Concrete contractor in Sunnyvale, CA - slabs that drain away from your house
Premier Atherton Concrete is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walkways, steps and foundations in Sunnyvale, with the ground dug out, packed and graded for drainage before anything gets poured.
Concrete work on Sunnyvale's flat, built-out lots
Most of the Sunnyvale homes we pour for are single-story houses from the middle of the last century. They sit on flat lots with an attached garage, a driveway running out to the city sidewalk and a patio out back. We're based in Atherton, and Sunnyvale is one of the cities we work in from there, along with Mountain View, Cupertino and, closer to home, North Fair Oaks. The price on a job here usually moves with how much old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs, the size and thickness of the slab and the finish you choose. The schedule turns mostly on curing, the wait while new concrete gains strength, which comes before you can walk on it and runs longer before you can drive on it. I walk the job first and give you the estimate in writing, so you see your own numbers before anything starts.
Flat ground shapes most of our work here. Water won't run off on its own, so a driveway or patio that's a little out of grade can send rain toward the garage or the foundation. A lot of older slabs were also poured on a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so we plan the ground and the drainage before anything gets formed.
What we pour and fix in Sunnyvale
Concrete driveway building
Most driveways here run straight from the garage to the sidewalk, so we dig out the old base, pack new, and slope the slab toward the street.
Concrete patio construction
Backyard patios on flat lots tend to hold water, so we set each one with a slight fall away from the house and the back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a stone or brick pattern into the surface while it's wet, a popular way to dress up a plain front walk on a ranch-style house.
Concrete sidewalk building
Where a walkway or the sidewalk along your frontage has lifted or cracked, we replace the bad sections and match the height so nobody catches a toe.
Garage floor concrete
Older attached garages here often have floors with stained, sunken patches near the door. We break out the damage and pour a new floor that sits flat.
Decorative concrete
Colored, stained or exposed-stone finishes work on a patio, a pool surround or a path, and we'll talk through how each one wears.
Concrete retaining walls
Sunnyvale is mostly flat, so walls here usually hold a raised bed or a small grade change in the side yard, with drainage built in behind them.
Concrete floor installation
For a converted garage, a workshop or an addition, we pour interior floors flat and level so flooring goes down without shimming or grinding.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here take full sun and wet feet, so we usually give them a broom finish, a brushed texture that keeps the surface from getting slick.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older homes here often pull away from the porch as the ground settles, so we rebuild them on a packed base with even risers.
Slab foundation building
Additions and backyard cottages on these lots usually sit on a slab, and we set its rebar, the steel inside that holds cracks tight, before we pour.
Foundation installation
When an older house here is torn down and rebuilt, we dig, form and pour the new foundation to the engineer's plans, with drainage around it planned first.
Concrete parking lot building
For small apartment buildings and shops with a lot out front, we pour concrete paving thick enough for cars and delivery trucks, graded so rain reaches the drains.
Concrete footings
Footings are the buried concrete under a deck, a fence or a garden wall, and we dig them below the loose topsoil so the structure above stays put.
Foundation raising
If a corner of an older house has dropped and doors have started sticking, we find out what's under it, then lift and support that section.
Concrete cutting
When a sewer repair or a wider driveway means opening existing concrete, we saw clean edges so the new section ties in neatly with the old.
What signs mean your Sunnyvale concrete needs a look?
Concrete around older homes here has had decades of tree roots, settling and winter rain working on it, and most problems show up on the surface before they get expensive.
- Cracks that keep getting wider
- One slab sitting lower than the next
- Water pooling against the house
- Chipping or a dusty, flaking top
- Steps pulling away from the porch
- Tree roots lifting a walkway
If you're seeing one of these, send the form or give us a call, and I'll come out to look and tell you plainly what I think is behind it.
Should you repair the old slab or replace it?
For most older driveways and patios here, the choice comes down to the ground under the slab, and I check that before recommending either one.
When a repair holds up
If the cracks are narrow, the slabs still sit level with each other and water runs off the way it should, the base is probably doing its job. We can saw out a damaged panel and pour a new one, though fresh concrete won't match the old color right away.
When it's time to replace
When the slab has sunk, tipped toward the house or broken into pieces that rock underfoot, the ground under it has moved, and patching only covers that up. We tear it out, dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, pack a new base and pour fresh.
What Sunnyvale's flat lots ask of concrete
I still answer the phone and walk each job myself, and our own crew does the work. Every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Base work before the finish
If the budget's tight, cut the finish before the base, because a nice surface can't save a slab on loose dirt.
Water sent away from the house
On flat ground we check where the water runs before forming, and set the slab to fall toward the street or yard.
Joints cut where cracks belong
We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, before the concrete can choose its own.
Permits checked before the quote
I check permits before quoting, and when one's needed we apply at the city's One-Stop Permit Center and meet the inspector.
Licensed in California and insured
The state requires a contractor license on jobs of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and we're fully licensed and insured.
Tell us about your Sunnyvale project
A quick call to (650) 516-3703 with the size of the area and what it's doing lets me come out with the right questions already in mind.
Nearby cities, or call about yours
We work in the cities around Atherton, on the Peninsula and into the South Bay. Find yours below, or call and ask if it isn't listed.