Concrete Contractor in Dublin, CA - Driveways and Patios Built From the Base Up
Complete San Leandro Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Dublin, CA. We build driveways, backyard patios, pool decks, steps and retaining walls for Dublin homes, starting with the ground underneath so the slab has something solid to sit on.
Dublin: newer tracts and sloped back lots
Dublin sits over the hill from us in San Leandro, and a lot of the housing we work around there is newer. You see tract neighborhoods with wide two-car driveways, backyards laid out for a patio or a pool, and streets on the west side that climb into the hills. It's a different job from Alameda, where we're mostly working around older houses on tighter lots.
On a lot of these houses the original concrete went in while a whole street was going up at once, so the calls we get are usually about a driveway that settled at the edges, a patio that's too small or water running back toward the house. On the hillside lots the grade drives the job, because a patio or a wall has to work with where the ground and the water want to go.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Concrete work we do in Dublin
Concrete driveway building
Wide two-car driveways here often sink at the edges or crack across the middle. We tear out, dig down, pack a new base and pour.
Concrete patio construction
Builder patios here tend to be small, so many calls are about going bigger. We slope the new slab away from the house so water drains off.
Concrete pool decks
A backyard pool needs a deck that sheds water away from the pool and the house. We build concrete pool decks with a textured top for wet feet.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped back lots on the west side often need a wall before there's room for a patio. We build retaining walls with drainage behind them.
Concrete steps construction
Sloped lots mean front steps, and old steps crack and pull away from the house. We form and pour new steps with even, comfortable rises.
Stamped concrete services
Many Dublin homeowners want a patio that looks like stone or tile. Stamped concrete presses that pattern into the slab, over the same packed base.
What to know before concrete work in Dublin
The City of Dublin's Building and Safety Division issues the permits for most construction and repair work in the city, so we check with it early and settle the permit question before anything gets scheduled. A permit that needs plan review usually takes about two to three weeks to process, while most minor permits are issued over the counter, so that review is often what sets your start date. If your project also goes to DSRSD for review, the city wants that approval before it issues the building permit. The city also requires everyone doing business inside its limits to hold a current Dublin business license, including companies based somewhere else and their subcontractors, so it's fair to ask any contractor about it. We're fully licensed and insured, and when a job needs a permit, we handle the application and set up the inspections with you.
We come out from San Leandro on 580, past Castro Valley, and we do the same kind of work just north of you in San Ramon. On your job, the price moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out before we can pack a base, how easy it is to get a truck to the spot and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, which is the wait while new concrete gains strength before you use it. I come out, measure and put all of it in a written estimate with your options laid out.
Get a free written estimate for your Dublin concrete job
Tell us about your Dublin project, and ask about the permit steps while you're at it. We reply within one business day, then I come out myself, measure, ask how you'll use the space and write up an estimate with your options and what each one means. It's free and there's no obligation.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Concrete ideas for Dublin homes
Concrete questions from Dublin homeowners
Do I need a permit for a concrete patio in Dublin?
Most likely yes, because patios are on the City of Dublin's list of projects that need a building permit, along with garden and retaining walls and pools. The city's list is open-ended, so I check your project against the city's building permits page at the estimate. That way you know where you stand before we pick a date.
Does a short retaining wall need a permit in Dublin?
Not always, since the city exempts retaining walls three feet tall or less unless the wall holds back a surcharge, which is extra weight on the high side, or a ground slope of five percent. Walls on sloped Dublin back lots often hold back exactly that kind of slope, so the exemption fits less often than people hope. I'll go over where your wall falls when I measure.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Dublin?
It comes down to your driveway's size, how much old slab has to be broken out and hauled away, how deep we dig for the base and how much rebar, the steel grid that holds the slab together, it needs. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you pick a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, than cut corners on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and you can't fix it later without tearing the whole thing out. Your written estimate shows each option side by side.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Dublin?
You can usually walk on new concrete within a few days, but cars wait longer, and I'll tell you the day for your slab. That's the curing time, and loading concrete before it's had it can crack or mark it. Plan on parking on the street for a bit, and keep heavy trucks off the edges for a while after that.
What causes concrete patios to crack and sink?
Sinking almost always starts with the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, because dirt that's raked flat instead of dug out and packed keeps settling and the concrete goes down with it. Cracks are a different story, since all concrete shrinks as it dries, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves across the slab, on time so it cracks along them instead of across the middle. Will your new patio crack? Probably a hairline somewhere, but in a place we chose, and I'd rather tell you that now.
How do I keep water from pooling next to my house on a new patio in Dublin?
Pitch the slab so it falls gently away from the house toward the yard or a drain, which we check before anything gets formed. On sloped lots the uphill side matters just as much, because water running down the yard has to go around the patio, not under it. If water already pools by your house, mention it when you call and I'll look at where it's coming from.