Concrete Contractor in Ashland, CA - Slabs That Drain and Stay Put
Precision Hayward Concrete pours driveways, patios, steps and walks for houses and small businesses in Ashland, CA, starting with the ground under the slab and where the water goes so the new concrete drains and holds level.
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Services in Ashland, CA
Concrete driveway building
A lot of Ashland driveways were poured decades ago and have sunk or split where the base under them gave way. We break out the old slab, dig down to firm ground and pack a new base before we pour, so the new driveway sits on something solid.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here tend to be small, and an old patio that tips toward the house sends rain right against the wall. We set the new patio to fall away from the house and size it to the yard you actually have.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here often crumble at the edges or pull away from the porch as the ground under them shifts. We tear them out, set footings and steel, and pour steps with even rises so nobody catches a toe on one odd step.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walks down the side of the house and out to the street get lifted by roots and worn down by years of foot traffic. We replace the bad sections or the whole run and cut the joints where we want the cracks to go.
Concrete pool decks
The pools behind some older Ashland homes sit inside decks that have cracked, settled or started to hold water. We pour new concrete pool decks that drain away from the pool and the house, with a surface that isn't slick when it's wet.
Concrete cutting
When only one panel of a driveway or walk has sunk, or a new line has to run under a slab, cutting is cleaner than breaking out the whole thing. We saw a straight edge, take out just what has to go and pour the patch level with the rest.
Ashland, CA properties and local conditions
Most of the houses we see in Ashland are older, and so is a lot of the concrete around them, which means sunken driveway panels, walks pushed up by roots and patios that slope back toward the house instead of away from it. Usually the trouble started underneath, with a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the slab dropped as the dirt settled. We break out the old concrete, dig past the soft fill and compact the subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, before any forms go in, because that's the one part you can't fix later without starting over.
Water is the other thing. Nearly all the rain in this part of the county falls from October through April, and a slab that drains toward the house or holds a puddle shows it every one of those months, so we check where water runs on your lot before we set the forms and plan wet-season pours around the forecast.
What working in Ashland means for your permit and your contractor
Ashland has no city government of its own, so on jobs here we deal with Alameda County. Going by an older version of the county's building inspection page, its building inspection office issues permits and does inspections for private construction across the unincorporated areas, so whether your job needs a permit is the county's call, and its review and inspections become part of your schedule. Before you hire anyone, us included, check for a California contractor's license from the Contractors State License Board and an Alameda County business license, which the county requires for work in its unincorporated areas even from a contractor based in another city or holding that city's license. When a job needs a permit, we handle the paperwork and the inspections with you. The price mostly moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how much base work the ground needs and any steel or decorative finish, and the start date turns on the permit, the weather and the curing time, the days the new concrete needs to harden before you use it, so your own figure comes from the estimate once I've seen the site.
Most of what we pour here is flatwork, the driveways, patios, walks and steps around a house, and plenty of it sits on lots where the only way into the back is a narrow side yard. Along East 14th Street, where shops and apartments face a busy road, we work out where the truck parks and how we keep the walk open well before pour day. We're a concrete contractor based in Hayward, CA, and we do the same kind of work next door in San Lorenzo and Cherryland.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Ashland concrete job
Tell us about your Ashland driveway, patio or steps, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out myself, look at the site and listen to what you want, then write up a free estimate with no obligation to go ahead.
(510) 333-4444How a concrete job in Ashland goes once you call
Call or send the form
Call (510) 333-4444 or send the form with a few words about the job, and we'll set a time for me to come out. A photo or two of the old slab helps me know what to look for.
I walk the site with you
I check the old concrete, the ground around it and where the water runs, and I listen to what you want the space to do. You get a written estimate that breaks out the tear-out, base, steel and finish, so you can see what each part costs before you decide.
We line up permits and prep
If the job needs a county permit or engineering, we get that lined up first, and the county's review sets the earliest start date. Then the crew breaks out the old slab, digs down to firm ground and packs the base, and you don't need to be home for it.
We pour, finish and walk it
The crew pours, finishes the surface and cuts the joints, with me running the work the whole time. When it's done, I walk the job with you and go over when you can use it and how to look after it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a permit for a concrete driveway in Ashland, CA?
Permits for Ashland go through the Alameda County Permit Portal, where owners and contractors apply, send in plans, schedule inspections and check where a permit stands. If the work reaches the street, like a new driveway apron or the public sidewalk out front, the county has a separate permit category for work in its roads, sidewalks and right of way. I'll tell you on the visit which of those your job touches.
Does a concrete contractor need a California license for work in Ashland?
Yes, in most cases, because the state requires a contractor's license whenever the work needs a building permit, uses any workers besides the contractor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The only exception is a job that needs no permit, uses no employees, comes in under $1,000 and isn't advertised as licensed work. We're fully licensed and insured.
What does it cost to replace a concrete driveway in Ashland?
Your price comes from the on-site estimate, and in Ashland the biggest swings usually come from how much old concrete has to come out and how hard it is to get the crew and the concrete into the lot. If the budget's tight, I'd keep the money in the base and take a plain broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, because a fancy surface on a poor base cracks just the same. Once a slab is poured, there's no going back under it to fix the ground.
What causes concrete driveways and walks in Ashland to crack and sink?
Most of the sinking we see comes from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab dropped as the loose dirt under it settled. Water makes it worse when a slab drains toward the house or lets rain soak in along its edges, and tree roots lift walks from below. That's why our time goes into the ground and the slope before we talk about the surface.
How long will I be without my driveway after a new concrete pour?
You'll be off it through the tear-out and base work, and then while the concrete cures, which runs in days, not hours. Foot traffic can come back well before cars, and I'll give you the day for each when we walk the finished job. We pour early in the day for the same reason, because concrete that dries too fast in afternoon heat ends up with a weak, dusty top.
Will a new concrete patio in Ashland crack like the old one?
It can, because concrete shrinks as it cures and moves with the ground, and nobody can honestly promise a slab that never cracks. What we can do is decide where it cracks, by cutting control joints, straight grooves that give the slab a planned line to crack along, and by setting rebar, steel bars that hold the pieces together if a crack opens. Most of the ugly cracks on old patios around here came from joints cut late or skipped, on top of a soft base.
About Ashland, CA
Ashland sits between San Leandro and Hayward, with San Leandro to the north and Castro Valley up the hill to the east, and it fits a lot into a small area. Most of the calls we get are from owners of older single-family houses on modest lots, with apartment buildings and small shops along the main roads mixed in. Landlords call about shared driveways and walks that a lot of tenants use every day, and homeowners call about the driveway, the front steps or the patio out back.
Much of the concrete here is original to the house or patched over the years, and additions and garage conversions often leave slabs at different heights. Tight side yards mean we plan how the concrete gets to the back before anything else, and old slabs mean we usually find out what's really under them only once they're broken out, so that's where the job starts.
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Hayward, CA
Ask about your Ashland concrete job
Calling (510) 333-4444 or sending the form now gives us time to sort out any county permit and plan the pour around the weather, instead of rushing either one.