Concrete contractor in Kensington, CA - driveways and walks that drain on a hill
El Cerrito Concrete is a concrete contractor based next door in El Cerrito. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps, retaining walls and foundations for Kensington homeowners, with the base, slope and joints done right underneath.
Request an estimate
Kensington's hillside lots and older houses
Kensington is a small, mostly residential community in the hills above El Cerrito and Berkeley, with a short stretch of shops and a lot of houses that have been here a long time. The lots rise or drop away from the street, the driveways tend to be short and steep, and plenty of the concrete out front is as old as the house. There's rarely a flat spot to stage anything, and the street is usually narrow.
That shapes every job up here. On a slope, water picks its path before we do, so we work out where it goes before we work out anything else.
Working in Kensington, from permits to parking
Kensington is unincorporated, so it has no city government of its own, and Contra Costa County handles building permits, inspections and zoning up here. A job that needs a permit moves on the county's schedule, and the inspections get booked with the county. Before you hire anyone, ask for two things, a California contractor's license and a county business license, which the county requires of every contractor working in its unincorporated areas, even one based in another city. We're fully licensed and insured, and when a job needs a permit we pull it under our license and book the inspections ourselves.
Most streets up here are narrow and climb, with cars parked on both sides, so getting a concrete truck to your forms is part of the plan. Your price mostly comes down to that access, how much old concrete comes out and how much base the ground needs. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, which is the wait while fresh concrete gets strong enough to use. The estimate puts a number on your own job. The same crew pours in Hercules and the cities in between, and the part you don't see gets the same time in every one of them.
What do Kensington driveways and walks need most?
Water comes first. On a hillside lot, rain runs downhill until something stops it, and too often that's a garage door or the foot of the house because the old slab was poured flat or tipped the wrong way. A lot of the driveways and walks we tear out were set on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so they settled with the ground and opened up. We dig down to the subgrade, the firm ground the slab sits on, pack a real base on top and slope the new concrete so water leaves your house alone.
Then come the cracks. I learned concrete on a city crew, replacing walk that tree roots had pushed up, and the lesson stuck. Concrete is going to crack, and my job is to tell it where, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the crack a straight line to follow, while the slab is fresh, and we add rebar, the steel that holds the pieces together, where a slab has to carry a car.
- 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 Kensington
Concrete driveway building
Steep driveways here crack and settle when the base was only raked flat. We dig to firm ground, pack the base and slope it away from the garage.
Concrete steps construction
Hillside houses here often have long runs of front steps that have shifted out of level. We rebuild them on a solid base with steps of even height.
Concrete retaining walls
Hillside yards here lean on retaining walls, and one with no drain behind it gets pushed over. We add a drain so water has a way out.
Slab foundation building
Additions and garages on tight hillside lots need a slab built to the plans. Our slab foundation building starts with me reading the plans and checking the grade.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots here are often cracked, patched and tipped toward the house. We replace the bad sections so the walk sits flat and sheds water.
Concrete patio construction
Flat ground is scarce here, so a patio is often the only level spot in the yard. We get the base and slope right first, then the finish.
How it goes when you call us about a Kensington job
Call or send the form
Call (510) 973-2452 or send the form with a few lines about the job, and a photo helps if you have one. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I walk the lot with you, check the slope, where the water runs and how a truck gets to the forms, and ask what the concrete has to carry. You get the estimate on the spot, so you know the price before you decide anything.
We take care of permits
When the job needs a permit, we pull it with the county under our license and book the inspections. We set the pour date once the county's review is done, since that usually decides the start more than our calendar does.
We prep, pour and clean
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and pours, and I'm on site running it. We cut the joints, leave the site clean and tell you when it's ready to walk on and when it's ready to drive on.
Your free on-site concrete estimate in Kensington
Send a few lines about your Kensington project and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the site and give you a free estimate on the spot, with no pressure and 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
Questions about concrete work in Kensington
How do I find out if my driveway or patio needs a permit in Kensington?
Check with the county before work starts, because the county says almost all projects need a permit. Its examples are things like additions, decks, foundation repairs and new utility lines, so a foundation repair needs one, and a driveway or patio is worth asking about, which I do before I price the job. If the work adds a structure or changes the outside of the house, the county may also want planning approval, and it names Kensington among the areas with design review, a check on how a project looks and fits.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Kensington?
Yes, if the wall is 3 feet or more, the county requires a building permit for it. For a lower wall, check with the county rather than assume, because even work that needs no permit still has to follow every county code and ordinance.
How do I know if my Kensington project needs a drainage plan?
The county requires a drainage plan for certain projects, including ones that add 1,000 square feet or more of new hard surface that sheds water, or 500 square feet or more of construction on ground steeper than 10 percent. A long new driveway can hit the first, and on a Kensington hillside the second comes up more often than people expect. I look at the size and the slope when I come out, so we know early whether a plan is part of the job.
Does my concrete contractor need a California state license?
Yes, on most concrete jobs, because the state Contractors State License Board requires a license when a project needs a building permit, uses any other workers or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The small-job exemption only covers work under $1,000 that needs no permit and uses no employees, and that cutoff used to be $500. Ask to see the license before you sign anything.
Is Kensington in a fire hazard zone?
Yes. The Kensington Fire Protection District says the community is within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, as deemed by CalFire, and you can see it on the district's fire hazard zone map. Concrete itself doesn't burn, which is one reason people up here like a concrete patio or walk next to the house.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Kensington?
Your price comes from the estimate I write on site, and up here the biggest swings come from the slope, whether a wall or drainage work comes along, and the finish you pick. A broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires grip on a hill, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If something has to give, cut the finish before the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and everybody sees it when the slab sinks.
Tell us about your Kensington concrete job
A couple of photos of the slab and where the water goes let me show up with the right questions for you and for the county.
Request an estimateCall (510) 973-2452