Parking on gravel or squeezing cars onto a narrow driveway? We build a concrete driveway on a dug-out, packed base, planned around where water goes.
Concrete driveway building in Tiburon means we dig out and pack the ground, then form, pour and finish a concrete slab that carries your cars and sends rain off the right way. The town's review comes before the pour, and a cure wait comes after it.
The price mostly comes down to the size of the driveway, how thick the slab needs to be and how much digging it takes to reach firm ground. Access counts too, since a truck that can back up to the forms saves hours of moving concrete by hand. My written estimate spells out what's included, so you see your own figure instead of a guess.
The schedule turns on two waits. Tiburon reviews a new or wider driveway before anyone digs, so we start by sorting out the town's paperwork with you, which I cover further down. After the pour, the concrete has to cure, the stretch while it gains strength before it can take weight, so you'll be parking somewhere else for a bit.
Most driveway trouble starts with something that was rushed or skipped before anyone could see it. These are the three I watch most closely on every pour.
Before we set a single form, I look at where rain runs off your roof, your yard and the street right now. A driveway that sends water back toward your garage or house causes trouble for years, so we plan the finished surface to carry it away from the places you don't want it.
Concrete shrinks as it dries and almost always cracks somewhere. Control joints are shallow cuts that give it a straight line we picked to crack along. When they're cut late or skipped, cracks wander across the slab wherever they like, so we cut them as soon as the surface is ready for it.
Concrete placed in the midday heat can dry too fast on top, and that leaves a weak surface that dusts and chips later on. We plan pour day so the crew can place and finish the concrete properly, without racing the sun to get it done.
From the first call to the final walk-through, here's who does what, and where the town's rules fit into the schedule.
Call (415) 429-4397 or use the form and tell us a little about the driveway you have in mind. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
I come out myself, look at the ground and where the water runs, and ask how you'll use the driveway. Then I measure and write an estimate in plain words that spells out what's included.
Once you're ready, we handle what the town asks for and wait for the permit. Tiburon allows work weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., heavy equipment from 8 a.m., and Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. only if no noise carries past the property line. No Sundays or holidays.
When the work is done, we walk the driveway with you, go over how long to keep cars off it and answer anything you're still wondering about before we pack up.
The first thing I ask about a driveway is what will drive on it, so tell us if delivery trucks will use it. A couple of cars and the odd moving van is a different job from a driveway that sees regular deliveries, and your answer decides how thick we pour.
The subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, is hidden on day one and the first thing people want to cut from a budget. I'd spend there before the surface, because a slab only stays flat if the dirt under it does. One trade group's guidelines call for ground free of organic and uncompacted material, so we dig out roots and soft soil and pack the base before we set forms.
We also help you plan where to park while the new concrete cures. It's a lot easier to line up a spot on the street or a neighbor's driveway before pour day than to find out the next morning that your car is stuck in the garage.
A driveway often sits next to other work you've been meaning to do. If you'd like somewhere to sit out back, we can plan it at the same visit, and you can read how we handle concrete patio construction. If you want a pattern or color on part of the driveway, ask about stamped concrete services at the estimate, since that's settled before we pour.
One trade group's guidelines recommend at least 4 inches of concrete for a driveway, and 5 inches when delivery vehicles will use it. If trucks will come up yours, tell me at the estimate so we plan the thicker slab.
Pouring the whole driveway at once is usually cleaner and gets the cure wait over sooner. Splitting it in two keeps a way in for your car but stretches the job, so I'd only do it when there's truly nowhere else to park.
We respond within 1 business day. I'll set a time to come out, walk the driveway, measure and give you a free on-site estimate in writing that spells out what's included. No pressure, no obligation.
(415) 429-4397In Tiburon, building a new driveway, or widening or expanding the one you have, needs design review and a building permit from the town before anything is poured. If you have questions, the town's Planning or Building Division answers them. We find out what your job needs, help you with the paperwork and wait until the permit is in hand, because the town says work done without a required permit faces substantial penalties.
Most of our driveway calls come from homeowners around Tiburon and Marin who want a new driveway or more room for the cars they already have, so I raise the town's review at the first visit, before we talk about anything else. We do the same driveway work in nearby cities like Mill Valley and Sausalito, and I check what that city or the county asks for on each job.
I started this business in Tiburon in 2020, so we've been at it for six years. I still come out to look at every job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site with our crew while your driveway gets built, so the person who answered your questions is there when the base goes in.
We're fully licensed and insured. In California, the Contractors State License Board licenses contractors, and its concrete class covers flatwork, the flat pours like driveways, walks and slabs. You can look up any contractor with the board's License Check before you sign anything.
Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. I'd rather answer a question twice before we pour than leave you wondering about it afterward. If you'd like me to come take a look and talk through your driveway, call (415) 429-4397 or send us a message.
If you'd like a place to sit outside that's as solid as the driveway, a patio can be planned with the same crew and the same care for the ground.
When plain gray doesn't suit the house, stamped concrete adds a pattern and color so a driveway, path or patio looks closer to stone or brick.
We're based in Tiburon and work in cities across Marin and nearby, from Novato down to Sausalito and over to Richmond. These are the cities with their own page, and we work beyond them too.
An installed concrete driveway in the San Francisco Bay Area usually costs about $6 to $18 per square foot. Where yours lands depends on its size, how thick it needs to be and how much ground work it takes. Our written estimate gives you your own figure.
One trade group's guidelines say a driveway can open to traffic after 7 days of curing, or sooner when testing confirms it's strong enough. Until then, keep cars off it, because weight on young concrete can damage a slab that looked fine the day it was poured.
On a home improvement job, California caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. The state license board says any later payments must be listed clearly in the contract and tied to work already done or materials delivered. Check any deposit request against that.
Work in the public right of way along the street goes through Tiburon's Administration and Engineering Division, which reviews private construction there and issues encroachment permits. You can apply for an encroachment permit online. I'll tell you at the estimate whether your job reaches that far.
One trade group's guidelines say a penetrating sealer can go on 30 days after the concrete is placed. It typically needs reapplying every three to five years, so think of it as upkeep you'll come back to rather than a one-time step.
Have the rough length and width you're picturing, and know whether you want a new driveway or a wider version of the one you have. That's plenty for a first call, and I'll measure everything properly when I come out.
We pick up at (415) 429-4397 evenings and weekends too, Monday to Friday 7 AM to 10 PM and Saturday and Sunday 6 AM to 11 PM, or you can use the form whenever it suits you.
