Concrete contractor in Pleasant Hill, CA - built from the base up
Alliance Walnut Creek Concrete Company builds driveways, patios, steps and retaining walls for homes in Pleasant Hill, CA, and we tear out and replace the cracked, sinking slabs that older work left behind.
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Pleasant Hill's quiet streets and older slabs
Pleasant Hill sits in the middle of Contra Costa County between Walnut Creek and Concord, with I-680 along one side and Diablo Valley College in the city. Away from the main roads it's mostly single-family streets, with apartments and shops closer to the freeway and the college, so most of our calls here come from homeowners with a driveway, a backyard patio or a slope that's started to move.
Plenty of these houses still have the concrete they were built with, and decades of settling show in it. That's why most jobs here start with tearing out old work and fixing the ground under it before anyone talks about the new surface.
What we know from working in Pleasant Hill
Permit applications here go to the City of Pleasant Hill Permitting Office, and the Building Division wants a permit for any work that adds a structure or physically changes one, so a retaining wall or a foundation is usually a job we plan around the city's sign-off before we book a pour. I sort that out at the first visit, and when a permit's needed we handle the application and paperwork for you. Two things are worth checking on any contractor you're considering, a California contractor license and a Pleasant Hill business license, which the city requires even of contractors who work from an office outside the city, like ours in Walnut Creek. We're licensed and insured.
Concrete only gives you so long once it's mixed, so I time pours here to keep the trucks off the freeway at its busiest. What moves the price is mostly what you can't see, like how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig before we hit firm ground, the slope and how close a truck can get, and then the finish you pick, and your written estimate lays all of it out for your yard. The schedule turns on the permit if there is one, the weather and the cure, which is the wait before a new slab can take weight. We've been doing this since 2013 and take the same kind of jobs in Lafayette and Alamo, so sloped lots like these are familiar ground for our crew.
What do slabs in Pleasant Hill need most?
They need a real base, because the city itself has noted how common clay soils are throughout Pleasant Hill, though that's a citywide finding and not a test of your lot. Clay swells when it gets wet and shrinks as it dries, so a slab laid on a thin, raked base gets lifted and dropped until it cracks. We dig out the soft material, bring in and pack a solid base and set rebar, the steel inside the slab that holds the pieces together if it does crack, so they stay level with each other.
Many of the driveways and patios we tear out here were sloped by eye, and when a patio falls toward the house, water sits against the foundation every time it rains. Before we set any forms, I check where your water runs now and where it should go. On a sloped backyard that sometimes means a step or a low wall instead of fighting the grade.
- Call (925) 448-9528
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- Walnut Creek, CA 94596
What we build in Pleasant Hill
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards here hold wet clay against any wall. We build concrete retaining walls with drainage behind them so water drains out rather than building up.
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here usually crack and sink as the clay moves. We tear them out, pack a new base and pour a slab reinforced for car weight.
Concrete patio construction
Backyard patios that tilt toward the house send rainwater straight to the foundation. We pour the new slab to fall away from your walls.
Foundation raising
When clay shrinks under part of a house, sticking doors and sloping floors start to show it. We raise the settled section back toward level and give it firmer support.
Concrete cutting
Widening a driveway or running new drainage here often means cutting an old slab. We saw clean lines so the concrete you keep stays sound.
Concrete steps construction
Sloped lots here often have front steps that have tipped or pulled away from the house. We rebuild them on footings over a packed base.
How it works when you call us in Pleasant Hill
Call and set a visit
Call (925) 448-9528 or send the form, and I'm usually the one who calls back to pick a time. It helps if you're home so you can show me what's bothering you.
Walk the site with me
I look at the slab, the slope and where your water goes, and I ask a lot of questions about what you want. You get a written estimate with the base work, the reinforcement and the finish spelled out, so you can see where the money goes.
Sort out permits and marking
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit paperwork and get underground lines marked or scanned before anyone digs. When the job needs a city sign-off, that comes before we book the pour.
Prep, pour and walk through
Our crew digs out, packs the base, pours and finishes within the city's construction hours, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, and I'm on site for the parts that matter most. At the end I walk the job with you and go over how to look after it.
Get a written estimate for your Pleasant Hill concrete job
Send the form or call, and we'll reply within one business day, usually with me on the phone. I'll come out to your Pleasant Hill property, walk the job, ask what you have in mind and put it all in writing. The estimate is free, and there's 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 Pleasant Hill
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Pleasant Hill?
There isn't one honest number, because the price turns on the size, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the clay calls for. Reinforcement, a sloped lot or a side yard the truck can't reach adds to it, and a decorative finish costs more than a broom finish, the plain brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip. If the budget's tight, I'd keep the money in the base and save on the surface, since the base decides whether it cracks again, and your written estimate shows where every part goes.
Do I need a city permit to replace my driveway in Pleasant Hill?
The city's permit FAQ doesn't list driveways, patios or paths as work that needs a building permit, but that isn't the whole answer. A driveway apron that reaches the street, curb or gutter is on city property and may need an encroachment permit through the Engineering Division. If you're unsure, the city says to call the Building Division at (925) 671-5200, and we check this at the first visit either way.
Does a concrete contractor in Pleasant Hill need a state license?
Almost always, because the state licensing board requires a license when a job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. That small-job limit went up from $500 to $1,000 in 2025, and it only covers work with no permit and no employees. A driveway or patio of any real size is well past that line, so the license matters on nearly every concrete job.
Does being in a Pleasant Hill flood zone affect a concrete project?
It can, because the city says improvements in the floodplain may require a Floodplain Development Permit. An older city handout counts about 700 homes inside FEMA flood zones here, so if you think yours is one of them, check with the city's floodplain program before we plan the work. Either way, I look at where water collects on your lot and plan the drainage around it.
How do I keep a new patio from cracking like the old one?
Start with the base, because most cracked patios we replace here were poured on raked dirt that kept moving with the clay. We dig out, pack a solid base, set rebar where the slab needs it and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack, before it gets the chance to crack on its own. Concrete still cracks a little as it dries, but a good base and joints cut on time keep those cracks in lines we chose instead of across the middle.
How long does a new driveway take before I can drive on it?
Longer than most people expect, because the slab has to cure, the wait while concrete gains strength, and a car is the heaviest thing it'll carry. You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you the days for your pour since the mix and that week's weather change them. Plan on the driveway being out of use from the day we tear out the old one until that cure is done.
Tell us about your Pleasant Hill concrete job
We pick up seven days a week from 8 AM to 9 PM, so call (925) 448-9528 or use the form whenever that crack or slope is on your mind.
Request an estimateCall (925) 448-9528