Concrete Contractor in Palo Alto - Driveways and Patios Built From the Base Up
Pinnacle Saratoga Concrete Company pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations for Palo Alto homes. Our crew digs out and packs the base before anything is poured, and I check the forms and the pour myself.
Get your Palo Alto concrete job estimated
I walk the site with you, check the slope and the old slab, and measure everything.
Request an estimatePalo Alto: established yards, aging concrete
Most of Palo Alto is established neighborhoods. You'll find older houses in Old Palo Alto, streets of ranch homes, plenty of newer rebuilds, and remodels and additions going on all the time. Driveways, front walks and patios here are often as old as the house or have been patched more than once, and big trees have had decades to push up the edges. It's a lot like the neighborhoods next door in Mountain View and East Palo Alto, where we do the same kind of work.
On jobs here, the old slab usually comes out before anything new goes in, and what's under it tells us most of the story. A thin, loose base or roots running under the slab means more digging out, and that work decides whether the new concrete settles.
Working in Palo Alto: permits, checks and what sets the price
Building permits in Palo Alto come from the city's Development Services office, which also handles plan review and inspections, so that's who decides whether your job needs one. When it does, the review has to happen before we can pour, and that usually sets the start date more than anything we do on site. We check early on what the city wants for your job, handle the contractor's side of any permit and help you with the parts that fall to you. We're fully licensed and insured. If you're comparing contractors, keep in mind that the city requires any business with a fixed place of business in Palo Alto to hold a business registry certificate, so it's a fair thing to ask about.
The price here depends on the size of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how deep the base work goes and the finish you choose. Access matters too. On narrow residential streets and tight side yards, we have to plan where the concrete truck parks and whether we need a pump to reach your backyard. I come out, look at all of that and write the figure for your job at the estimate visit. We do the same work in Los Altos and Milpitas, and our approach is the same in every city.
Services in Palo Alto, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older Palo Alto driveways often sink where the base was never packed. We break out the old slab, dig to firm ground and pour on a packed base.
Concrete patio construction
Older backyard patios here often tip water back toward the house. We slope the new slab away from your walls and cut control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks under big trees get lifted by roots over the years. We remove the raised sections, rebuild the base and pour a level walk with a broom finish, a brushed texture for grip.
Concrete floor installation
Palo Alto remodels and conversions often need a new interior floor poured flat. Our concrete floor installation starts with a packed subgrade, the ground the slab rests on.
Slab foundation building
Additions and backyard units here often go in on tight, established lots. We form the slab, set rebar, the steel that holds it together, and check it all before pouring.
Concrete cutting
Older slabs here often need a section opened for new lines or a lifted panel removed. We saw clean edges so the slab around it stays sound.
Your Palo Alto concrete estimate, written on site
Send us a few lines about your Palo Alto project, and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out myself, look at the slab and the ground with you, and write the estimate there. It's free, and there's 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 Palo Alto homeowners can count on
We're based in Saratoga, CA and offer 16 concrete services across 12 service areas, 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
Does a concrete driveway need a building permit in Palo Alto?
We confirm that for your specific job before anything is poured. The city's list of projects that need a building permit gives examples like remodels, re-roofs, new homes, ADUs and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. Some minor projects qualify for an instant building permit, which can shorten the wait on a small job.
Which building codes apply to a concrete project in Palo Alto?
Projects submitted to the city after January 1, 2026 have to meet the 2025 California Building Codes plus Palo Alto's own amendments. If your job needs a permit, the city checks the drawings against those codes during plan review before work starts. The city also has flood hazard rules alongside its residential code, so it's worth asking whether they touch your lot.
How do I send building permit plans to the City of Palo Alto?
You send them as digital files, because the city takes all submittals in digital format. If your job needs drawings, we get our part ready in that form and walk you through anything you have to provide as the owner.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Palo Alto?
It comes down to your slab's size, the old concrete that has to come out, the base work underneath and the finish on top, so I give you a written figure after seeing the site. Stamped or decorative finishes cost more than a plain broom finish, and a pump for a hard-to-reach backyard adds to it. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you go with the plain finish than cut back on the base, because a nice surface on a soft base cracks and sinks just the same.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack?
Most bad cracks come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, joints that were cut late or skipped, or a pour in midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top. All concrete shows some cracking over time, and I'd rather tell you that now. We pack the base, check where the water runs, cut joints on time and give the slab time to cure, the wait while it gains strength, before you drive on it. That keeps cracks small and lined up with the joints.
Is an emailed PDF invoice from the City of Palo Alto real?
Treat it as coming from outside the city if it's a PDF invoice asking you to reply for a separate payment link, because the city says its staff don't send those. If one shows up about your permit, don't reply or pay through it. Send it to us and we'll look at it with you.
Tell us about your Palo Alto project
Call (669) 310-0413 or send the form, and I'll explain any part of the job as many times as you need.