Concrete contractor in Alamo - driveways and patios built for sloped, spacious lots
Alliance Walnut Creek Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Walnut Creek, CA, and we build driveways, patios, walls, steps and slabs in Alamo, with our own crew doing the prep, the pour and the finish.
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Alamo's big, sloped lots shape every pour
Alamo sits between Walnut Creek and Danville, and it feels more rural than either one. Away from the Iron Horse Trail and the handful of shops, it's mostly homes on big lots, many on a slope, with long driveways, wide backyards and yards that fall away toward a creek or a neighbor's fence.
That size changes the job. A long driveway or a patio way back from the street is a lot of concrete to place and finish before it sets, and getting it there can mean a pump or a long chute run, so access is one of the first things I look at.
Working in Alamo, where the County handles the paperwork
Alamo isn't an incorporated city, so Contra Costa County issues building and grading permits here, and it says almost all projects in its unincorporated area need one. If yours does, or if something like a new structure needs planning approval first, the pour date waits on that sign-off, which is why I sort it out before we talk start dates. Before you hire anyone for work here, ask for two things: a contractor's license from the Contractors State License Board, which licenses contractors across California, and the County business license, which any contractor working in the County's unincorporated areas has to get.
We figure out early whether your job touches the street or needs a County sign-off, and when a permit is needed, we can handle the application and paperwork for you. It's the same first question I ask on a job in Lafayette or Orinda, only here the answer comes from the County instead of a city. Price in Alamo mostly follows size and ground: how much concrete a long driveway or a wide patio takes, how much digging and base the soil needs, and whether the slope calls for steps or a wall. The schedule turns on any County sign-off, the prep and the curing, the stretch a new slab needs to gain strength before you use it, and I put all of it in writing after I walk your site.
What do sloped Alamo lots need most from concrete?
Slope and water, mostly. On a hillside lot, rain that used to soak into the yard runs off a new driveway or patio, and if the slab tips toward the house, that water ends up against your foundation or working its way under the slab. I look at where the water goes before we set a single form, then we slope the surface away from the house and give the runoff a place to go. Sloped yards and walls that have to handle water are the awkward jobs we've been known for since we started in 2013, and Alamo has plenty of them.
Long driveways and big patios here take a lot of use, and when they fail, it's usually the base, not the top. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil and gravel the slab sits on, set rebar, steel that keeps cracks tight, and cut control joints, grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along. The base is the part you can't see once it's poured and the first thing people want to trim from a budget, and it's the one I won't cut.
- Call (925) 448-9528
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Concrete work we do in Alamo
Concrete driveway building
Long Alamo driveways carry cars, trucks and trailers. We dig out and pack a full base so the whole length holds up.
Concrete patio construction
Big backyards here often want a patio that follows the slope. We set the grades so rain runs away from the house instead of pooling on the slab.
Concrete retaining walls
Hillside lots here often need a wall to hold a level yard. We build them with drainage behind, because trapped water is what pushes walls over.
Concrete steps construction
Front doors and back patios on sloped lots usually mean a run of steps. We form each riser the same height so nobody catches a toe.
Concrete floor installation
Workshops and pool houses on larger lots here need a flat, dry floor. Our concrete floor installation starts with a packed base and a moisture barrier.
Concrete pool decks
The deck around an Alamo pool gets wet feet and splash all day. We slope it to drain and finish it to grip bare feet.
What happens after you call us about an Alamo job
Call us or send the form
I'm usually the one who calls you back, and we set a time for me to come out to Alamo. It helps if you're there, because I'll have a lot of questions about what you have in mind.
I walk the site myself
I look at the slope, where the water runs, what the slab will sit on and whether the job needs a County sign-off. Then I put a written estimate together so you can see what you'd be paying for before anything starts.
Paperwork, prep, then the pour
Once you're ready, we sort out the paperwork and any marking or scanning, and if the County has to review the job, the pour date waits until it signs off. Then our own crew preps the ground, pours and finishes, and I'm on site for the base and the pour.
Walk the finished job together
When we're done, I walk the job with you and go over how to look after it. I'll tell you when the curing is far enough along for foot traffic and when it's ready for a car.
Get a free written estimate for your Alamo concrete job
Send the form or call, and we'll reply within one business day, usually with me on the phone. I'll set a time to come out to Alamo, walk the site and put a free estimate in writing, with no pressure and no obligation.
- Licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (925) 448-9528
- Location
- Walnut Creek, CA 94596
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Questions about concrete work in Alamo
Does my concrete project in Alamo need a permit?
It often does, since the County says almost all projects in its unincorporated area need a building or grading permit, and a retaining wall 3 feet or taller needs one. The County's list of permitted work doesn't name driveways or patios, so for flatwork the right move is to ask County staff, which I do on the first visit. You can start on the County's permit information page, which also has a map tool for checking which jurisdiction covers your address.
How do I know if my Alamo project needs a drainage plan?
The County requires drainage plans for certain projects, such as adding 1,000 square feet or more of new hard surface, or building 500 square feet or more on land sloped steeper than 10 percent. Work in a flood hazard area, or within 100 feet of the top bank of a mapped creek, can bring one in too. Long driveways and hillside patios here cross those lines more often than you'd think, so I measure for it before we put a plan together.
Does my concrete contractor need a Contra Costa County business license to work in Alamo?
Yes, the County requires its business license for doing business in its unincorporated area, and that includes state-licensed contractors based somewhere else. A contractor based in a city like Walnut Creek needs that city's license and the County's, which runs $100 a year plus $10 per employee. It's a fair thing to ask about before you sign.
How much of a down payment can a contractor ask for in California?
The Contractors State License Board caps it at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. The board says that applies to all home improvement projects, so a request for more up front on a driveway or patio is a warning sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Alamo?
Your price mostly follows the length of the driveway and the ground under it, and I put your figure in writing after I walk the site. Tearing out an old driveway, carrying runoff away on a slope, extra reinforcement for trucks or trailers and a stamped or colored finish all add to it, while a plain broom finish, the light swept texture that gives tires grip, keeps it lower. The access I mentioned above matters too, since a driveway far from the street can mean pumping the concrete in.
What causes cracks in a new concrete patio?
Usually it's a base that settled, control joints cut too late or skipped, or a pour in the midday heat that left the top weak and dusty. We pour in the cooler part of the day and cut joints while the concrete is still young, so any cracks follow the lines we chose instead of wandering across the slab.
Tell us about your Alamo concrete project
Call or send a quick description with your address, and I can usually tell you on that first call whether County permits or drainage rules are likely to come into your job.
Request an estimateCall (925) 448-9528