Concrete contractor in Union City, CA - driveways and patios on a packed base
Professional Union City Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Union City, CA. We build driveways, patios, walkways, garage floors and slabs for homes here, starting with the ground underneath and planning where the water goes.
Driveways and backyards across Union City
Most of the calls we get in Union City come from homeowners with one of a few problems: a driveway cracked across the middle, a patio that has dropped at one corner, or a front walk with an edge that catches a toe. The city is mostly single-family houses with a driveway out front and a yard out back, mixed in with townhomes and some commercial lots, so most of what we do here is flatwork, the flat slabs like driveways, patios, walks and garage floors.
Union City sits between Fremont and Hayward, and the lots change as you head east, from flat streets on the west side to sloped yards toward the hills. That's why two driveways a few blocks apart can need very different digging, base work and drainage.
What to know before concrete work in Union City
Whether a concrete job needs a permit is the call of the city's Building Division, whose counter handles permit applications and plan submittals, so I don't guess at it before I've seen your project. When a job needs one, we take care of the application and inspections and keep you posted, and the work waits until the permit is in hand, which can set the start date. Before you hire anyone, ask for two things: a state contractor's license and a Union City business license, which the city requires of every contractor working inside its limits, including companies based out of town. We're licensed and fully insured.
We're based right here in Union City and do the same work in Newark and the cities around it, so we know the narrow side yards and fenced backyards where concrete has to be wheeled or pumped in because the truck can't get close. What moves the price is mostly the site: how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how deep the base needs to go, how close the truck can reach and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, the days a new slab needs to harden before it can take weight. Your written estimate lists what's included and what isn't, so you can see where the money goes.
Services in Union City, CA
Concrete driveway building
Many Union City driveways have cracked or sunk where the base was never packed. Our concrete driveway building starts with digging out and packing the ground.
Concrete patio construction
Backyard patios here often tilt toward the house, so water pools by the back door. We set the slope away from your walls before the pour.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards near the hills need walls that hold soil back without leaning. We build them on footings with drainage behind, so water doesn't push them over.
Garage floor concrete
Older garage floors here are often cracked and uneven. We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour a level floor.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks can lift and leave a trip edge as the ground shifts. We replace the raised panels and cut joints where cracks should fall.
Concrete cutting
Plenty of slabs here fail in one corner, not everywhere. We cut out the bad section so new concrete meets a clean, straight edge.
What Union City ground asks of a slab
The city's building design information marks soils hazard zones in two broad areas, east of Mission Boulevard and west of Union City Boulevard. Those lines are general and say nothing about any one lot, so I look at your ground in person, and we decide how deep to dig and pack once we see what's under the old slab. If your house sits in one of those areas, it's one more reason not to cut corners underneath.
Most of the failed slabs we tear out here failed from below, on a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or on a driveway that falls toward the garage so water runs under it. Before we pour, we pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and set the grade so water heads to the street or the yard.
Get a written estimate for your Union City concrete work
Tell us a little about your project and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to visit your Union City property. The estimate is free, done on site and written out so you can see what's included, and there's no obligation or pressure to book.
How a Union City job goes
Call or send the form
We set a time for me to come out, look at the site and listen to what you have in mind. It helps if you can be there, so we can walk the spot together.
Look at the ground together
I check the slope, where the water runs and what's under the old slab, then write an estimate listing 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.
Handle permits, prepare and pour
If the job needs a permit, we handle the application and inspections with the city's building counter, which is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and every other Friday morning. Then our crew digs out and packs the base, pours and finishes, with me checking in on site.
Walk the finished job
When the work is done, I walk it with you and explain how to care for the new concrete while it cures and after. You don't need to be home for the pour itself, only for this last walk.
Questions we hear in Union City
What building codes does Union City use for concrete work?
The city lists the California Building Code and the California Residential Code among the standards it works to, along with the state's energy, fire and green building codes. We build to those standards from the base up. You can see the full list on the city's building page.
When does a concrete contractor need a California state license?
The Contractors State License Board requires a license when a job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts. A job may be exempt only when all three go the other way, with no permit, no employee labor and a total under $1,000. Ask anyone you're considering for their license before you sign.
How much can a contractor ask for as a down payment in California?
For home improvement work, the state licensing board says a contractor can't ask for or accept a down payment of more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. The rule applies across the state, so it covers concrete jobs in Union City too. It's worth knowing before you sign anything.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Union City?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen your driveway, so your figure comes in the written estimate after the site visit rather than over the phone. It moves with the old slab, the base, the access and the finish. If the budget is tight, I'd stick with a plain broom finish, a lightly brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, rather than cut the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's the one part you can't fix later without tearing the slab out.
What causes new concrete to crack, and how do you prevent it?
Most cracks in new concrete come from a base that settles, water running under the slab, or joints cut too late, and we plan the job around all three. We dig out and pack the ground, cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack as it shrinks, and add rebar, steel bars that hold the pieces tight, where a slab needs it. We also pour early in the day, because a slab that dries too fast in the heat ends up with a weak, dusty top.
How long before I can use a new concrete driveway?
You'll stay off it while it cures, and you can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it. How many days depends on the mix and the conditions on pour day, so I tell you the dates for your slab before we pour and go over them again at the walk-through. Planning the pour around a weekend away can keep the wait from getting in your way.
Tell us about your Union City project
We pick up from 6 AM on weekdays and 7 AM on weekends until 9 PM, so you can call (510) 319-6825 or send the form whenever you have a minute.
