Concrete contractor in Brentwood, CA - slabs built for hot, dry summers
C&K Pittsburg Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Pittsburg that pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps and foundations for homes in Brentwood, and tears out old slabs that have cracked or sunk.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work for Brentwood homes and yards
The short answer: C&K Pittsburg Concrete Company takes concrete jobs all over Brentwood, from new driveways and patios to steps, foundations and cutting into old slabs. We're a concrete contractor in Pittsburg, CA, and I still come out myself to look at every job and write the estimate.
Brentwood calls tend to come in two kinds. In the newer neighborhoods, it's usually a builder's driveway that has started to sink at the garage or a bare backyard that needs a patio. Closer to downtown and out toward the edges of the city, there are older homes and bigger lots, where we're more often cutting into an old slab or setting a wall on a slope. It's a lot like what we see in Antioch.
Either way, the ground decides more than the house does. East County dirt bakes hard in summer and softens when the rain comes, so I look at how firm the ground is and where the water goes before we talk about anything else.
Why Brentwood driveways and patios wear out early
Summer heat works against a slab here. The park district describes nearby Round Valley Regional Preserve as arid, with summer temperatures that commonly top 100 degrees. A slab poured into an afternoon like that dries on top before it has time to harden, and that leaves a weak surface that dusts and chips later. So in summer we pour early in the morning and keep the slab damp through curing, the stretch after the pour when concrete is still gaining strength and needs to be left alone.
The other problem is underneath. A lot of the slabs we look at were poured over a subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settled along with the dirt. We dig to firm ground and compact a new base first. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you pick a plainer finish than skimp on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and you can't fix it once the concrete is on top.
Concrete services we offer Brentwood homeowners
Concrete driveway building
When a builder's driveway has sunk at the garage lip or cracked across the middle, we dig out to firm ground, pack a new base and pour it.
Concrete patio construction
For a backyard that bakes all afternoon, a patio slab sloped away from the house gives you somewhere to sit without water pooling against the foundation.
Stamped concrete services
If you want a patio or walk that looks like stone or brick, stamped concrete presses that pattern into the wet slab, with the same base underneath.
Concrete sidewalk building
When the walk to your front door has lifted or split and someone keeps catching a toe, we pour a new one that sheds water to the side.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor that's cracked, stained or pitted from years of cars and tools can be broken out and replaced with a flat, sealed slab.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone or a scored pattern can dress up an entry, a front walk or a backyard without the upkeep of pavers that shift.
Concrete retaining walls
When a back slope keeps sliding onto the patio or the yard needs a level spot, a concrete wall with drainage behind it holds the dirt back.
Concrete floor installation
For a shop, a barn or an addition, we pour interior floors over a packed base with steel inside, so the slab stays flat under weight.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, we slope the deck to drain away from the water and use a finish that's easier on bare feet in summer heat.
Concrete steps construction
If the front steps have pulled away from the house or each step is a different height, we form and pour new ones that are even and solid.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, a backyard unit or a detached garage, we pour a slab foundation on ground that's been dug, packed and checked before any concrete arrives.
Foundation installation
When a new structure needs more than a flat slab, we set up forms and steel for a foundation that matches the plans the engineer drew.
Concrete parking lot building
For a shop, a rental property or a small business, a thicker concrete lot stands up to daily traffic and turning tires better than patched asphalt.
Concrete footings
Footings carry the weight of a patio cover, a wall or a room down to firm ground, so we dig them to the depth the plans call for.
Foundation raising
If doors stick and you're seeing cracks over windows, part of the house may have settled, and we look at whether raising it back is the right fix.
Concrete cutting
To run a new line, widen a driveway or open a doorway, we check what's buried in the old slab first, then cut it clean.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Brentwood
Send the form with a few lines about your job, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out to your place in Brentwood, look it over and write up a free estimate that says what's in it and what isn't. There's no obligation and no pressure to book.
Working in Brentwood: licenses, permits and price
Rules change from one city to the next, so early in planning I check with Brentwood's building office and walk you through what they tell us, and when a permit is needed, we pull it. That answer can move the start date, which is why we ask it first. While you're comparing contractors, ask each one for their California contractor license number and whether they hold a Brentwood business license, since the city's business license application asks for the state license number, type and expiration date. We're fully licensed and insured.
Our crew comes out from Pittsburg on the same roads everyone uses heading into East County, so on summer pours we roll early, ahead of the traffic and the heat. What moves the price on a Brentwood job is mostly the size, how much old concrete comes out and how much work the ground needs before we pour, and the schedule turns on the weather, the cure and anything the city needs first. The estimate I write spells out what's included. We do the same work next door in Oakley, and we take jobs in the cities around Pittsburg, so give us a call even if your city isn't listed here.
How a Brentwood concrete job goes once you call
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know what's happening at each step and when you need to be home.
- Step 01
Call or send the form
Tell us what you've got, whether it's a sunken driveway, a cracked patio or a bare yard. We call back to set a visit at a time you can be there.
- Step 02
I walk the job with you
I look at the slab, the ground, where the water runs and how a truck gets in, and I ask a lot of questions. You get a written estimate that says what's in it and what isn't, so the price doesn't surprise you later.
- Step 03
Our crew does the work
Once anything the city needs is sorted, I run the job with our crew, from digging out and packing the base to the pour, the finish and cutting the joints. You don't need to be home on pour day, but we'll tell you when the slab can't be touched.
- Step 04
We clean up and walk it
We haul off the forms and the old concrete and leave the site clean. Then we walk the finished slab with you and go over how to treat it while it cures.
Concrete questions Brentwood homeowners ask us
Does a concrete contractor in Brentwood need a California license?
Yes for almost any real concrete job, because the state's Contractors State License Board requires a license when the work needs a building permit, uses employees or costs $1,000 or more in all. The only exception is a small job with no permit, no employees and labor, materials and everything else adding up to less than $1,000, and a bigger job can't be split into pieces to get under that. A contractor has to be licensed before they bid, so ask for the number before you take a price.
How much does a concrete driveway or patio cost in Brentwood?
Your price comes down to the size, the tear-out, the base work and the finish, and you get your own figure on the written estimate. A broom finish, the light texture we drag across the top for grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and a big old driveway that has to be broken up and hauled off adds to the bill before any new concrete goes in. A thicker slab with more steel for a truck or an RV costs more too, and it's usually worth it.
What building code applies to concrete work in Brentwood, CA?
Concrete work here falls under the California Building Standards Code, the state's Title 24, which every building in California has to meet. The state builds it from national model codes and adds its own changes, and local governments can add their own rules on top. When a job like a foundation or footings needs an engineer's call or the city's, I'll tell you so plainly and get the answer before we pour.
How do I check if my Brentwood home is in a flood zone?
Look up your address on FEMA's flood map viewer, which FEMA calls the best place to start for its official flood hazard maps. Whatever the map says, I check where water runs across your lot on the first visit, because a slab that sends water toward the house causes trouble long after it's poured.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Brentwood's summer heat?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, and I give you both waits for your slab on pour day, because they depend on the thickness and the weather that week. Heat dries the top faster but doesn't make the slab strong any sooner, so a hot week isn't a reason to drive on it early. Park on the street until we say it's ready, and keep heavy trucks off the edges after that, since they're the weakest part.
What causes concrete to crack in Brentwood?
Most cracks start with what's under the slab or how it was finished, like a base that wasn't packed, water running under the edges, or joints cut late or skipped. Control joints are the straight grooves we cut so that when concrete shrinks, it cracks along those lines instead of wherever it wants, and that's how we keep a new slab from cracking like the old one did. The ground moves here too, since the park district places the Marsh Creek fault about two miles from Round Valley Regional Preserve and it has produced small earthquakes, so we put rebar, steel bars that hold cracked pieces together, in slabs that carry weight.
Tell us about your Brentwood concrete job
Call (925) 318-8157 any day from 6 AM to 11 PM, or send the form with a photo of the problem spot, so I know what to look at before I come out.