Concrete contractor in Los Gatos, CA - driveways and patios built for sloped lots
Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Los Gatos, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walks, garage floors, footings and retaining walls, with the base dug out and packed and the water sent away from your house.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Los Gatos homes, from flat streets to steep hillsides
Los Gatos changes a lot from one end to the other. Near the borders with Campbell and Saratoga, the streets run flatter, and we see older homes with driveways and walks that were poured a long time ago and are showing it, with lifted panels, wide cracks and low spots where water sits after a rain. Head south into the hills and the homes spread out among the trees and brush, with long driveways climbing up from the road and backyards cut into the slope.
That ground decides most of the job before we ever pick a finish. On a slope, rain heads downhill toward something, so the first things I'll ask you are where your water goes now and what your new slab is going to sit on.
Concrete work we do on Los Gatos properties
Concrete driveway building
Long, sloped driveways here need the base dug out and packed, and a surface pitched so rain runs off toward the street instead of under the slab.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards on a hillside often need a patio set into the slope, and we plan where the water goes before the first form board goes in.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, which suits many Los Gatos homes, and it still needs the same packed base underneath.
Concrete sidewalk building
Tree roots and years of foot traffic lift front walks, so we replace the raised sections and set the new ones on a firm, packed base.
Garage floor concrete
Cracked or uneven garage floors in older Los Gatos homes can be torn out and repoured, with control joints, shallow cuts that give cracks a straight line to follow.
Decorative concrete
Colored, exposed-aggregate or patterned finishes let a front entry or courtyard match the house, and we pick the finish around how you'll use the space.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards often need a wall to hold back soil for a level patio, and the drainage behind that wall matters as much as the concrete.
Concrete floor installation
New slab floors for workshops and backyard studios start with a leveled, packed subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, so the floor stays even underfoot.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks bake in summer sun, so we slope them to drain away from the pool and give them a finish that isn't slick under wet feet.
Concrete steps construction
Homes set above the street often have long runs of entry steps, and we pour them with even rises so every step feels the same underfoot.
Slab foundation building
Additions and new outbuildings on these lots often start on a slab foundation, and the work begins with getting the ground under it dug, packed and level.
Foundation installation
When you're adding on to an older house or building new, we pour the foundation that carries everything above it, and we check the ground before forming it.
Concrete parking lot building
Small business and apartment lots need parking that drains and stands up to daily cars, with rebar, steel bars inside the slab, where the loads call for it.
Concrete footings
Decks, garden walls and outbuildings on sloped ground need footings dug down to firm soil, since what sits on top is only as steady as what's underneath.
Foundation raising
When the foundation on an older Los Gatos home has settled and doors start sticking, we find out why it dropped before we talk about lifting it.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings for drains, utility lines and new doorways, and cut out damaged sections so a repair can tie into the good concrete around it.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Los Gatos project
We'll reply within one business day to set a time, and then I come out to see your site in person. The estimate is free, written down and comes with no obligation.
- Based in
- Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What we check before a Los Gatos concrete job
Permits here go through the Town of Los Gatos Building Division, which reviews plans for all new construction, additions and remodels inside Los Gatos. Whether your driveway or patio needs a permit is something we check with them on each job instead of guessing, and if it does, we pull it, handle the paperwork and meet the inspector on site. That check happens before your job goes on the calendar, so any permit becomes part of the lead time. Two things are worth checking on any contractor: a California contractor license from the state licensing board, and a current Los Gatos business license, which a contractor needs before the Building Division will issue a permit. We're licensed and insured.
As a concrete contractor based in Sunnyvale, CA, I'm used to flat lots where the truck backs right up to the curb. Some Los Gatos hillside roads are steep, narrow and winding, so how we get a truck or a concrete pump close to your slab is part of the plan and part of the price. The rest of the price comes from the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs, the finish you pick and whether a permit's involved. Your written estimate gives you your own figure with those pieces laid out, and the schedule mostly turns on the permit check and the weather.
What Los Gatos weather and ground do to concrete
Summers here are warm, dry and often windy, and that's hard on fresh concrete. When the top dries out faster than the slab underneath, you end up with a weak, dusty surface that starts chipping a few years later. So we pour early in the day, keep the slab damp while it cures, which is the slow wait while concrete hardens to full strength, and give it a broom finish, light ridges dragged across the top so a wet driveway has some grip.
Slopes are the other thing. Water running down a hillside lot finds the soft spot under a slab, and a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed settles right along with the dirt. I fixed plenty of walks that failed that way on a city crew, so we dig out, pack the base and set the slab to shed water away from your house.
How a Los Gatos concrete job runs, start to finish
Here's what happens once you call or send the form, from the first visit at your house to the walk-through at the end.
Call or send the form
Tell me whether it's a driveway, a patio, a wall or something else, and we'll set a day for me to come see it. It helps if you're home for that visit, since I'll have questions about how you use the space.
I come out to look
I walk the site myself, check the slope, the soil and where your water runs, and talk through your choices with you. You get a written estimate that spells out what's in the price, so you can decide without any guesswork.
We confirm permits, then pour
We find out what Los Gatos asks for before your job goes on the calendar. Then our own crew digs out, packs the base, forms and pours, with me on site checking the work as it goes.
Walk the finished job together
When the work's done, we walk it with you and go over how to look after it. That covers the first days of curing and the years after.
Questions about concrete work in Los Gatos
How do I find out if my concrete project in Los Gatos needs a permit?
The easiest way is to let us ask, because we check with Los Gatos on what every project needs before it goes on the schedule. You can also ask yourself, since the Building Division's counter is open and its staff answer questions. Permit applications there go through the online permitting system only, so if your job needs one, that's how we file it.
When does a concrete contractor need a license in California?
A contractor needs a state license when the job needs a building permit, uses additional workers, or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials together. The state board doesn't let anyone split a bigger job into pieces under $1,000 to get around that. For driveway or patio work, you want to see a license, and we're licensed and insured.
Who needs a business license to work in Los Gatos?
Any business located in Los Gatos, or one that sends people into Los Gatos to do business, needs a Los Gatos business license. That covers contractors like us who drive in from Sunnyvale. The licenses run out on December 31st every year, so it's fair to ask any contractor whether theirs is current.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Los Gatos?
Your driveway's price comes from what I see on site, and your written estimate gives you the figure with each part listed. Stamping or color adds to it, while the base underneath is where I'd spend first, because nobody sees it on day one and everybody sees the cracks a weak one causes later. If the budget's tight, I'll suggest going plainer on top before I'll skimp underneath.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Los Gatos?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps curing and gaining strength after the pour. I'll give you the day for feet and the day for cars once we know your slab and the weather that week. If parking on your street is tight, tell me at the estimate so we can plan around it.
Will my new concrete patio in Los Gatos crack like the old one?
Concrete can still crack, but a well-built slab usually cracks along its control joints, where we planned for it, instead of across the middle. Random cracks mostly come from joints cut late or skipped, or from a base that settled. We cut the joints while the slab is fresh and pack the base before we pour, so any crack has a place to go.
Plan your Los Gatos concrete project with us
Call (669) 348-0343 or send the form, and the sooner I see your lot, the sooner you'll know what its base and drainage need.