Concrete Contractor in San Mateo, CA - Driveways and Walks Built on Solid Ground
Professional Union City Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Union City. We build driveways, patios, walks, steps and retaining walls for homeowners in San Mateo, CA, and we plan the base work and joints before the pour.
San Mateo homes from downtown to the hills
San Mateo has a little of everything we pour for. There are older homes on narrow lots near downtown, postwar houses on wide, flat blocks, and newer homes climbing the hills on the west side. Most of what homeowners here ask us about is flatwork, our word for driveways, patios, walks and garage floors. Plenty of it is replacing concrete that has settled, cracked or started pooling water after years of use. We see the same mix of houses farther down the Peninsula in Redwood City and Palo Alto.
On many of those older lots, the original concrete went down over a thin, raked base. On the hillside streets, every slab also has to deal with water coming down from above, so our planning here starts underneath and downhill and gets to the finish last.
Working in San Mateo: permits, licenses and planning
Building permits in San Mateo come from the city's Building Inspection Division. On any job that needs one, the city's review and inspections become part of your schedule. When that happens, we take care of the application and the inspections and keep you informed along the way, so you aren't left chasing paperwork. Before you hire anyone, I'd suggest checking that the contractor holds a license with the California Contractors State License Board. Also check that they've paid San Mateo's annual business tax, because the city requires it before a business starts work here.
We come over the San Mateo Bridge from Union City, the same side of the bay as our jobs in Hayward and San Leandro, so we book the crew and the concrete truck for early starts and traffic doesn't hold up a pour. The price moves with the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how much digging and base work the ground needs, how easily the truck can reach the pour, and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on three things. One is the city's review if there's a permit. Another is dry weather for the pour. The last is curing, the wait while fresh concrete gains strength before you use it. Your written estimate spells out each of those for your job.
Services in San Mateo, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older San Mateo driveways are often narrow strips between houses. We tear out cracked ones, rebuild the base and pour a slab that drains toward the street.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks under mature trees get lifted by roots and sink at the joints. We remove the bad sections and pour a level concrete sidewalk on packed base.
Concrete retaining walls
Hillside lots on the west side often need a wall to hold back a slope. We build retaining walls on solid footings with drainage behind them.
Concrete steps construction
Houses set above the street often have worn or uneven front steps. We form and pour new steps, each one the same height, so nobody catches a toe.
Garage floor concrete
Detached garages behind older homes often have cracked, sunken floors that hold water. We break out the old slab and pour a floor that drains toward the door.
Concrete patio construction
Many backyards here are small, so a patio has to fit tight and drain well. We slope the slab away from the house and finish it for grip.
What San Mateo hillsides and older lots need
On the sloped streets, rain running off the hill above finds the lowest point it can, and too often that's a garage door, a back step or the gap along a foundation. We set every driveway, patio and walk to fall away from the house. Where the yard drops off, we look at whether steps or a low wall will hold the ground better than a slab alone.
For slab foundations and footings, the city's design values assume the ground carries no more than 1,500 pounds per square foot unless a soils report says otherwise. That's a number for building plans, not a measurement at your lot. Even so, it's a fair reminder not to take the ground for granted, so we dig past soft soil and pack the base before anything heavy goes on it.
Get a written concrete estimate for your San Mateo home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your San Mateo property. The estimate is free and done on site. It's written out so you can see what's included, and there's no pressure to book.
How a San Mateo job goes
Call or send the form
Call (510) 319-6825 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out to your San Mateo property. It helps if you can be there, so I can listen to what you have in mind.
I look and write it up
I check the ground, where the water runs and why the old slab failed, then write an estimate that lists what's included and what isn't. We talk through the choices before you decide anything, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
We handle permits and pour
If there's a permit, we file it, and the city says simple alteration projects can often be approved while you wait. Then our crew of finishers and laborers digs out and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and pours and finishes, with me checking in on site.
Walk the finished job together
I walk the job with you and explain how long to stay off it before you walk on it, and the longer wait before you drive on it. I'll also explain how to care for it so it holds up.
San Mateo concrete questions answered
Does a concrete driveway or patio in San Mateo need a building permit?
It can, because San Mateo requires a building permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair or demolish a structure, and the city's list of work that needs no permit doesn't name driveways or patios. That list does include retaining walls up to four feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing. A wall that holds back added load or certain liquids isn't covered. I'll tell you at the estimate whether I expect yours to need a permit.
How do I ask the City of San Mateo a question about a permit for my project?
Call a permit technician at (650) 522-7172, the number the city gives for questions about a particular project. If we're doing your job, we'll make those calls and keep you posted on the answers.
Does my concrete contractor need a California state license?
Usually, yes. The state requires a license whenever a project needs a building permit or uses any additional workers. It's also required when labor and materials total $1,000 or more across one or more contracts on the project. Most driveways and patios cross that line easily, and we're licensed and fully insured.
Which building codes apply to a San Mateo concrete project right now?
The current 2025 edition of the California building codes applies, with San Mateo's own local changes. For a house, that means the California Residential Code as the city has amended it. When we pull a permit, the plans and inspections follow that version, so we build to it from the start.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in San Mateo?
Your written estimate gives you the figure after I've seen the site, and it mostly follows the base work, the tear-out and the finish. On a job with a permit, the city's green building rules require recycling at least 65% of nonhazardous construction and demolition waste, so we haul your old concrete to a recycler and that cost is in the estimate. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you keep a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip, than cut the base. A fancy surface on a poorly packed base still settles and cracks.
What causes concrete driveways to crack in San Mateo, and how do you prevent it?
Most cracking starts underneath. Sometimes the base was raked flat instead of dug out and packed. Other times water runs under a slab that tips the wrong way. Concrete also shrinks as it cures, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack, while the concrete is fresh, and we add rebar, steel bars that hold the pieces together, where the slab needs it. No slab is crack-proof, but that planning keeps cracks small and in places we chose.
Tell us about your San Mateo concrete project
Call (510) 319-6825 or send a short description through the form so I can come out ready for your slope, your soil and the job you have in mind.
