Concrete Contractor in San Ramon, CA - Driveways and Patios Built for Shifting Soil

Bedrock Lafayette Concrete is a concrete contractor in Lafayette, CA, and we pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and retaining walls for San Ramon homes, with the ground underneath prepared for the clay that's common here.

Get an estimate (925) 298-0707

Concrete steps descend beside pale stone retaining walls into a landscaped yard with a curving gravel path.

A wide gray concrete driveway leads to the entrance of a brick house, framed by brick pillars and landscaped beds.

What San Ramon's homes and ground ask of a slab

San Ramon is mostly homes on planned residential streets, from the older ranch neighborhoods near 680 to newer graded neighborhoods like Dougherty Valley, and nearly every one has a driveway, a backyard patio and a side-yard walk that get used every day. A lot of yards slope, and many of the slabs we look at went in when the house was built, so the calls we get are for driveways that have settled, patios that pool water and walks that have lifted at a seam. The homes feel a lot like those in Dublin to the south and Alamo to the north, and most of our work in all three is flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks that lie flat on the ground.

The ground is what I watch most here. The city's building code calls out expansive soil across San Ramon, meaning clay that swells when it's wet and shrinks as it dries, and that's a finding for the whole city rather than a test of any one lot. So we treat every job as if the clay is there until we've dug down and seen for ourselves.

Concrete work we do for San Ramon homes

Concrete driveway building
We dig out the old base, pack new rock and set steel, then give the driveway a broom finish, a brushed texture that helps tires grip on a slope.
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Concrete patio construction
For a backyard patio, we check where rain runs first, then slope the slab away from your house so water drains off instead of pooling at the wall.
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Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete takes the pattern of stone, slate or brick while it's still soft. The pattern sits on the same packed base as any slab we pour.
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Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks and side-yard paths show settling fast. We set forms to an even grade and cut control joints, grooves that give cracks a planned place to go.
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Garage floor concrete
A garage slab carries cars, tools and the odd oil spill, so we size its thickness for the load and trowel it smooth enough to sweep clean.
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Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns can dress up an entry or patio. We'll explain which finishes hold up to summer sun and which need resealing.
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Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped lot, a wall holds back soil and the water behind it. We plan the footing, steel and drainage first, and talk through permits before digging.
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Concrete floor installation
Interior slabs for shops and additions need a flat surface. We pack the subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, and finish to the level your flooring needs.
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Concrete pool decks
Around a pool you want footing that isn't slick and water that runs to drains, not toward the house or the pool. We plan both before the pour.
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Concrete steps construction
Entry steps need even heights so nobody trips. We form each step the same, set rebar, steel bars that hold it together, and broom the treads for grip.
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Slab foundation building
A slab foundation carries a whole building, so it follows the engineer's plans for thickness and steel. Our part is a well-prepared base and a careful pour.
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Foundation installation
For additions and new structures, we dig and form footings and walls to the approved plans, and keep inspections in the schedule so nothing gets poured too early.
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Concrete parking lot building
A shared lot or wide parking pad takes heavier loads than a home driveway. We plan a thicker slab, a firmer base and drainage that carries water off.
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Concrete footings
Decks, sheds and fence posts sit on footings, concrete set below ground to carry them. We dig to the depth the plan calls for and keep them level.
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Foundation raising
When a slab or foundation has sunk, we look at why before lifting anything. Where the job needs an engineer, I'll tell you so plainly.
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Concrete cutting
When only part of a slab needs to go, for a drain line or a cracked section, we saw a clean, straight edge so the rest stays sound.
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Before your concrete job in San Ramon starts

In San Ramon, building permits come from the city's Building & Safety office, and when your project needs one, that review has to finish before we pour, so it can set your start date more than our crew does. We help you work out which offices your project goes through, and we handle the permit paperwork with you as part of the job. Any contractor you hire should hold a California contractor license, and a business located in San Ramon also needs a city business license, so both are fair to ask about, and we're fully licensed and insured. Your price moves with the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how much base work the ground needs, how a truck reaches the spot and the finish you choose, and the schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, the days a new slab needs to harden before you use it. If the budget is tight, I'd keep the base work and choose a plain broom finish over a fancier surface, because a surface can be redone later and the ground under a slab can't, and you'll get your own figure when I come out for the estimate.

Most of our San Ramon jobs are a short run down 680 from Lafayette, and I'm on site with our crew for the work, not just for the estimate. The streets here are mostly quiet residential ones with cul-de-sacs and sloped lots, so getting to a back yard matters more than the drive. We do the same flatwork in Lafayette, the cities around it and out to Alameda, and we prepare a base here the way we do it there.

We check where the rain runs on your lot before we set forms, so the finished slab falls away from your house instead of toward it.
Summer afternoons in the valley get hot, so we plan pours for the morning, because concrete that dries too fast in the sun can end up with a weak, dusty top.
Where a truck can't reach a back yard or a narrow side yard, we pump or wheel the concrete in, and that's one of the things that moves the price.
When a new slab meets one you're keeping, like a garage floor or a front walk, we saw a clean edge so the two sit flush and the old one isn't chipped.
If a native oak stands near your new slab, tell us early, because on a single-family lot the city makes an exception to its no-permit tree rule for a native oak 6 inches in diameter, measured 54 inches above the ground.

Get a free on-site estimate for your San Ramon project

Thank you for considering us. Send the form or call (925) 298-0707, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look at the job myself. The estimate is free with no obligation, and you're welcome to bring your questions about permits for a wall, a shed pad or a new driveway.

(925) 298-0707

Questions San Ramon homeowners ask about concrete

Does my retaining wall in San Ramon need a permit?

A retaining wall not over 4 feet tall needs no permit under the city's list of permit-free work, and that height runs from the bottom of the foundation to the top of the wall. The exemption ends if the wall holds back a surcharge, the extra load from something like a cut into a hillside, or if your home is in an engineered grading development such as Dougherty Valley. On a sloped lot, that question often belongs with an engineer and the city, and we'll help you find the answer before we dig.

Does a small shed on a concrete slab need a permit in San Ramon?

A shed or other accessory building of 120 square feet or less needs no building permit in San Ramon as long as no electrical or plumbing work is planned, and anything larger does need one. Being exempt doesn't let the work break the building code or other local rules, so a small shed still has to be built right. If we're pouring the slab for it, we'll go over the size with you and confirm the rest with the city before the pour.

When does a concrete contractor need a California state license?

A contractor needs a license from the Contractors State License Board when the project needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials together. The board lists a job as possibly exempt only when it needs no permit, uses no employee labor and comes in under $1,000 combined, and few concrete jobs fit that. We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask to see it.

Will my new concrete driveway in San Ramon crack like the old one?

Concrete can crack, and I'd rather tell you that plainly, but the cracks on older driveways usually come from a thin base, missing steel and joints cut late or not at all. We dig out and pack the base with the clay in mind, set rebar, cut control joints so any crack runs in a groove we chose, and keep you off the slab while it cures. I'll give you the dates for walking on it and for driving on it, so the slab gets the time it needs.

Service areas

We're based in Lafayette and work throughout the East Bay. The cities listed here have their own pages, and if yours isn't among them, please call anyway, since we work in many of the cities around Lafayette.

Call (925) 298-0707 or send the form before you settle on a wall height or a shed size, because a small change on paper can decide whether the city needs a permit at all.