Concrete contractor in Albany, CA - driveways and walks that drain right
El Cerrito Concrete is a concrete contractor based in El Cerrito, and we pour driveways, patios, front walks, steps and foundations for homeowners in Albany, CA, with the base, slope and joints done before anything gets a finish.
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Albany's small lots and older slabs
Albany is a small city packed tight. Most of what we work on is older houses on narrow lots, set close to the sidewalk and close to each other, with shops and apartments along San Pablo Avenue and quiet residential blocks behind them. The streets climb as you get near Albany Hill and flatten out toward the Bay. The city sits between El Cerrito, where we're based, and Berkeley, and the houses don't change much when you cross either line.
That shapes the job. Driveways here are often one car wide with a fence on one side, so we plan how the truck and the wheelbarrows get in before anything else, and a lot of the old slabs we break out were poured on dirt nobody packed.
Working in Albany: permits, licenses and what moves the price
The city's Building Division issues building permits here, checks plans against the building code and inspects the work, so when your job needs a permit, the city's review and inspection become part of the schedule. Before you hire anybody, make sure they hold a state contractor license and ask whether they have an Albany business license. We're fully licensed and insured, and if it isn't clear whether your job needs a permit, I check with the city before I price it.
On the narrower blocks, getting a concrete truck close enough is a real part of the plan, and some old slabs come out in pieces we haul by hand. The price moves mostly with the parts you won't see, the tear-out, the base and the access, plus the finish you pick, and the schedule turns on the permit if there is one and on the cure. I give you the number on site, and satisfaction is guaranteed on every job. We do the same work next door in Kensington and up the shore in Pinole, because concrete doesn't care which side of a city line it's on.
What do Albany driveways and walks need most?
Mostly they need something better underneath. I spent years on a city crew replacing sidewalk that tree roots had pushed up, and Albany's front walks and driveways show the same thing, along with older slabs poured thin on loose dirt that sink, crack and tip. We dig down to firm ground, pack the subgrade, which is the ground the slab sits on, and add rebar, the steel inside that holds the pieces together when it cracks, wherever the slab has weight to carry.
The other thing is water. On the sloped lots near Albany Hill, an old slab that falls toward the house sends water at the foundation, so we set the slope to carry it to the street or the yard and meet the sidewalk the way the city looks for.
- Call (510) 973-2452
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- El Cerrito, CA 94530
Concrete work we do in Albany
Concrete driveway building
Old Albany driveways often crack because nobody packed the dirt under them. We break them out, pack a real base and repour, sloped to the street.
Concrete sidewalk building
Street-tree roots lift a lot of front walks here until somebody trips. We replace the heaved sections and match the new walk to the grade it meets.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older Albany houses often settle away from the porch. We form and pour new ones with every step the same height.
Decorative concrete
Front yards here sit on the street, so the walk is the first thing people see. Our decorative concrete adds color and texture over the same packed base.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped lots near Albany Hill often need a wall to hold the yard back. We pour ours on footings and give the water behind it a way out.
Concrete patio construction
Albany backyards are small, so the patio usually is the yard. We fit it to the space and slope it so water runs away from the house.
How it goes when you call us in Albany
Call or send the form
Tell us what you've got by calling (510) 973-2452 or sending the form, and we'll set a time for me to come look. You don't need measurements or a plan.
I come look at it
I walk the site and ask what the concrete has to carry, because a patio and a driveway with a truck on it need different slabs. You get the price on the spot, and it helps if you're home so we can talk it through.
We handle the permit
When the job needs a permit, we pull it under our license and book the inspections. The city's plan review and inspections set part of the calendar, so we schedule the pour around them.
We prep, pour and clean
Our crew digs out, packs the base, forms and pours with me on site running it, then cuts the control joints, the grooves that tell the slab where to crack. We leave the site clean, and the slab needs a few days of curing, the wait while it hardens, before you walk on it and longer before you drive on it.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Albany concrete
Send the form and we reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Albany property myself, look at the job and write the estimate on site, free and with no obligation.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (510) 973-2452
- Location
- El Cerrito, CA 94530
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Albany concrete questions we get
How do I apply for a building permit in Albany?
Albany is moving its building permits to an online portal called Cloudpermit, and the city describes it as a change still in progress, so check the city's building permits page for how to apply right now. If we're doing your concrete and it needs a permit, the application is ours to file.
How do I check a concrete contractor's license in California?
Look them up with the Contractors State License Board, the state board that licenses and regulates California's construction contractors. Do it before you sign anything, and you're welcome to check us too.
How much of a down payment can a contractor ask for on a home improvement job in California?
The state board caps it at $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. If a contractor on your Albany project wants a bigger check than that up front, that's your cue to slow down.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Albany?
It's a number I give you after seeing the site, because it comes from the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how much base it needs and how hard it is to get the truck in. A plain broom finish, the brushed lines that give your shoes grip, costs less than color or stamping, and if the budget gets tight I'd drop the fancy finish before I'd cut the base, since nobody sees the base on day one and everybody sees it when the slab sinks.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack and sink in Albany?
Usually it's what's underneath, like a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, roots pushing up from below, or water running under the slab. Concrete's going to crack, so we pack the base, set the slope and cut the control joints on time, and the crack goes where I told it to.
What building code does Albany use for concrete work?
Albany builds to the California Building Standards Code, the state's construction rules, with its own local changes, which the city's ordinance list shows were approved in May 2026. That's what the city checks plans and inspects permitted work against, so that's what we build to.
Get your Albany concrete job on the calendar
Call (510) 973-2452 or send the form, and one visit will tell you whether it's the slab or the dirt under it that's failing.
Request an estimateCall (510) 973-2452