Concrete Contractor in Moraga, CA - Driveways and Patios Built for Hillside Lots

Most of what we see in Moraga comes back to the hills. Lots are cut into slopes, driveways climb or drop to the street, and a lot of the sunken, broken slabs I get called out to look at were poured on fill that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so when the dirt settled, the concrete went right along with it. Back on the farm we used to say a fence is only as good as the hole you set the post in, and concrete works the same way. So on every job I start with the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and we dig down to firm soil and pack a rock base before a single form goes up.

Then there's the water. On a slope it heads for the low spot, and on too many older jobs that low spot turns out to be a garage door or a back wall. We look at where your water runs before we set the grades, and we tilt the slab away from the house.

Building permits for Moraga homes come from Contra Costa County's Department of Conservation and Development, which reviews and inspects work for the Town of Moraga. Before you can apply, most outside work needs a sign-off from Moraga's Planning Department or its Engineering Department, so that approval usually sets the schedule more than the pour does. When your job needs a permit, we pull it as your contractor and handle the paperwork and inspection calls for our part, and I check with the right office on your job before we start rather than guess. If an engineer or architect is involved, we build from their plans and stay in touch with them. We're licensed and fully insured, and every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.

Concrete trucks come in on Moraga Road or St. Mary's Road easily enough, but the steep driveways and tight side streets decide whether we can chute straight from the truck or need a pump, and that's one of the bigger things that moves the price. The rest comes down to size, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, and whether the slope calls for a wall or steps. The schedule turns on approvals first, then on curing, the days the concrete needs to gain strength before you walk or drive on it, and your written estimate spells out what's included. We pour on the same kind of hills over in Lafayette and Walnut Creek, so none of this is new to our crew.

Moraga is just over the hill from Orinda, where we're based, and it's mostly single-family homes on curving residential streets, with the shops and schools gathered toward the middle.

A lot of the houses here have been around for decades, and so has the concrete around them. We see original driveways with lifted, chipped edges, walks heaved by tree roots, patios that lean toward the back door and short walls that started tipping years ago. Because so many lots sit on a grade, a driveway job here often turns into a driveway plus a step or a low wall, and the slope, the base and where the water lands decide most of the work before we ever get to finishes.