Concrete contractor in Sunnyvale, CA - driveways, patios and walks that sit flat
Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Sunnyvale. We tear out and pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations across the city, with the base dug out, packed and sloped so water runs away from your house.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Sunnyvale homes and the concrete around them
I started this business in Sunnyvale after learning concrete on a city crew, so a lot of what I see here is familiar. Most of our calls come from the single-story ranch houses and mid-century tract homes that fill the neighborhoods off the main roads, and many of them still have the driveway and front walk that went in when the house was built. Mixed in are newer townhomes, apartment complexes, and small shops and offices along the commercial streets, and those same streets run right into Mountain View and Santa Clara, where we do the same kind of work.
Lots here are mostly flat, which sounds easy until you remember the water still needs somewhere to go. On an older property the base under the slab has usually thinned or settled and the yard has been regraded a few times, so on most jobs the real work is digging out, packing a new base and setting a slope that carries water toward the street.
Concrete work we do on Sunnyvale properties
Concrete driveway building
When an old driveway has sunk or pools water by the garage, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour a new one that drains.
Concrete patio construction
Plenty of backyards here have a small slab outside the slider and not much else. We pour a bigger patio that slopes away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete is pressed with a pattern while it's still wet, so it looks like stone or brick. It suits patios and front walks on ranch houses.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks here get lifted by street trees and big yard trees. We replace the raised sections with properly jointed walk so nobody catches a toe.
Garage floor concrete
Garage floors in older houses are often cracked, stained and uneven. We break out the old floor and pour a new slab you can roll a toolbox across.
Decorative concrete
Colored concrete and saw-cut patterns give a plain slab some life, and they suit entry walks on mid-century homes with a feature front door.
Concrete retaining walls
Sunnyvale lots are mostly flat, so our walls usually hold a raised bed or a side-yard grade change, with drainage behind so water doesn't pile up against them.
Concrete floor installation
For small shops, workshops and backyard units, we pour interior floors flat and level, with a plastic sheet underneath that keeps ground moisture out of the flooring.
Concrete pool decks
Older pool decks here tend to crack and turn slick. We pour a new deck with a textured top that grips wet feet and drains.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older homes settle and pull away from the porch. We rebuild them with even step heights and steel inside to tie them together.
Slab foundation building
For additions, garages and backyard units, we dig, form and pour the slab foundation the walls sit on, poured to the plans for your project.
Foundation installation
When an older house here gets an addition or a rebuilt section, we put in the foundation it stands on, from the trench to the steel.
Concrete parking lot building
Small business and apartment lots here take daily traffic and turning tires. We pour thicker slabs with steel inside and slopes that move water to the drains.
Concrete footings
Footings are the buried concrete under a post, a wall or a porch. We pour them for patio covers, fences and decks in backyards here.
Foundation raising
When a corner of an older house has settled and doors start sticking, we lift that section back toward level and set new support under it.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut old slabs for a new drain line, a wider driveway or a door opening, so the rest of the slab stays in one piece.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Sunnyvale
We get back to you within one business day to set a time, and I come out myself to look at the job. You get a free written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Working in Sunnyvale: permits, licenses and your price
Permits here go through the city's One-Stop Permit Center at City Hall, where Building, Planning and Public Works Engineering review projects in one place, and the city asks owners to check with that office on what a project needs. So before anything goes on our schedule, I check with them on yours, and if it calls for a permit we pull it, handle the paperwork and meet the inspector on site, which means your start date waits on the city's review. Whoever you hire, ask to see two things: a California contractor's license from the Contractors State License Board, and a Sunnyvale business license, which the city requires of anyone doing business here, home-based outfits included.
What moves your price is mostly the size of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, and how much base work the ground needs, with stamped, colored or thicker work adding to it. The schedule turns on that permit review, if there is one, and on the weather, since we'd rather wait a day than pour with rain on the way, and your written estimate gives you your own figure. We work across Sunnyvale and the cities around it, so if you're over in Cupertino, the visit and the estimate work the same way.
Why Sunnyvale driveways and walks wear out
A lot of the driveways and walks here were poured when the houses were built, and many of those slabs went down on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. Decades later that loose ground has settled, so you get the sinking corner by the garage, the crack running across the middle and the walk lifted where a tree root got under it, the same things I fixed on sidewalks back on the city crew. We dig down to firm ground, pack the subgrade, which is the layer the slab sits on, and set rebar, the steel bars that hold the pieces together if the slab ever does crack.
The other thing we see is water with nowhere to go. When an old patio or driveway has settled toward the house, winter rain runs against the foundation and puddles by the door, so we check where the water runs before we form anything and slope the new slab away from the house.
What to expect when you call us in Sunnyvale
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and what you'll get from us at each step.
Call or send us a message
Call (669) 348-0343 or use the form and tell me what's going on with your driveway, patio or slab. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
I look at the site
I come out myself to measure, see where the water runs, ask how you'll use the space and talk through your choices. You get a written estimate, and we check with the city on what your project needs before anything is scheduled.
Our crew does the work
Our own crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and steel, then pours and finishes, with me on site checking as it goes. After that the slab needs to cure, the wait that lets it harden properly, so you'll be walking on it well before you're parking on it, and I'll give you the dates for your pour.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, we clean up and walk the new concrete with you, so it's worth being home for this part. I go over how to look after it, like keeping heavy trucks off the edges and when to reseal a decorative finish.
Questions about concrete work in Sunnyvale
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Sunnyvale?
Your price comes from the slab's size, the tear-out, the base work and the finish, and I give it to you in writing after I've measured on site. The base is where I won't cut corners to hit a number, because a nice surface over raked dirt sinks anyway, so if the budget is tight I'd rather pour a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires some grip, than skimp underneath.
How do I know if I need a permit for a new driveway or patio in Sunnyvale?
You find out from the city before work starts, and with us that happens before your job is scheduled, because Sunnyvale's permit list doesn't name driveways or patios on their own. The city does require a Planning permit, its review of how a project looks and fits its site, for all exterior changes to a home, so a new slab is worth asking about instead of assuming.
Do I need a permit to replace the sidewalk or driveway apron in front of my Sunnyvale house?
Yes, when the work is in the public right-of-way, the strip along the street that holds the sidewalk, because the city requires an Encroachment Permit for work there. On many houses here the public walk and the driveway apron, the sloped piece that meets the street, sit in that strip, so we figure out where your lot ends before we break anything out.
When does a concrete contractor need a California state license?
A contractor needs a state license whenever the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts. The state board lists a small exception for jobs under $1,000 in total with no permit and no employee labor, so any slab job with a crew calls for a licensed contractor, and we're licensed and insured.
Does a flood zone change concrete work on a Sunnyvale home?
It can, because the city says FEMA has marked certain areas of Sunnyvale as Special Flood Hazard Areas, places considered high risk for flooding, and those areas carry special requirements for new construction and home remodeling. If your house sits in one, it comes up when we check your project with the city, and it's one more reason I watch which way your slab sheds water.
What is the best way to keep a new concrete driveway from cracking?
Concrete shrinks as it dries, so the best you can do on top of a packed base is control where it cracks with control joints, the grooves cut into the slab that give a crack a straight, out-of-the-way place to happen. We cut them on time, before the slab starts pulling itself apart, and we pour early in the day, since a slab finished in midday heat dries too fast and ends up with a weak, dusty top.
Tell us about your Sunnyvale concrete project
If water is pooling against your house now, call (669) 348-0343 or send the form so we can fix the slope before the next round of winter rain.