Concrete contractor in San Leandro - driveways and slabs that drain right
Precision Hayward Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Hayward. We pour driveways, patios, steps, walls and foundations in San Leandro, with the ground prepared first and slabs sloped so water runs away from your house.
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Services in San Leandro, CA
Concrete driveway building
A lot of San Leandro driveways are older slabs that have cracked, sunk at one end or started holding puddles by the garage. We break out the old concrete, dig down to firm ground, pack a new base and pour a slab pitched so the water runs off instead of toward the house.
Stamped concrete services
Behind many of the older homes here there's a worn patio or a patch of bare dirt that the owner wants to turn into a place to sit. Our stamped concrete services press a stone or tile pattern into a new patio, and we build the base under it just as we would for a plain slab, so the pattern isn't covering a weak pour.
Concrete retaining walls
On sloped lots, the old wall holding the dirt back is often leaning or cracked, usually because water has been pushing on it from behind for years. We build new walls on proper footings with steel inside and drainage behind them, so that water has a way out.
Foundation installation
Many houses here sit on foundations poured a long time ago, and when a section is cracked or an addition is going in, new concrete has to go under it. We pour foundations and footings from an engineer's plan, with the depth and steel the plan calls for.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older homes tend to pull away from the porch or crumble at the edges, and that turns into a trip hazard. We tear them out, set a footing and form new steps with even risers and a broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives your feet some grip when it's wet.
Garage floor concrete
Detached garages behind older houses often have thin, broken floors that tip the wrong way and collect water. We pour a new floor over a packed base with rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks, and slope it so water heads out the door.
San Leandro, CA properties and local conditions
Most of our calls from San Leandro come from older houses, and the concrete around them shows its age. Driveways and walks from back then were often laid on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so they've settled unevenly and cracked in places nobody chose. In some yards they now tip toward the house and send rain against the foundation, and tree roots lift sidewalk panels on top of that. When we replace them, we start with the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on. We dig to firm soil, pack a base and check where the water runs before we set a single form.
Plenty of homes here are older raised-floor houses that weren't built to today's earthquake standards, and the city runs a course that shows homeowners simple steps to strengthen them. When we pour right up against one of those houses, for new steps or a walk along the wall, I look at what the old footing is doing first so we don't tie new work to an old problem.
Working in San Leandro: permits, licenses and what sets the price
In San Leandro, building permits come from the city's Building Official through the Permit Center. When a job needs one, the city's review has to clear before we dig, so the review often sets the start date more than our calendar does. The city only issues building permits to a California-licensed contractor or the property owner, and anyone doing business inside city limits needs a San Leandro business license before starting, so both are fair things to ask any contractor about. We're fully licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit, we handle the paperwork and inspections with you.
The price mostly comes down to what's under and around the slab, and the finish you pick on top. The schedule turns on permit review, the weather and curing, which is the stretch of days the concrete needs to harden before it can take feet and then cars. My written estimate after the visit gives you the figure for your job. We come over from Hayward, so San Leandro is close, and the same crew works up in Oakland and across the bridge in San Mateo.
Get a free on-site estimate for your San Leandro concrete job
We reply within one business day to set up a visit, and I come out to your San Leandro property myself to look at the site and hear what you want. After that you get a written estimate, free and with no obligation.
(510) 333-4444How a San Leandro concrete job goes once you call
Call us or send the form
Tell us what you're dealing with, whether it's a cracked driveway or a slab for an addition, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home so you can show me what's bothering you.
Walk the site with me
I check the ground, where the water goes and how a truck gets in, then write up the estimate. It spells out what each part of the job is for, so you can see where the money goes before you decide anything.
Line up permits and prep
If the job needs a San Leandro permit, we file it with you and wait for the city's review to clear before we start. Then our crew breaks out the old concrete, digs to firm ground and packs the base, which is the part nobody sees later.
Pour, finish and walk through
Our crew pours and finishes with me running the work, cutting control joints, shallow lines that give the slab a planned place to crack, and covering it while it cures. Then we walk the finished job with you and tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for a car.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out if my driveway replacement needs a permit in San Leandro?
Ask the city's Permit Center, because the city's permit list doesn't settle driveways on their own, though two parts of the job are spelled out. Any work on a street or roadway in the city needs an encroachment permit from Public Works, and moving 50 cubic yards of soil or more, about six dump truck loads, or digging 5 feet deep or more calls for a grading permit. City rules only apply inside city limits, and the Permit Center's page lets you check your address.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in San Leandro?
A short one may not, because the city's permit FAQ lists retaining walls up to 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, as needing no building permit as long as there's no extra weight on the soil behind them and they aren't holding back flammable liquids. A taller wall, or one with a driveway or slope loading it from behind, needs a permit. That FAQ isn't dated, so we confirm with the Permit Center before we build.
Which building codes apply to concrete work in San Leandro now?
San Leandro's current codes took effect January 1, 2026, and they're the state's codes with local changes, including structural changes for earthquake design. For concrete, that matters most on foundations, footings and walls, which we build from plans drawn to the current code.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in San Leandro?
The biggest drivers are the size of the slab, how much old concrete we tear out and haul away, and how much work the ground underneath needs. Thickness, steel, how easy the site is to reach, a stamped or colored finish and any street work add to it. If a budget has to be cut, I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because a nice surface on a soft base settles just like the old one did.
What causes concrete driveways and patios to crack?
Concrete shrinks as it dries and moves with the ground, so most slabs crack somewhere, and the bad cracks usually come from a base that was never packed, water running under the slab, a pour in the midday heat or joints cut late. We pack the base, slope the slab away from the house, pour when the heat won't weaken the top and cut the control joints on time so cracks follow lines we picked. I won't tell you a slab will never crack, but it shouldn't sink and break up the way the old one did.
How long does it take to replace a concrete driveway in San Leandro?
The pour itself is the short part, and most of the time goes to what's around it, permit review if the job needs it, breaking out the old slab, building the base and then curing. You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, so plan on parking on the street for a while. I'll tell you when each one is safe for your slab.
About San Leandro, CA
San Leandro sits between Oakland and our home base in Hayward, and on our jobs it reads as an older, settled city. We see blocks of single-family houses, small apartment buildings, and shops and businesses along the main roads, many of them with concrete that's been there a long time. It runs into San Lorenzo to the south and toward Castro Valley to the east, and the houses and yards feel much the same on either side of the line.
Because so much of the housing is older, a job here usually starts with taking something out and finding out what's under it. That's why I spend the estimate visit looking at the ground and the drainage as much as the concrete you can see.
Explore the services
Hayward, CA
Tell us about your San Leandro project
A slab that's tipping toward the house or a crack that keeps widening usually costs more to fix the longer water gets under it, so call (510) 333-4444 or send the form while it's still a small job.