We're Form & Pour Vacaville Concrete, a concrete contractor based in Vacaville, CA, and we pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for Fairfield homes. I come out myself to look at your job, and our own crew does the work.
(707) 514-3389
Fairfield is right next door to us in Vacaville, and most calls from here start with a homeowner looking at concrete that's cracked, sunk at one corner or holding a puddle after every rain. In the tract neighborhoods that's often the original driveway or patio, and when we break it out we usually find it was poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled right along with the dirt.
The other common call is an add-on, like a wider driveway, a patio off the back slider or a walk down the side yard. Those jobs come down to how the new concrete meets the old and which way the water runs, so I check both before I write anything, because a slab that falls toward the house sends water where you don't want it.
We reply within one business day, whether you call (707) 514-3389 or send this form. Then I come out to your place in Fairfield, look at the job and the ground under it, and give you a written estimate with the work spelled out line by line. It's free, with no pressure and no obligation.
(707) 514-3389Most of our Fairfield work is flatwork, the flat pours like driveways, patios, walks and garage floors. We tear out cracked and sunken driveways and pour them back on a packed base, build backyard slabs through our concrete patio construction work, and rebuild steps where an entry has pulled away from the house. For builders and property owners we also pour footings and slabs, and we cut concrete when a section has to come out cleanly.
Permits in Fairfield go through the city's Building Safety Division, which reviews new construction and changes to existing structures, so on a job that needs a permit, the review and the inspections set part of the schedule. When yours does, we handle the application and set up the inspections through the city's online permit system, and I check your address with the office rather than guess. Before you hire anyone, ask for two things: a California contractor's license and a City of Fairfield business license. The questions below explain when each one applies, and we're licensed and insured.
What moves the price here is mostly what's under and around the slab: how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how far down we dig to reach firm subgrade, the ground the new base sits on, whether a truck can reach the pour or we wheel it in, and the finish, since a broom finish, the brushed texture that keeps feet from slipping, costs less than stamped or colored work. The schedule turns on permit review when there is one, the weather on pour day, and curing, the time the concrete needs to harden before you walk on it and longer before you drive on it. Your written estimate lays all of that out for your job, and we work the same way next door in Suisun City and over in Davis.
When you call, I'm the one who walks your driveway or yard with a tape, checks the old slab and watches where the water goes. You'll hear what I'd do and why before you see a number, and nothing gets poured until you understand it.
When a budget gets tight, I'd rather simplify the finish than skimp on the base, because the base is what keeps a slab from sinking and cracking. We dig out to firm ground, pack the base and slope it so water runs away from your house.
Your job doesn't get handed off once you sign. Our own crew does the work and I run the jobs myself, so I'm there to plan the pour for the cooler part of the day, since concrete placed in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top.
We've been in business since 2013, and we're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. If something about your job isn't settled yet, like what's under the old slab, I'll tell you instead of guessing. Call (707) 514-3389 to set up a visit.
It depends more on your property than on the square footage, so I don't put a number on it until I've seen it. Two driveways the same size can come out quite differently once you count the tear-out, the base work and how close the truck can get, and your written estimate shows each of those so you can see where the money goes.
It may get a hairline crack or two, because concrete shrinks as it cures and nobody can honestly promise it won't crack. What we can control is where it cracks and whether it sinks, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, while the concrete is fresh, and we set it on a dug-out, packed base so it doesn't settle the way your old one did.
You'll keep your car off it a good while longer than you stay off it on foot, because the concrete is still curing well after it looks hard and a car is much harder on it than a person. I give you the walk-on and drive-on days for your pour when we schedule it, since hot and cool weather change them.
The city's homeowner guidance lists a driveway under 30 inches high as needing no building permit, but you do need a Public Works encroachment permit if the work changes the sidewalk. A lot of driveway replacements touch the sidewalk where the driveway meets the street, so I look at that on the walk-through, and if yours needs the permit, that's part of the permit work we take care of.
Start with the building, because the city's guidance says an accessory building with more than 120 square feet of floor area needs a building permit, and any wiring or plumbing in it needs separate permits. Once the size and use are settled, I can lay out the slab, plan where pipes or wire come up through it and fit the pour around the inspections.
Under the California Contractors State License Board's rules, a license is required when the project needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts. That covers nearly any driveway, patio or steps job, so ask for the license before you sign anything.
Yes, the city requires a business license for anyone doing business inside city limits, and that includes contractors based elsewhere and their subcontractors. The contractor is responsible for making sure their subs are licensed too, and since our own crew does the work, there's no sub on your job to ask about.
