Cracked, sinking or puddling driveway? We dig out the soft ground, pack the base and pour a new slab that drains away from your house.
Concrete driveway building in Vacaville means clearing out the old slab or the dirt, digging down past the soft ground and packing a solid base. Then we form, pour and finish a new driveway that carries your cars and sends water away from the house.
Most calls start with a driveway that's cracked through, has a section sunk below the one next to it, or holds a puddle after the sprinklers run. What moves the price is the size, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how much soft dirt has to come out underneath, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on whether the work reaches the street and needs a city permit, on our calendar, and on curing, which is the stretch after the pour when the concrete hardens and you stay off it. I come out, measure and look at the ground, and you get a written estimate with each part of the work listed line by line. We're based in Vacaville and work in Fairfield, Davis, Napa, Vallejo, Concord and the cities around them.
I come out myself to look at your driveway, check where the water goes and write the estimate. Our own crew does the work and I run the job, so the person who told you how the base would be packed is there when it gets packed.
I started this business in 2013 after summers on concrete crews, learning to finish from people who'd done it for decades. That's 13 years of explaining a job before anything gets poured, and answering the same question twice if you need it.
We're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. If something about your driveway isn't settled yet, like what's under the old slab, I'll tell you that instead of guessing. Call (707) 514-3389 or send the form to set up a walk-through.
We respond within 1 business day, whether you call or send the form, and the on-site estimate is free, with no pressure and no obligation. I come out, measure, look at the ground and how the water runs, then send you the estimate in writing. Have the address and a rough size of the driveway in square feet handy when you reach out.
If your new driveway touches the public right-of-way, which usually means the apron where it meets the curb, gutter or sidewalk, Vacaville Public Works Engineering has to issue an encroachment permit before any of that work starts, and the city says to plan on about four weeks for review. For concrete that stays entirely on your own lot, I don't assume either way, so I check each address with the city instead of guessing. When a permit is needed, we handle the application and set up the inspections, and we build the review time into your start date.
The ground is the other thing that matters here. One soil data site puts about 51% of Solano County's soil area in high shrink-swell clay, also called expansive clay, which swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries. That's a county-wide figure, not a reading of your yard, but it's why I look at the dirt before I price the dig-out and why we dig out soft ground instead of pouring over it. Around Vacaville, a lot of the driveways we replace are cracked near the street or sunk at one corner where water has sat for years. On cleanup, the city lists dumping concrete into the driveway or gutter among the everyday things that pollute storm water, which is one more reason our washout stays out of the street. We do the same prep on driveways in Fairfield and Davis.
Across California, a 4-inch concrete slab installed with labor and materials usually costs about $9 to $18 per square foot. That's a statewide range for slabs in general, not our price for your driveway. Your written estimate gives you your own figure.
Some cracking is likely, because concrete trade guidance says cracks can't be prevented entirely, but properly designed joints control them and keep them small. Wire mesh or other reinforcement can't stop cracks either, though placed in the right spot it can keep them narrower. The guidance also calls for isolation joints, a break that lets the slab move on its own, where the driveway meets walks or curbs. Before we pour, I'll show you where the joints go.
Usually it's the ground underneath, not the concrete. Trade guidance says all topsoil and soft spots should come out, and the soil below should be well compacted and sloped to drain. When you compare bids, ask each one how the ground will be compacted and which way the slab will drain.
California counts building or replacing a driveway at a home as home improvement, and the Contractors State License Board licenses contractors for that work. The board's C-8 Concrete Contractor class covers pavement and flatwork, the flat concrete like driveways, patios and walks. It's fair to ask any bidder which license they hold.
Start with a walk-through, where I measure, look at the ground and mark which way the water should run and where the joints will go. If the work reaches the curb or sidewalk, the city's permit review comes next, as described above, and we schedule the pour once it clears. Call (707) 514-3389 or use the form to set up the walk-through.
