Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has cracked, sunk at the street or sends water toward the garage, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour a slab that drains away.
Concrete Contractor in Strawberry, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on Solid Ground
Sterling Stone Tiburon Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Tiburon, building driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and foundations for homes in Strawberry, CA, on the point between Tiburon and Mill Valley.
Sterling Stone Tiburon Concrete builds and replaces driveways, patios, walkways, steps, retaining walls and foundations across Strawberry. It's a short drive from where we're based in Tiburon, and I come out to look at each job myself, because the ground under a slab and where the water goes matter more than anything you see on top.
Concrete work on Strawberry Point homes
Strawberry sits on the point that runs out into Richardson Bay, with Tiburon on one side and Mill Valley on the other. A lot of the calls we get here are for driveways that have cracked or sunk, patios that hold water after a rain, and front steps that have started pulling away from the house. Most of that traces back to what's underneath, not the concrete itself.
Most of what we do here is flatwork, which is the trade's word for the slabs you walk or park on, like driveways, patios, walkways and pool decks. We also build the pieces that hold things up, such as retaining walls, footings and foundations, and we cut and remove old concrete when a section needs to come out cleanly.
- Based in
- Belvedere Tiburon, CA 94920
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Concrete services for Strawberry homes
Concrete patio construction
A new patio for the back yard, set with a gentle fall so rain runs off into the planting beds instead of pooling against your back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walkway the look of stone or brick in one pour, which suits homeowners who want a pattern without lots of separate pavers to settle.
Concrete sidewalk building
A cracked or heaved walkway is easy to trip on, so we replace it with a level path from the street or driveway to your front door.
Garage floor concrete
When a garage floor is cracked, stained through or sloped the wrong way, we pour a new slab with a smooth finish that's easy to sweep and hose out.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns let concrete suit the house, and we talk through how each one wears before you pick, because some show dirt more than others.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped lot, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil back to give you a flat spot for a patio or garden, with drainage built in behind it.
Concrete floor installation
Interior concrete floors for basements, workshops and additions, poured over a packed base and finished smooth so they're ready for sealing, coating or flooring on top.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck has to shed splash water and stay grippy underfoot, so we slope it away from the pool's edge and give it a textured finish.
Concrete steps construction
Front and garden steps that have cracked or pulled away from the house get rebuilt with even risers, so every step is the same height and nobody catches a toe.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or backyard building, a slab foundation is the floor and footing in one pour, set on prepared ground with steel inside to hold it together.
Foundation installation
New foundations for additions and rebuilds, laid out to the plans and set on footings dug to firm soil, so the walls above have something solid to sit on.
Concrete parking lot building
For apartment buildings and small commercial lots, we pour parking areas thick enough for daily traffic and slope them so water reaches the drains instead of sitting in the stalls.
Concrete footings
Footings carry the weight of decks, walls, posts and additions down to firm ground, and we dig and pour them to the depth and size your plans call for.
Foundation raising
When part of a house or slab has settled, foundation raising lifts it back toward level and supports it, after we've worked out why it sank in the first place.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut concrete for new openings, utility trenches, clean removal of a damaged section, or control joints, the shallow cuts that tell a slab where to crack.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Strawberry
We reply to calls and messages from Strawberry within one business day, and there's no pressure and no obligation. I'll set a time to come out, walk the job with you, measure and give you a free written estimate that spells out what's included.
(415) 429-4397What working in unincorporated Strawberry means for you
Strawberry isn't its own city. It's unincorporated Marin County, so building permit questions for homes here start with the Marin County Community Development Agency rather than a city hall. Whether your driveway, wall or footings need a permit is the county's call, and if they do, we wait until the permit is in hand before we start, so the county's timing becomes part of your schedule.
In California, the Contractors State License Board licenses the people who build or alter structures, and it's worth checking with the board that whoever you hire holds a license before you sign. We're fully licensed and insured. I find out what the county asks for on your job and help you with the paperwork, the same way we do next door in Tiburon.
What moves the price here is mostly what happens before the pour: how much old concrete comes out, how much ground has to be dug out and rebuilt, how hard the site is to reach, and any drainage work. Size and finish count too, since stamping or color takes more time than a broom finish, a lightly brushed texture that gives your shoes grip. The schedule turns on any permit and the curing wait, and your written estimate spells out what's included.
What you get when I'm on your job
I taught myself concrete on small jobs around my own place, learned the rest working beside people who'd done it for years, and started this business in Tiburon in 2020. I still come out to look at each job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site with our crew while the work gets done, so the person you talked to is the one watching the pour.
When a budget gets tight, the first thing people want to trim is the base, because nobody sees it once the slab is down. I'd rather keep the money there and go plainer on the finish, because a fancy top on dirt that was only raked level settles and cracks with the dirt, while a plain slab on dug-out, packed subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, holds up.
I'd rather answer a question twice before we pour than have you wondering about it later, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Call (415) 429-4397 or send us a message and tell me how you plan to use the space.
What Strawberry lots mean for concrete work
Strawberry's homes sit on a point in the bay, close together, with a lot of rentals among them. Here's how that shows up in the way we plan a driveway, patio, wall or steps.
A point running into the bay
Strawberry runs out into Richardson Bay, and a lot of lots here slope down toward the water. Before we set any forms, we look at where water runs today and where it'll go once a slab is in the way, so the new surface falls away from your house and sends runoff somewhere it won't wash out the ground under the next slab or your neighbor's yard.
Many homes here are rented
A good share of the homes in Strawberry are rented, so the person who calls us isn't always the one living with the work. When tenants live there, we plan with the owner or manager for how long the driveway or walkway stays off limits while it cures, and where cars and foot traffic go in the meantime, so nobody is surprised on pour day.
Getting the truck close
Streets and driveways here can be tight, and back yards often sit above or below the street. On the estimate visit I look at where a concrete truck can park, whether we can chute straight in or need to pump or wheel the concrete to the back, and how that shapes the day. It's one of the price movers above, so it goes on the estimate.
Slopes, steps and walls
Where a yard steps down toward the bay, flat space usually comes from a retaining wall, and getting to the front door often means concrete steps. Both depend on what's behind and under them. We plan drainage behind a wall so water doesn't build up and push on it, and set steps on footings dug to firm ground so they stay tied to the house.
Questions Strawberry homeowners ask about concrete
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Strawberry, CA?
Your price comes from a free on-site estimate, because the biggest costs here are tear-out, base work and access, and those change from one lot to the next. The written estimate lists what's included so you can compare it line by line. You can read more about the work on our concrete driveway page.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
Usually about a week before you drive on it, and a day or two before you walk on it. That wait is curing, the time concrete needs to gain strength, and putting a car on it too soon is how edges chip and crack early. Before we leave, we'll tell you what to stay off and for how long.
Will my new concrete patio crack like the old one?
Concrete can still crack, but most of the cracks people hate come from a weak base, bad drainage and missing joints, and we deal with all three. We dig out and pack the base, add rebar, the steel bars that hold the slab together if it does crack, and cut control joints early. We also pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry weak and dusty.
When does a contractor need a CSLB license in California?
Under the state licensing board's rules, a contractor needs a license when the job requires a building permit, uses additional workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and they need it before they bid. A bigger job can't be split into pieces under $1,000 to get around that. We're fully licensed and insured.
How much can a contractor ask for as a down payment in California?
State licensing board guidance says a contractor can't ask for or take more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. Any other payments have to be clearly listed in the contract and match work completed or materials delivered. That covers home improvement jobs like driveways, patios and walls.
How do I find the flood zone for my Strawberry property?
Look it up on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, the official home of flood insurance maps, by entering your address. It works one address at a time, so check your own lot rather than going by a neighbor's. It's worth knowing before you plan a patio or slab near the shoreline.
How should I get ready for a concrete pour at my house?
Clear cars, planters and furniture out of the work area, and tell us about sprinkler lines, buried wires or anything else we should work around. Keep pets and kids clear of the fresh concrete until it's set. The day before, I'll confirm where the truck will park and when the crew arrives.
Call or message us about your Strawberry job
Call (415) 429-4397 or send a message with a few photos of the cracked slab or the wet spot, since photos help me come out ready with the right questions, and we take calls seven days a week.