Plain gray concrete that doesn't suit your house? We color new patios, walkways and driveways, and build the slab underneath with the same care.
Decorative concrete is new concrete with color added, either a pigment mixed through the whole batch or a powder worked into the fresh surface, and in Lafayette we use it on patios, walkways, driveways and other flatwork, the flat slabs around a house, so the new concrete fits your home instead of sitting there plain gray.
Most people who call us have a plain slab they're tired of, or a new patio they want to look like it belongs with the house. The first decision is how the color goes in. The second is what's underneath, because the base, the steel and the joints decide whether a good-looking surface stays flat and tidy. We also help you work out whether your job goes through the city, the county or both, and we handle the permit paperwork with you.
The price mostly moves with the size of the slab, the color method you pick, any pattern or stamping, and how much digging and base work the ground needs before we pour. The schedule turns on the weather, any permits and curing, the wait while the concrete gains strength before you can walk or drive on it. Your written estimate gives you a figure for your own job, and we go over the choices that change it.
Thank you for calling. Here's how it goes from the first visit to the day we hand the finished slab back to you.
I've run Bedrock Lafayette Concrete since 2023, and I come to every job in person to take measurements and listen to what you have in mind before I write anything down. That way the estimate fits your yard, not a guess from a photo.
You get a written estimate, and we go through the color options and the permit steps together so nothing surprises you later. If a question belongs with an engineer or the permit office, I'll tell you so plainly.
I work alongside our crew through the job, and we're fully licensed and insured. Lafayette generally allows construction from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with no noisy work on Sundays or national holidays, so we plan the pour inside those hours and look over the finished slab with you before we call it done.
First I lay out the choice between a bolder surface color and color that runs through the whole slab, and I don't push you toward either one. Then we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, set the forms and steel, and pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry too fast in the heat. Before any hardener goes down, we cover nearby walls, plants and your existing concrete, then we finish the color, cut the joints and let it cure. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you trim the pattern than the base, because the base is buried on day one and it's the part that decides whether the slab settles.
Decorative work often sits next to other concrete. When a patio is cut into a slope, a concrete retaining wall holds the hill back so the new slab has steady ground beside it. Color isn't only for outside, either, and we can work it into a concrete floor installation for a garage, basement or other room.
The color is what you'll see, but most of the work happens before it goes on. Here's what we do on the job and why.
We dig down and pack the base firm, because a base that's only raked level settles with the dirt and takes the slab with it. We also check where the water runs so the slab falls away from your house, not toward it.
Rebar, the steel bars tied inside the slab, holds the concrete together so a crack doesn't spread apart. We plan the control joints at the same time, since those shallow cuts give the slab a chosen place to crack.
We pour early, because a slab poured in midday heat can dry too fast and end up with a weak, dusty top. The color goes in while the concrete is fresh, either mixed in from the truck or worked into the surface by hand.
We cut the joints on time, since a late cut lets the slab crack wherever it wants first. Then it needs time to cure, and we'll tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for a car.
Thank you for reaching out. Send the form or call (925) 298-0707, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a time to come out. The estimate is free and done on site, and there's no pressure to book.
(925) 298-0707Cost guides put stamped concrete in San Francisco at about $12 to $30 per square foot, and that's the market's usual range for a stamped surface, not our price. Where your job lands depends on its size, the color method, the pattern and the base work it needs. One cost guide also suggests resealing stamped concrete every two to three years, so it's worth planning that repeat cost into your budget.
Color hardener usually gives the bolder color, because it colors only the top layer, while integral color is mixed through the entire batch and runs all the way through the concrete. One pigment maker notes that integral color is more affected by the mix and impurities in the concrete, which can make an even color harder to hold across a large job. The same maker says poorly applied hardener can later separate from the slab with weather and wear, so ask any crew how they apply it.
Most concrete shows some cracking as it dries and shrinks, and no method stops that completely. Good steel and control joints can cut down on cracking and keep the large visible cracks in check, so ask any contractor how they'll build your slab. I'd rather tell you that plainly now than have it surprise you later.
Building and grading permits for Lafayette are issued by the Contra Costa County Building Inspection Department, and work in the city's right-of-way, the strip along the street that the city controls, needs an encroachment permit from the city. Whether your slab needs a permit depends on the job, so we sort that out together before anything is scheduled.
Yes, unless the job is under $1,000, needs no permit and the person doing it has no employees. The state licensing board counts forming, pouring, finishing and installing pavement and flat concrete as a concrete contractor's work, and anything outside those limits calls for a licensed contractor.
If your yard sits beside a creek, the city requires a creek setback determination before work, and the city code doesn't allow structures inside the setback area, so it's worth finding out where that line falls before we draw the patio. Near the street, the city's right-of-way on most residential streets generally runs about 20 to 25 feet from the center of the road, and much wider on through-roads, so a front walkway or even our stacked materials may fall inside it.
We're based in Lafayette and work throughout the East Bay, in Lafayette and many of the cities around it, including Moraga, Orinda and Walnut Creek. A lot of the yards we see around here slope, so a decorative patio often comes with a step or two, and we plan for that from the first visit.
If you mention the slab's rough size, how far it sits from the street and whether a creek runs by your lot, I can come out with the right permit questions already in hand.
If you'd like to talk through color options before deciding anything, we're glad to hear from you.
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