Concrete Contractor in East Palo Alto - New Slabs That Drain on Flat Lots
Pinnacle Saratoga Concrete Company is a concrete contractor building driveways, patios, walks and ADU slabs for homes in East Palo Alto, with our own crew doing the ground work under every pour.
Get a concrete estimate in East Palo Alto
I walk your lot, check where water runs and mark out the slab with you.
Request an estimateEast Palo Alto: flat lots, older driveways
East Palo Alto sits right next door to Palo Alto, and most of our calls here are about houses: single-story homes on compact lots, many from the middle of the last century, with more backyard units going in behind them every year. The original driveways and walks have carried decades of cars and tree roots, and you can usually see it in sunken corners and slabs that tip toward the garage.
The ground here is flat, so water won't run off a slab on its own, and the slope we set is the only thing sending it away from your house. That's why I look at where water sits today before I price anything.
Working in East Palo Alto: permits, licenses and timing
Permits here come from the city's Building Services Division, and if your job needs one, its review sets the earliest day we can pour. I check early what the city wants, and when a permit applies, we handle the contractor's side and help you with the parts that fall to you. The city checks a contractor's license with the state licensing board as part of the permit process, and contractors apply to the city for a business license, so ask anyone you're weighing about both. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'll answer that question on the first visit.
Price here moves mostly with what's under the slab, meaning how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, how thick the slab is and whether it gets rebar, the steel inside that holds it together if it cracks. The schedule turns on any permit review and on curing, the time new concrete needs to harden before it takes weight, which usually means a day or two before you walk on it and about a week before you park on it. The estimate I write at your property is where your own number comes from. Narrow residential streets and tight driveways decide where the truck sets up, much like they do in Alum Rock, where we do the same kind of driveway and slab work.
Services in East Palo Alto, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here often sink at the corners or tip toward the garage. We break up the old slab, pack a firm base and set the slope away from your house.
Concrete patio construction
Flat backyards mean a level patio holds water at the back door. We pour with a fall to the yard and cut control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots often lift at the seams and leave a lip to trip on. We replace the raised sections over a packed base so the walk sits flush.
Slab foundation building
Backyard units are going up behind many homes here, and every wall sits on the slab. Our slab foundation building starts with a packed subgrade, the ground the slab rests on.
Garage floor concrete
Older garages here often have cracked, dusty floors that shed grit onto everything stored there. We replace the worn slab and trowel the new one smooth so it sweeps clean.
Concrete cutting
Widening a driveway or running a line to a backyard unit usually means opening up old concrete. We saw-cut a clean, straight edge so the new pour meets the old neatly.
Your free on-site concrete estimate in East Palo Alto
Send the form or call, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your East Palo Alto property myself, look at the ground and where the water goes, and write the estimate there, free and with no pressure to book.
- Phone
- (669) 310-0413
- Location
- Saratoga, CA 95070
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
- Credentials
- Fully licensed and insured.
What East Palo Alto can expect
We're based in Saratoga, CA, with 16 services across 12 cities on this site, East Palo Alto among them. Every estimate is free and done at your property.
- Based in
- CA
- Saratoga
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 12
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
Which permits does the City of East Palo Alto issue, and does my driveway need one?
The city's Building Services Division issues building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, solar, re-roof and demolition permits and handles new construction, while the city's Engineering side handles grading, encroachment, street and sidewalk work. Whether your driveway or patio needs a permit depends on the job, especially if it reaches the sidewalk or changes the grade of the lot, so I ask the city early. The city's permits page shows which office handles what.
How long does permit review take in East Palo Alto?
Projects that can't be issued over the counter go through a 30-day review, with two-week rechecks if plans have to be resubmitted. Applications go to the city by email at building@cityofepa.org, and staff reply with next steps within two business days. If your job needs review, we plan the pour after it, and we keep the job card and any approved plans on site, because the city reschedules inspections when they're missing.
What happens if concrete work starts without a permit in East Palo Alto?
The city charges a penalty fee for work started without a required building permit and reports the contractor to the state license board for investigation. It also issues a stop-work notice when it finds workers on a job run by a contractor registered as having none, until proof of workers' comp is provided. The city says it keeps actively enforcing unpermitted work, which is why I check what it wants before we dig.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in East Palo Alto?
The price of a driveway here comes down to its size, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs before we pour. Thickness, rebar, a decorative finish and any city work at the sidewalk add to it, while a plain broom finish, a lightly brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, keeps it down. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you go plain on top than cut the base, because the base is what keeps the slab from settling and you can't fix it later without tearing the slab out.
What causes old driveways in East Palo Alto to crack and sink?
Most sinking starts under the slab, where dirt was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settled under the weight of cars. Cracks also run wild when control joints were cut late or skipped, or when the pour went down in the heat of the day and the top dried too fast. All concrete shows some cracking over time, and I'll tell you that up front, but a packed base, joints cut on time and a proper cure keep it small and where we planned it.
How do I get a slab poured for an ADU in East Palo Alto?
Your ADU goes through the city first, with applications for junior ADUs and ADUs under 800 square feet emailed to building@cityofepa.org and larger ones sent to planning@cityofepa.org first for a completeness review. Once your plans are approved, we pour the slab to them, and I check the forms and the pour myself before anything gets framed on it. Call us early and we'll talk through what the slab involves while your plans are still being drawn.
Call us about your East Palo Alto project
Plenty of people call just to ask what their job involves, and I'm happy to walk you through it.