Concrete driveway building in Union City CA - a slab that holds up to your cars
Cracked, sinking or pooling driveway? We dig out, pack a solid base and pour a new slab sized for what you park on it.
What goes into a new concrete driveway in Union City?
Concrete driveway building in Union City means taking out the old surface, preparing the ground and forming, pouring and finishing a new slab planned for the cars your household parks on it. At Professional Union City Concrete, we build it so the slab stays flat and sends water away from your house.
Most calls I get start with an old driveway that's cracked, sinking at one corner or holding puddles after rain. The price of a new one depends on its size, whether the old slab has to come out, how thick it needs to be for what you park, whether it gets steel and how much base your soil calls for. The schedule depends mostly on any permits the city requires and on curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before it can take a car. The estimate I write up lists what's included for your driveway and what isn't.
Our concrete driveway building, step by step
Before we form anything, I ask what you'll park on the driveway and where it meets the garage or sidewalk. Then we put the reinforcement and the joint layout in writing so you can see the plan before the pour. Our crew takes out the old surface and digs down to firm ground. We don't just rake the dirt level, because a slab on loose dirt settles right along with it. We check where the water runs and set the forms so the slab falls away from your house. Then we pack the subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, and place rebar, steel bars that help hold the concrete together, wherever the plan calls for it. We pour early in the day, since concrete that sets in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top. We give it a broom finish, a light brushed texture that keeps tires and shoes from slipping. Control joints are shallow cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack, and we cut them on time so cracks don't wander across the middle of the drive. When a budget gets tight, the base is the first thing people want to trim because nobody sees it on day one. It's the last place I'd cut, because a nice finish on a poor base won't stay flat. We'll also let you know when it's ready for your car.
Driveway work often reaches past the driveway. If you'd like a concrete patio out back, it can make sense to plan both slabs at once so the water drains the right way across the whole lot. If plain gray isn't the look you want at the front of the house, stamped concrete can add pattern and color to the driveway or the walk beside it.
Permits, soil and driveway work in Union City
Before we schedule a driveway, we check with the city which permits your job needs. The City of Union City says building or improving a home takes the appropriate permits, and any project that grades, excavates or fills soil needs a grading permit. Tearing out an old driveway and digging down for a new base is usually that kind of work. If the job reaches into the public right-of-way, the strip along the street that includes the sidewalk, the city also requires an encroachment permit. When a permit is needed, we take care of the application and inspections with the city and keep you informed along the way.
Soil is the other thing I look at closely here. The city's Building Division lists soils hazard zones east of Mission Boulevard and west of Union City Boulevard. Many western states also have expansive soil, the clay kind that swells when it's wet and shrinks as it dries. One guide calls for a crushed rock layer under the slab that gets deeper as the soil gets more expansive. The same guide advises talking to a soils engineer when the ground isn't known, so I look at your ground before I price the base. We take the same care with the base on driveways in Fremont and Newark.
How driveway building works
Call and set a visit
Call (510) 319-6825 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. I look at the old driveway and the slope of the lot, and I listen to what you have in mind.
Review your written estimate together
I write up an estimate that lists what's included and what isn't, from tearing out the old slab to the base, the steel and the joints. We talk through each choice and what it does to the price before you decide anything.
Prepare, pour and finish
Once you're ready and any permits are in place, our crew digs out, packs the base, pours and finishes while I check in on site. Your cars park off the new slab while it cures.
Walk the finished driveway together
When the work is done, I walk the driveway with you and explain how to care for it while it cures. Our crew cleans up before we leave.
Get a written estimate for your new driveway and its base
We reply to every call and message within one business day and set a time for me to come out to your house. 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.
Questions before you build a concrete driveway
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Union City?
A concrete driveway in the Bay Area usually costs about $8 to $16 per square foot, not counting removal of an old driveway. Where yours lands depends on the size, the base your soil needs and whether the slab gets steel, since reinforced concrete costs more per square foot than plain concrete. Your written estimate shows exactly what's included for your driveway.
What permits do I need for a new driveway in Union City?
A new driveway usually needs a grading permit from the city, because tearing out the old slab and digging for the base counts as soil work. You'll also need an encroachment permit if any part of the job is in the public sidewalk. We confirm what your job needs before we schedule the pour.
How long does new concrete need to cure before I can drive on it?
Plan on letting a new concrete driveway cure for at least a week before you drive on it, so your cars should park on the street or elsewhere that first week. Curing is the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength. A car on a slab that isn't ready yet can damage it.
Does my concrete driveway need steel reinforcement?
Whether your driveway needs steel depends on what it will carry, because reinforcement adds strength and matters most under heavy traffic. Steel helps hold cracks together if they form, but it doesn't stop concrete from cracking. That's why we still count on the base and the joints to control cracks.
How do I know how thick my concrete driveway should be?
Start by telling us what you'll park on it. A home driveway is usually planned around a typical slab for passenger cars, and heavier loads call for a different design. Weak ground or a connection to another structure can change the design too, and local and project requirements set the final one. If a work truck, an RV or a trailer will sit there, mention it at the first visit.
Does a concrete driveway contractor need a license in California?
Yes, for practically any driveway. California lets someone without a license take only jobs up to $1,000 that need no permit, and only if they employ no one. The state's concrete contractor classification covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing pavement and flatwork, the flat slabs like driveways, patios and walkways.
Why Union City homeowners call Professional Union City Concrete for driveways
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate, and our crew of finishers and laborers does the work with me checking in on site. That way the person who planned your driveway is the one making sure we follow the plan.
In business since 2021
I started on concrete crews while I was still in school, and I opened our business in 2021 after years of learning from the finishers who trained me. They taught me that the ground under a slab matters as much as the finish on top.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured, which matters in Union City. Before it issues a permit for sidewalk work, the city asks for a certificate of insurance covering the contractor and every subcontractor. Our insurance also protects you while our crew is working on your property.
Planning settled before the pour
I'd rather spend extra time planning with you than leave you with a surprise later, so we settle the drainage, the steel and the joints before any concrete arrives. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
On a driveway, the work that counts most is the part you won't see once it's poured, so let's plan it together. Request your estimate or call (510) 319-6825.
Other concrete work around your driveway
Concrete patio construction
If the yard behind your house still has bare dirt or broken pavers, a new patio gives you a flat, solid place for a table and grill.
Stamped concrete services
When plain gray concrete feels too bare for the front of your house, stamped concrete gives a slab the look of stone or brick.
Plan your new driveway and its base
Call (510) 319-6825 or fill out our request form. Tell us the driveway's rough size, what you'll park on it and whether it meets a sidewalk or garage slab, so the first visit starts with the right questions.
