Concrete contractor in North Fair Oaks, CA - driveways and patios that drain right
Ironset Fremont Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Fremont that pours driveways, patios, walkways and steps in North Fair Oaks, CA, and replaces old cracked, sinking slabs on a dug-out, packed base.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
North Fair Oaks houses and the slabs around them
North Fair Oaks sits between Redwood City, Atherton and Menlo Park, and much of it was built in two waves, one after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and another just before World War II. That means a lot of older houses on narrow lots, many with a long driveway running back to a detached garage and a side yard barely wide enough for a wheelbarrow, with some apartments and small shops along the busier streets.
We do the same work a few miles south in Palo Alto, but jobs here usually start with older concrete that's been patched more than once and has been settling for decades. On lots this tight, getting the old slab out and the new base in is often the harder part of the job, so we plan access before we plan the pour.
Concrete work we take on in North Fair Oaks
Concrete driveway building
When an old driveway has cracked, sunk at the garage or drains toward the house, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour it fresh.
Concrete patio construction
Many backyards here have a small original patio or bare dirt, so we pour one sized for how you use the yard, sloped away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives an older house's patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, on the same packed base we put under plain slabs.
Concrete sidewalk building
Side and front walks on older lots here often heave or split, so we replace them with level sections, jointed so cracks have a place to go.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages here often have a cracked, uneven floor that holds water. We break it out and pour a new slab that drains to the door.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns let a new slab suit an older house instead of looking like a plain parking pad.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps up or down toward a neighbor, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil back so it stops creeping onto your patio or walk.
Concrete floor installation
For a workshop, a converted outbuilding or a room at ground level, we pour a flat floor over a packed base and a moisture barrier.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck has to shed splash water away from the pool and the house and stay grippy underfoot, so we slope it and texture it.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here are often cracked, uneven or crumbling at the edges, so we form and pour new ones with even rises.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, backyard unit or addition on an older lot, we pour the slab foundation it sits on, starting with firm, packed ground.
Foundation installation
When an addition or backyard unit needs more than a slab, we dig and pour the foundation that carries it, built to your drawings.
Concrete parking lot building
Small shops and apartment buildings here need parking areas that handle daily traffic and drain away from doorways, so we build them thick on a packed base.
Concrete footings
Fences, decks, carports and porch posts need footings, the concrete that carries their weight down past loose topsoil into firm ground.
Foundation raising
When part of an older house or garage has settled and doors stick, we raise the low section back toward level and support it there.
Concrete cutting
Need a doorway, a trench for a pipe or one bad section removed? We saw-cut clean lines so the rest of the slab stays put.
Get a written estimate for your North Fair Oaks concrete job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the job and put the price and the work in writing, free and with no obligation.
- hello@fremontcaconcrete.com
- Based in
- Fremont, CA 94538
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Why North Fair Oaks jobs go through San Mateo County
Your mail may say Redwood City or Menlo Park, but North Fair Oaks is unincorporated San Mateo County, so your concrete job falls under county rules, not either city's. The County reviews and inspects any work that needs a building permit, and when a job needs one, nothing starts until it's issued, with any planning permit coming first, so the permit usually sets your start date. When there's a permit, we handle the paperwork and the inspections. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor license, because the state requires one on any job that needs a permit, uses any extra workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. We're licensed and fully insured. The County issues business licenses too, but only for businesses in its unincorporated areas.
What moves the price here is mostly what happens below the surface. That's how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, how much steel goes in, and whether you want a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps a slab from getting slick, or something stamped. Access counts too, because a narrow side yard means the old slab leaves by wheelbarrow and the new one may need a pump. The schedule turns on the permit, the size of the tear-out and the curing wait before you can use the slab, and your written estimate lays out the price and the work. As a concrete contractor based in Fremont, CA, we come over for jobs here and next door in Atherton.
Older slabs here and why they fail
On houses as old as most of these, the original driveway or walk was often poured straight onto the dirt with little or no base, and the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, has been settling ever since. Add decades of tree roots and the slab tilts, heaves at the cracks or sinks by the garage. We don't pour over that. We dig it out to firm ground and pack a new base in layers before any concrete goes in.
Water is the other problem we see a lot. Older slabs often fall toward the house, and every add-on over the years changes where the rain goes, so before we set forms we check where your water runs and slope the new concrete to carry it away from the foundation.
How a concrete job in North Fair Oaks goes, start to finish
Here's what happens from your first call to the day we pack up, and what you'll have in hand at each step.
Call or send the form
You call (510) 574-8512 or send the form and tell us roughly what you have in mind. We set a time for me to come out, and it helps if you're home to walk me around.
I measure and write it up
I look at the job, measure it, check where your water runs and ask what you need the concrete to do. Your written estimate spells out the base, the steel and the joints, so you can see what you're paying for and compare it with other bids.
We sort the permit and pour
If the job needs a County permit, we handle it and the inspections, and we don't dig until it's issued. Our crew does the dig-out, base, forms, steel and finishing with me on site.
We clean up, it cures
We clean up before we leave, and the new slab needs time to cure, the slow hardening that gives it its strength, before you put weight on it. I'll tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it.
Questions about concrete work in North Fair Oaks
Who issues the permit for a driveway that meets the street in North Fair Oaks?
The County's Public Works department does, because it issues permits for driveway and sidewalk work on County sidewalks and roads. The same office permits a dumpster or storage bin set in the County right-of-way, the public land along the road, and it lists a $350.00 per day fine for work done without a permit. We get that permit squared away before we break out the end of your driveway.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in North Fair Oaks?
You get your number in a written estimate after I've seen the job, because two driveways the same size can need very different work underneath. The estimate breaks out the tear-out, base, steel and joints, so you can compare bids line by line and see if someone left out the base. If the budget's tight, put the money into the base and keep the finish simple, because a fancy top on a bad base cracks just the same.
Do I need an engineer for a concrete retaining wall in North Fair Oaks?
If the wall is over 3 feet tall, the County expects engineering calculations with the plans. The County's permit requirements also call for a survey on retaining walls, because inspectors check setbacks, how far the wall sits from your property lines. I'll tell you at the estimate which of those apply to your wall.
What happens to my old concrete when you tear out a driveway in North Fair Oaks?
We break it out, haul it away and clean up before we leave. Some County demolition and construction permits also require a Waste Management Plan for salvaging or recycling all inert material, like broken concrete, and at least 65% of the debris. When your permit carries that, we handle it with the rest of the paperwork.
How do I keep a new concrete patio from cracking?
You can't stop concrete from cracking altogether, but you can keep the slab from moving and control where it cracks. That comes down to a dug-out, packed base, rebar, the steel bars that hold the slab together, and control joints, cut lines that give it a planned place to crack, cut the same day we pour. We also pour in the cool part of the day, because a slab that dries too fast in midday heat ends up with a weak, dusty top.
How do I find out if my concrete project needs a County permit in North Fair Oaks?
Email the County's building counter at buildingcounter@smcgov.org and describe the work, since the County makes that call for North Fair Oaks addresses. It requires a building permit when a building or structure is put up, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, removed or demolished. I'll go over your job at the estimate too, and if it needs a permit, we handle the paperwork.
Fremont, CA
Tell us about your North Fair Oaks project
Call (510) 574-8512 or use the form to describe what's cracked, sinking or holding water, and I'll know what to look for before I'm standing in your driveway.