Concrete contractor in Cherryland, CA - slabs that drain away from your house
Precision Hayward Concrete pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps and garage slabs for homes in Cherryland, the unincorporated community next to Hayward, and we dig out and pack the ground under each one before any concrete goes in.
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Services in Cherryland, CA
Concrete driveway building
Many of the Cherryland driveways we tear out were poured on loose dirt years ago and have sunk, split or started tipping water toward the house. We break them out, dig down to firm ground, pack a new base and pour a driveway that sheds water to the street.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are often long and narrow, so a patio has to fit around a garage, a second unit or a fence line without sending rain under your back door or into a neighbor's yard. We set the grade first, then pour a patio sized to the space you actually use.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots here tend to get lifted by big tree roots or broken into pieces that catch a toe. We replace the walk on a packed base and set its height so it meets your steps and the street cleanly.
Concrete steps construction
A lot of older houses in Cherryland have a short run of concrete steps up to the porch that has pulled away from the house or worn uneven. We form new steps with steel inside, set them on solid footing and keep every rise the same height so nobody misses one.
Concrete floor installation
When an owner here turns an old garage or a backyard building into a room, the floor is usually where the job starts, because the old slab is often cracked, low or missing. We pour a new concrete floor on a prepared base so it's level and ready for whatever goes on top.
Foundation raising
Some older Cherryland houses have settled at a corner, and you notice it as doors that stick or a floor that slopes. We look at what's under the house before we lift anything, then raise and support it from plans made for that house.
Cherryland, CA properties and local conditions
Most of the concrete we replace in Cherryland didn't fail because the concrete was bad. It failed because of the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, which was raked flat and never dug out or packed, so it kept settling for years and took the slab down with it. Older driveways and patios here also tend to sit flat or lean toward the house, and that's where you see pooling water, stained siding and a crack running toward the foundation. We dig out the soft soil, pack a gravel base in layers and check where the water will run before a single form goes in, so the new slab falls away from your house.
The ground matters on a bigger scale here too. The county's planning maps put the Hayward Fault along the eastern edge of the Eden Area, the planning area Cherryland belongs to, and the state maps places where the ground may lose its strength and act like wet sand in a strong earthquake. Those are area-wide notes, not a verdict on your lot, so on foundations and footings I look at your site and the plans before saying what it needs.
Working in Cherryland, where the county runs the permits
Cherryland isn't its own city, so Alameda County is the local government here and the county issues the building permits. Owners apply and submit plans through the county's permit portal, and when a job needs a permit, the pour waits on the county's review, so that review often sets the start date more than our crew does. Before you hire anyone, check two things: a license from the Contractors State License Board, and the county business license any contractor working in the unincorporated areas has to carry. We're fully licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit we handle the paperwork and inspections with you. The price moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig for a solid base, how hard it is to get concrete to the spot and the finish you pick, and the written estimate puts a number on your job.
Cherryland shares that county setup with its neighbors in the Eden Area, so a job in Ashland, San Lorenzo or Fairview goes through the same county office and the same business license. Hayward has its own city offices, so on any call near the line, the first thing I check is whether the address is in the city or the county. Streets here are mostly residential and parking is tight on a lot of blocks, so we work out where the mixer truck sits and how the concrete gets to the back of the lot before pour day.
A written estimate for your Cherryland driveway, patio or slab
Send the form or call (510) 333-4444, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit to your Cherryland property. I come out myself, look at the ground and where the water goes, and write up a free estimate with no obligation.
(510) 333-4444How a concrete job goes when you call us in Cherryland
Call us or send the form
Tell us what you've got, whether it's a sunken driveway, a cracked patio or a room that needs a floor, and we set a time to come out. It helps if you're home for the visit so you can show me what's bothering you.
I look over your site
I check the old slab, the soil and where the water runs, and I listen to what you want. The estimate separates the base work, the concrete and the finish, so you can see what each part costs before you decide.
We handle permits and prep
If the job needs a permit, we file it with the county and wait for its review before we pour, and any engineering gets done first. Then our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and places rebar, the steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks.
We pour, finish and walk it
We pour early in the day, finish the surface, often with a broom finish whose light texture keeps feet and tires from slipping, and cut the grooves that tell the slab where to crack, with me running the crew. When it's done, we walk the finished job with you and go over how to treat it while it cures.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to replace a driveway or patio in Cherryland?
Some concrete jobs here need a county building permit and some don't, and it's the county's call, so ask before the old slab comes out. The handout on work exempt from permit, listed on the county's Permit Resources page, is the place to start, and the county's permits also cover work in county roads and sidewalks, which can include the driveway approach at the curb. We sort this out at the estimate and handle the filing with you if it's needed.
Does a contractor from Hayward need a business license to work in Cherryland?
Yes, Alameda County requires a business license for any business activity in its unincorporated areas, Cherryland included, even when the business is based in another city or already holds that city's license. It's an annual tax paid each calendar year, and it only shows the tax is paid, not that the contractor is qualified, so check the state license too.
When does a concrete job in California need a licensed contractor?
A job needs a state-licensed contractor when it needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Contractors have to be licensed before they bid, so ask for the license number with the estimate, not after you've signed.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Cherryland?
Your price comes from the size of the driveway, how much old concrete we haul off, how much soft ground we dig out and replace, and the finish, and I put a number on each once I've seen the site. If the budget's tight, cut the finish before you cut the base, because a plain broom-finished slab on a packed base holds up better than a fancy one on loose dirt, and the base is the one part you can't fix later without tearing everything out.
What causes cracks in a new concrete slab, and can you prevent them?
Concrete shrinks as it dries and moves with the ground, so some cracking is normal, and nobody can honestly promise a slab that never cracks. What we control is where and how much, with a packed base so it doesn't settle, rebar so the pieces stay together, and control joints, grooves cut into the surface so the slab cracks along a straight line we chose instead of across the middle.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Cherryland?
You can usually walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because it's still curing, slowly gaining strength as it hardens, and a car on a young slab can crack it. The wait depends on the mix and the weather that week, so we tell you when it's safe to walk on and when to park on it before we leave.
About Cherryland, CA
Cherryland sits right up against Hayward, and on our jobs it reads as a neighborhood of older single-story houses on narrow, deep lots, many with a detached garage at the back and some with a second unit in the yard. Big old trees shade a lot of the streets, and they're behind many of the lifted walks and broken driveways we get called about. The houses and yards look a lot like what we work on in San Leandro, just on tighter lots.
Those long, narrow lots shape the job more than anything. A driveway often runs past the house with a fence on one side, so we usually pump or wheel the concrete back and set the forms to keep the slab inside your line.
Explore the services
Hayward, CA
Book a site visit in Cherryland
Our hours run until 10 PM on weeknights and 8 PM on weekends, so call (510) 333-4444 after work or send the form whenever it suits you.