Concrete Contractor in Martinez, CA - Flatwork that drains and holds its grade
Excel Antioch Concrete Company pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs in Martinez, CA. We get the ground, the grade and the layout right first, because that's the part you can't fix once the concrete is down.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Martinez houses, hills and the concrete around them
Martinez is a short drive west of our base in Antioch. The calls we get from there usually start with a driveway that's cracked across the middle, a front walk that's lifted at a joint, or a patio that's sunk toward the back door. The older houses near downtown often still have their original concrete, while the newer streets up in the hills come with steep driveways and yards that step down the slope. It's the same flatwork we pour in Pleasant Hill and Concord, the driveways, patios, walks and steps that sit on the ground, with a lot more slope to deal with.
That slope shapes most jobs here. A driveway has to meet the street and the garage without scraping a bumper, and a patio on a hillside yard has to send water away from the house, so I work out the grade before anything else.
Concrete services for Martinez homes and businesses
Concrete driveway building
On sloped Martinez lots, a new driveway has to meet the street and the garage without steep breaks, so we set the grade before the forms go in.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio here often sits against an older foundation, so we pitch it away from the house and dig out soft dirt before pouring.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, which suits many older Martinez homes, with the same base work underneath.
Concrete sidewalk building
When a front walk has lifted or broken at a joint and trips people up, we cut out the bad sections and pour new ones that line up.
Garage floor concrete
An old garage floor that's cracked, stained or sunk at the door can be broken out and repoured with a slight fall toward the opening.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes work well where a slab is part of how the house looks from the street, like an entry or a courtyard.
Concrete retaining walls
On hillside yards, a concrete retaining wall holds back the slope so you can have a flat patio, walk or parking spot below it.
Concrete floor installation
We pour interior concrete floors for shops, sheds and additions, and for small businesses here that need a flat, hard floor that cleans up easily.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck has to shed splash water away from the pool and the house and stay comfortable underfoot, so finish and slope matter.
Concrete steps construction
Older Martinez houses often have front steps that have pulled away or settled, and we rebuild them with every step the same height so nobody catches a toe.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, shop or addition, we pour the slab foundation on a dug-out, packed base, because everything built above it depends on that base.
Foundation installation
When a project calls for a perimeter foundation instead of a slab, such as on a sloped lot, we form and pour it to the plans.
Concrete parking lot building
Small business owners in Martinez call us for parking areas that drain off the lot instead of puddling at the door, laid out with room for cars.
Concrete footings
Decks, sheds, walls and additions all need footings, the concrete pads or strips that carry the weight down, set deep and square before anything goes on them.
Foundation raising
When part of an older house or slab has dropped, raising it back toward level can save tearing it out, and we'll tell you honestly which makes sense.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing concrete, so a new walk or patio can tie into an old one without a ragged seam.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Martinez concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day. I come out myself, walk and measure the job, and send you a written price, with no pressure to book.
Call (925) 503-1201- Based in
- Antioch, CA 94509
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Working in Martinez: permits, licenses and price
The City of Martinez Building Department issues building permits for work inside the city limits, to homeowners and to licensed contractors, and the city lists separate grading, encroachment and site development permits too. Whether your job needs one depends on what we're building, so before we start I check with the city about your address, and if a permit's needed we apply for it as your contractor or help you file it yourself. Any permit review comes before the pour, so it sets the start date more than anything we do on site. When you're comparing contractors, ask each one for their state contractor's license and whether they carry the business license the city lists as required for contractors. We're licensed and fully insured.
On the job itself, the price moves with the size and thickness of the slab, whether old concrete has to come out first, how much digging and base work the ground needs, the finish you pick, and how hard it is to get concrete to the spot. That last one matters in Martinez, where narrow older streets and steep driveways can mean a pump or a lot of wheelbarrow trips instead of pouring straight off the truck. I measure all of it on site and send you a written price, because I don't quote concrete off a phone call. It's the same way I price jobs in Walnut Creek or out in Rio Vista.
Why older Martinez driveways and patios give out
A lot of the concrete around older Martinez houses was laid on a subgrade, the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled unevenly and the slab cracked and sank along with it. On sloped lots you often get water running toward the garage or pooling against the foundation too, because nobody checked which way it would go. When we replace a slab like that, we dig down past the soft material, pack a proper base and set the new surface to fall away from the house, because that part can't be fixed once the concrete's down.
If it's the public walk out front that's broken or lifted, the city's permit list includes a sidewalk repair rebate application, so it's worth asking the city about it before we price the job. Either way, the walk gets the same base work as a driveway.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Martinez
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step. Mostly that's me and my crew.
Call or send the form
Call (925) 503-1201 or send the form with a few lines about the job and roughly how big it is. We'll set a time for me to come out to Martinez.
I walk and measure it
I come out myself to look at the site, the slope, what's around it and how we'll get concrete to it, then send you a written estimate. You'll know the full price before you decide anything, and it helps if you're home so we can talk through layout and finish.
We set forms and pour
Once you say go, we sort out anything the city needs, then dig out, pack the base, set forms, pour and finish. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a chosen place to crack, before it can pick its own.
Walk the finished job together
I walk the finished job with you before we leave, so anything you want to point out gets talked about right there. We'll also tell you when you can walk on the new slab and when you can drive on it.
Questions about hiring a concrete contractor in Martinez
Call (925) 503-1201New building permit applications in Martinez go through the city's online portal, for homes and businesses alike, and a paper application needs an exception from the city's chief building official. You can start at the city's permit center page, which also lists the building permit application and fee schedule. If your job needs a permit, we apply for it as your contractor, or we help you through it if you'd rather file it yourself.
Yes, if the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials, because the Contractors State License Board requires a license for any of those. The under-$1,000 exemption only covers work with no permit and no employees, and a bigger job can't be split into smaller contracts to get under it. If someone offers to break your patio into small contracts, that's your sign to keep looking.
Your price comes from what I measure on site, and in Martinez the slope, the tear-out and the access move it the most. A steep driveway with old concrete to break out and haul away costs more than a flat pour on open ground, and a stamped or colored finish costs more than a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires some grip. If the budget's tight, cut the finish before you cut the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's what keeps the new driveway from sinking like the old one.
The wait after the pour is usually the longest part of being without your driveway, because concrete has to cure, slowly hardening and gaining strength well after it looks dry, before it can carry a car. You can walk on it sooner than you can drive on it, and I'll tell you both for your slab when we pour. If the job needs a permit, the city's review comes before any of that, so call early if you have a date in mind.
Concrete cracks mostly from shrinking as it cures and from the ground settling under it, so yes, a new patio can crack too. What we control is where and how much, because the joints we cut give cracks a straight line to follow, rebar, the steel bars set inside the slab, holds the pieces together where we add it, and a packed base keeps the slab from sinking the way the old one did.
Set the grade before anything else, so the driveway eases into the street and the garage instead of breaking sharply where a bumper can scrape. We dig out and pack the base to follow that grade, slope the surface so water runs off to the sides or the street instead of into the garage, and give it a broom finish for grip when it's wet. On the steepest lots, a retaining wall or steps beside the drive may be part of the job, and I'll point that out when I come to measure.
Antioch, CA
Plan your Martinez concrete job with us
If you're planning a patio, steps and a walk, calling once lets me lay them out together so the grades meet and the joints line up.