. The building permit question is separate and turns on the conditions above, and I check both before we start.
Does a contractor need a license to build a driveway in California?
Yes, unless the whole job is under $1,000, needs no permit, and the person doing it has no one working for them on it, which is the only case where California lets an unlicensed person take the work. Ask anyone who bids your driveway for their license. We're licensed and insured.
How do I take care of a new concrete driveway?
Once it's cured, a concrete driveway needs little more than care of its joints and an occasional seal. Keep heavy loads off until the cure wait is over, and keep the joints clean so they can do their job.
Concrete work that pairs with a driveway
A patio poured off the back door gives you a flat, drained spot for a table and grill, built on the same packed base as the driveway.
Stamped concrete adds a stone, brick or tile look and color to a driveway or walkway, so the front of the house gets more than plain gray.
Get your driveway estimate on the calendar
Call (628) 234-2042 or use the contact form with the driveway's rough size, whether the old slab comes out and the heaviest vehicle it'll carry, so the visit goes straight to the details.