Concrete Contractor in San Lorenzo, CA - Driveways and Patios Built From the Base Up
Creekstone Hayward Concrete Company is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations in San Lorenzo, CA. We dig out and pack the base under every slab, because that's where most concrete trouble starts.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
San Lorenzo yards, driveways and the ground beneath
San Lorenzo sits between San Leandro and Hayward, close enough to where we're based that the drive is the shortest part of the job. It's mostly blocks of single-family houses on flat streets, with shops along the main roads, and plenty of the concrete here has been down long enough to show it. The calls we get are about driveways that dip at the garage, walks lifted by a tree root and patios that hold a puddle after every rain.
Flat ground makes forming easy and drainage hard, because water doesn't leave a flat yard on its own. On these lots the base and the slope decide how the job turns out, so that's where I spend my time.
Concrete work we do for San Lorenzo homes
Concrete driveway building
Plenty of driveways here have settled, cracked or tipped toward the garage. We tear out the old slab, dig out and pack a real base, then pour.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are mostly flat, which sounds easy until water has nowhere to go. We set the patio so it sheds rain away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
If you want a patio or walk that looks like stone or brick, stamping does it in one pour. The base underneath still matters more than the pattern.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks lifted by roots or sunk at one end catch toes. We replace the bad sections and slope them so water runs off instead of toward the porch.
Garage floor concrete
Old garage floors here crack, dust or hold water by the door. We break out the worn slab and pour one built for what you park.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns can dress up a plain front yard. We plan the look around the joints so cracks land where we want them.
Concrete retaining walls
Most lots here are flat, but where the yard steps up at a fence or a planter, you need a wall that holds the soil and drains behind it.
Concrete floor installation
For a shop, a shed or a room addition, we pour interior floors on a packed base so they sit flat under furniture, shelving and foot traffic.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks see wet feet, chlorine and sun all summer. We give them a broom finish for grip and slope them so splash water drains away from the pool.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here settle away from the porch or crumble at the edges. We rebuild them with even risers and steel inside to hold them together.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, an ADU or a garage, we build the slab on ground we've dug out and checked, since a slab is only as good as its base.
Foundation installation
When an older house or a new structure here needs a new foundation, we dig, form and pour it to the plans the county approves.
Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind shops and apartment buildings take heavy, daily traffic. We pour them thick enough for the load and pitch them so rain reaches the drains.
Concrete footings
Fences, patio covers and decks all sit on footings. We size and pour them for what they carry, so the structure above has something solid to stand on.
Foundation raising
If a slab or a corner of the house has sunk as the soil underneath shifted, we look at why first, then lift and support it.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut old slabs for removal, openings for new drains or utility lines, and clean edges where new concrete meets old along a drive or walk.
Get a free written estimate for your San Lorenzo concrete
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day. I come out to measure the job myself, then send a written estimate, free and with no obligation to go ahead.
(510) 264-7080- Based in
- Hayward, CA 94541
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Working in San Lorenzo means working with the county
San Lorenzo is unincorporated, so Alameda County issues the permits here, not a city hall. When a job needs one, the county's review sets the start date, and the county's permits also cover work in county roads and sidewalks, so a driveway that meets the street gets planned around that review. We check what your job needs and file when it needs a permit. Before you sign with anyone, check two things, a state contractor license and the county's own business license, both covered in the questions below. We're fully licensed and insured.
The price moves with how much old concrete comes out, how much soft ground we dig out and replace with packed base, how thick the slab is, how much rebar goes in to hold it together, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the county's review when there's a permit, the weather on pour day and the wait before you can use the slab, and my written estimate lists what goes under the slab as well as what goes on top. Streets here are mostly residential, so we plan where the concrete truck parks and how it reaches your yard, the same as on our jobs in Union City.
Why San Lorenzo driveways and patios fail
The flatlands San Lorenzo Creek crosses on its way to the bay sit on layers of sand, gravel, silt and clay, and each lot is a little different underneath. Clay holds water and moves, sand drains, and a slab poured on a mix of both without a dug-out, packed base settles unevenly. So I look at the soil when the old slab comes out, and we dig out the soft spots and pack a gravel subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, before any concrete shows up.
A lot of driveways and patios here have settled toward the house or the garage, so rain runs the wrong way and sits against the foundation. Before we set forms, I check where the water goes now and where it should, and we pitch the new slab to send it to the street or the yard.
How a concrete job runs in San Lorenzo
Here's what happens from your first call to the final walk-through, and where the county's permit review fits if your job needs one.
Call us or send the form
Reach us at (510) 264-7080 or through the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. You don't need a plan yet, only the problem.
I measure and ask questions
I come out, measure, and ask what the slab has to carry and how you use the space, so it helps if you're home. You get a written estimate that prices the base under the slab as well as the finish on top, so nothing hides in a lump sum.
We permit, form and pour
If the job needs a county permit, we file it and set the start date around the county's review. Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and pours, and I'm on site running it.
We walk the finished job
We pull the forms and clean up, then I walk the job with you. I'll tell you when you can walk on the new slab and when it's ready for a car, since those aren't the same day.
Questions about concrete work in San Lorenzo
How do I apply for a building permit in San Lorenzo, CA?
You apply through the Alameda County Permit Portal, which handles building permits for the county's unincorporated communities, San Lorenzo among them. The portal is also where plans go in, inspections get scheduled and you can check a permit's status. When your job needs one, we file it and plan the start around the county's review.
Does a concrete contractor need a California state license?
Yes, for any job that needs a building permit, uses any extra workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts. The Contractors State License Board licenses the businesses and people who build or alter structures in California, so a driveway or patio crew should hold one. Ask to see it before you sign.
Does a contractor from Hayward need a county business license to work in San Lorenzo?
Yes. Alameda County requires its business license for any business activity in the unincorporated areas, even when the company is based in another city or already holds that city's license. The county treats it as an annual tax paid each calendar year and says it only shows the tax was paid, so it's no stand-in for the state contractor license.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in San Lorenzo, CA?
A plain broom-finished driveway on a well-packed base is the least you'll spend on one that lasts, and stamping, color or extra tear-out add to it. If the budget's tight, cut the pattern, not the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and everybody sees it when the slab sinks. I'll price yours in writing after I measure it.
Will a new concrete patio in San Lorenzo crack like the old one?
It may, because concrete cracks, and I'd rather tell you that now than explain it later. What we control is where it cracks and whether it stays level, so we pack the base and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, the day we pour. A hairline crack in a joint is normal, and a slab that drops or tilts usually means the base gave out.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you both dates for your pour once I know the mix and the weather. Curing is that wait while the concrete keeps hardening, and driving on it early can crack or mark a slab that looks done but isn't. On hot days we'd rather pour early than at midday, because a slab that dries too fast ends up with a weak, dusty top.
Hayward, CA
Ask about your San Lorenzo concrete job
If you've put this one off a while, you're in good company, but the soft spot under a sinking slab usually gets bigger while you wait, not smaller.