Concrete Contractor in Santa Clara - Slabs That Drain and Stay Put

Ask the city's building division before anyone pours, because its building permit list doesn't settle it for driveways or patios. Santa Clara requires a permit to build, alter or repair any structure, so we check with the city first, and if one's needed we pull it and set up the inspections.

Yes, once the wall is more than 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall. That catches people, because the footing sits below ground, so a wall that looks short can still need one. We measure it at the estimate and pull the permit if it does.

Yes, if the job needs a building permit, uses any workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The Contractors State License Board issues that license, and Santa Clara also requires a city business license from businesses working inside city limits, even ones based elsewhere. We're licensed and fully insured.

A permit is good for 365 days from when it's issued or from the last passed inspection. If it lapses before the work is done, work can't start again until a new permit is issued, so we book each inspection as soon as that stage is ready.

Concrete cracks, so the work is in choosing where. We cut control joints, grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, so it doesn't sink with loose dirt. The base is the first thing people want to cut from a budget, and the last thing I will.

You're without it from the tear-out through curing, the wait while new concrete hardens enough to take a car. You'll walk on it well before you park on it, and since permits, inspections and weather can move the start, I give you the dates when we set the pour.