Form & Pour Vacaville Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Vacaville, CA, and we come over to Napa to tear out tired driveways and pour new ones, along with patios, steps and low retaining walls. I look at the ground first, because that's what decides how long the slab lasts.
(707) 514-3389
A lot of our Napa calls are about older driveways and walks on the streets near downtown and the river that have cracked, sunk at one end or started holding a puddle. Most of the time the surface is only the symptom, and the real story is a base that was raked flat and never packed, so the dirt underneath settled and took the slab with it.
On the hillier lots on the west side of town, the questions turn to steps, low walls and getting water to run away from the house instead of toward it. Newer neighborhoods usually bring a different call, a patio or a wider driveway added onto concrete that's already there, where matching the heights and tying old to new takes more care than the pour itself.
Tell us what's going on with your driveway, patio or wall, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out to Napa myself to look at it, and the estimate is free, done on site and given to you in writing, with the work spelled out line by line. There's no pressure and no obligation to book.
(707) 514-3389Most Napa calls are for flatwork, which is what we call flat slabs like driveways, patios and walks, usually replacing one that's cracked or sunk, plus steps and low retaining walls on sloped lots. We also pour slab foundations for additions and garages, and every job below starts the same way, with the soft dirt dug out and a base packed hard before any concrete arrives.
Building permits in Napa come from the city's Building Division, and that office sets the pace more than our crew does. Work that needs no drawings can get its permit over the counter, and small plans that review quickly get looked at right there, so whether your job needs plans is usually what decides how soon we can start. The city also issues business licenses, but it says they're issued for revenue purposes only, so treat one as a sign a company pays the city, not as anyone vouching for its work. When your job needs a permit, we handle the application and set up the inspections, and I check your address with the office first instead of guessing.
Price comes down to a few things I measure on the walk-through, like the size of the area, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much soft dirt has to come out before we can pack a base, whether the truck can reach the forms, and the finish you pick. The schedule hangs on the permit when there is one and on curing, the days new concrete needs to gain strength before you use it, and your written estimate lists each of those lines so you can see where the money goes. We drive over from Vacaville for Napa work the same way we head up to Woodland, and we plan pours early in the day so the truck shows up on time and the finishing isn't rushed.
When you call about a Napa job, I'm the one who walks it with you, tape in hand, and writes the estimate. Every part of the work gets its own line, and if something about your ground won't be clear until we dig, I'll tell you that instead of guessing.
We don't hand Napa work off to another company. Our own crew does it and I run the jobs myself, so the person who promised you a packed base is there when it gets packed. We're licensed and insured, and it's satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
If money's tight, I'd rather trim a fancy finish than cut the digging and packing nobody sees after day one, because that's what keeps a slab from sinking. We've worked that way since 2013. Call (707) 514-3389 and I'll come walk your job.
There's no honest number until I've seen it, because the price comes from the measurements and the ground I find on the walk-through. The one place I won't cut is the base, since it's the part you can't fix later without tearing the slab out. Your written estimate shows each item, so you can decide where to save.
The city's list doesn't settle it, because its permit page names over-the-counter jobs like electrical service change-outs, water heaters and roofing, not concrete flatwork. That's why I check each address with the Building Division before we start. If a permit is needed, we handle the application and the inspections.
Under the city's rules, a wall no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of its footing, the buried concrete base, to the top of the wall, is exempt. The exemption ends if the wall holds up extra weight behind it, like a driveway or a slope above, or holds back flammable liquids. Exempt work still has to meet code, so we build the wall the same way either way.
No, the city has no online portal for submittals, so plans go in at the Building Division counter. It's open to the public from 8 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Thursday. When your job needs a permit, we take care of getting it in.
Permits applied for on or after January 1, 2026 have to meet the 2025 California codes, along with the local changes the city adopted. That's what your inspector checks the work against. If anything in it changes how your job gets built, I'll tell you on the walk-through.
Usually you can walk on it after a day or two and drive on it after about a week, and I'll give you the exact wait for your slab. That's the curing time, and putting a car on it early is an easy way to mark or crack a good slab. You'll know the day to keep cars off before we ever pour.
Some cracking is normal in concrete, but most of the random cracks we tear out come from a soft base, a pour in midday heat, or joints cut late or skipped. We dig out and pack the base, add rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it does crack, and cut control joints, grooves that give a crack a straight place to go. A broom finish, the light texture dragged across the top, keeps it from getting slick when it's wet.
