J&L Berkeley Concrete CompanyJ&L Berkeley Concrete Company(510) 345-1330
J&L Berkeley Concrete Company
(510) 345-1330Get an estimate

Concrete Contractor in Berkeley, CA - Slabs Built From the Ground Up

J&L Berkeley Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Berkeley, CA. We build driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and foundations for homeowners here, and pour larger flatwork, like small parking lots, for property owners.

Get an estimate(510) 345-1330
Concrete driveway with pale rectangular slabs and dark edging, viewed from above with a black car parked on it.

How Berkeley's hills and older homes shape our work

I started this business in Berkeley in 2017, and the city still sets the pattern for the work we do. Jobs here run from steep lots in the Berkeley Hills to flatter blocks toward the bay, and we do the same work over the line in Oakland and Albany.

A lot of the houses here are older, and their driveways, walks and front steps show it. Many have been patched more than once, and plenty sit on tight lots with little room to work. On these properties the concrete itself is the easy part. The ground under it, the slope around it and how we get a truck close enough decide most of the plan.

The concrete work we do for Berkeley homes and properties

Everything on this site, we do in Berkeley, from a single set of front steps to a new slab under an addition or a small lot behind a shop. The planning starts the same way every time. I come out to look at the job myself, check the ground, the slope and where the water goes, and talk it through with you before anything gets priced. Then our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing, with me running the job.

  • Concrete driveway building

    Older Berkeley driveways are often cracked and pitched toward the house. We break out the old slab, pack a new base and slope the new one so water runs to the street.

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  • Concrete patio construction

    Backyards here are often small or sloped, so a patio has to fit the space and shed water. We set the slope first, then pour a patio that drains away from the house.

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  • Stamped concrete services

    Next to old brick or tile, a plain gray slab can look out of place. We stamp in a pattern and color that suit the house, over the same packed base.

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  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Roots and years of settling leave a lot of front walks lifted and uneven. We break out the bad sections, rebuild the base and pour a walk that sits flat and drains.

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  • Garage floor concrete

    Old garages often have cracked, chipped floors that were poured thin or on loose fill. We take the floor out, pack the base and pour a new slab that slopes toward the door.

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  • Decorative concrete

    Older Berkeley homes often call for an entry or patio that's more than plain gray. We use color and exposed stone, and explain how each finish wears before you pick.

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  • Concrete retaining walls

    On hillside lots, a sliding bank or a leaning wall is a common reason people call. We build the wall on a solid footing with drainage behind it so water doesn't build up.

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  • Concrete floor installation

    Basements, workshops and converted outbuildings often have dirt floors or broken old slabs. We prep the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and pour a flat floor ready for its finish.

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  • Concrete pool decks

    Pools on sloped yards need a deck that drains away from the water and grips bare feet. We set the slope carefully, pack the base and finish the surface for traction.

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  • Concrete steps construction

    Plenty of Berkeley houses sit above the street, so front steps take a beating. We form new steps with even step heights, steel inside and a surface with some grip.

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  • Slab foundation building

    Additions, garages and backyard cottages on tight Berkeley lots often start with a new slab. We dig out, pack the base and set rebar, the steel that holds the slab together, before we pour.

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  • Foundation installation

    Older houses sometimes need a new foundation under part or all of the house when the old one breaks down. We form and pour it to the plans, with me running the job.

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  • Concrete parking lot building

    Small apartment buildings and shops around the city often have lots that crack and hold water. We fix the slope, pack the base and pour slabs thick enough for the traffic they carry.

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  • Concrete footings

    Decks, fences, sheds and walls on sloped ground all lean on what's under them. We dig and pour footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight, down to solid ground.

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  • Foundation raising

    When an older house has settled, you see it in sticking doors, sloping floors and cracks over windows. We raise and level the house, then set new support under it.

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  • Concrete cutting

    Older slabs often have to be cut for a new drain, a wider driveway apron or a door opening. We saw-cut straight lines so new work meets the old without a ragged edge.

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Driveways, patios, steps and walls, from forms to finish

These photos show the kind of work our trade does, from forming and pouring to the finished surface. They're here to help you picture the options, not as a record of particular jobs.

  • Newly poured concrete driveway with control joints leads to an open garage beside a brick house.

  • Terracotta-colored stamped concrete patio with a diagonal grid sits outside a white house.

  • Concrete basketball court with a hoop sits in a leafy residential backyard.

Working in Berkeley, from permits to price

Before we price a job in Berkeley, I check what the city asks of it and who can do the work. Here's what that means for your schedule and your budget.

Who issues the permit and who can bid

In Berkeley, the city's Permit Service Center issues building permits, and it requires them for all construction work and most repairs unless the work is exempt. We look up which office covers your address before we price the job, and when a permit applies, we handle the application and set up the inspections with you. Waiting on a permit and its inspections can push your start date.

Two licenses are worth asking about before you hire anyone. In California, contractors are licensed by the state licensing board, and they need that license before they bid. The city also requires a business license of anyone working in Berkeley, and its list names contractors who apply for building permits. Ask me about either one at the estimate.

  • Ask any contractor whether they hold a current Berkeley business license.
  • Ask who handles the permit and who meets the inspector.
  • Ask to see the contractor's state license before you sign anything.

What moves the price and the schedule

Size matters, but the price usually turns on what's under and around the slab. Breaking out and hauling away old concrete, digging out soft ground, building up a sloped lot and getting a truck or a wheelbarrow line into a tight yard all add time and material, which is why two driveways the same size can price out very differently.

The schedule turns on the permit, if one applies, on the weather and on curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before you walk or drive on it. Rushing that wait is how slabs end up weak, so I'll tell you at the estimate how long you'll be off your driveway or patio. Your own figure comes with the estimate once I've seen the site.

  • Thicker slabs and more steel for driveways that carry heavier vehicles.
  • Retaining walls or steps the slope needs before the slab goes in.
  • Stamped or colored finishes cost more than a plain, grippy broom finish.

Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Berkeley

Call (510) 345-1330 or use the form to tell us about your project and any permit questions, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Berkeley property myself, look at the ground and the drainage, and then give you a free written estimate with no obligation to book.

(510) 345-1330

What Berkeley lots and houses mean for a concrete job

Most of the trouble with concrete here starts around the slab, not in it. These are the conditions I look for when I walk a Berkeley property before giving an estimate.

  • Hillside lots and steep grades

    Up in the hills, a driveway or patio is often fighting the slope. That means more digging, sometimes a retaining wall or steps to hold the ground, and a base that doesn't creep downhill, so we look at the whole slope before we decide where a slab can sit.

  • Older concrete already in place

    Many houses here have driveways, walks and steps poured long ago and patched since. We usually break that out rather than pour over it, because new concrete laid on cracked, settled concrete tends to crack right along with it, and the base underneath needs a look anyway.

  • Water that runs toward the house

    On a sloped lot, rain heads downhill whether your slab is ready for it or not. A slab that falls toward the house sends that water at your foundation, so before we form anything we check where the water runs now and set the new slope to carry it away.

  • Tight yards and narrow access

    A lot of Berkeley lots sit close together, with a narrow side yard or a garage at the back. Access decides whether a truck can reach the forms or we wheel the concrete in, and that changes the crew we bring and how we stage the day.

  • Building close to major faults

    Berkeley sits close to major earthquake faults, and that matters most for foundations, footings and walls that hold up a house or a hillside. We set rebar where the plans call for it and don't skip steps on that work, because it's the part you can't see once the concrete goes in.

How we plan and pour concrete in Berkeley

I've run this business out of Berkeley since 2017, and the way we work comes from what goes wrong with concrete. Here's what you can expect from the first visit to the finished slab.

We spend the money under the slab

When a budget gets tight, the base is usually the first thing people want to cut, because nobody sees it on day one. I push back on that, because the packed ground under a slab is what holds it up. A base that's only raked level instead of dug out and packed will settle with the dirt and take your new slab with it.

After that, we plan the pour for the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't dry weak and dusty, and cut control joints early, the shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack. No slab is crack-free, and I'd rather say so up front, but joints give the cracks a place we picked.

  • I come out to every estimate

    I come out myself to look at every job and give the estimate, so the person pricing your driveway is the person running it. I'll walk the slope, look at the old concrete and sketch the plan with you before anything gets priced.

  • Your estimate, in writing

    We put every estimate in writing so you can lay it beside other bids and see where they differ, whether that's the base, the thickness or the finish. If anything on it isn't clear, ask, because concrete is hard to undo once it's poured.

  • Our crew, with me running it

    Our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing, and I run the job myself. That way the plan we talked through at the estimate is the plan we work from on pour day, and you have one person to ask when something comes up.

  • Licensed, insured and East Bay based

    We're licensed and fully insured, and we work in Berkeley and the cities around it across the East Bay. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. To talk your project over, call (510) 345-1330 or send the form, and we'll set up a time for me to come look.

Questions Berkeley homeowners ask about concrete work

These are the questions I hear most from Berkeley homeowners before a driveway, patio or wall goes in. The rules come from the city and the state, and the answers tell you what they mean for your job.

How do I find out if my concrete project in Berkeley needs a building permit?

Check the city's list of work exempt from building permits, because in Berkeley construction work that isn't on that list needs a building permit. Exempt work still has to meet the state building code and city law, and it can still need a zoning permit, which is a land use approval. I'll sort out where your job stands before I price it.

How do I know if a retaining wall on my Berkeley lot needs a permit?

A retaining wall 4 feet tall or less, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, is exempt from a building permit in Berkeley, unless it holds back extra load from above, which the code calls a surcharge, such as a slope or a driveway. A wall in a required setback, the strip along your property lines where building is limited, needs a zoning permit either way. On a hillside lot a lot of walls carry load from the slope, so I check this before we settle on a height.

What affects the cost of a concrete driveway in Berkeley?

The cost of a driveway here mostly comes down to its size, the old slab coming out, the ground and access, and the finish you pick. Steep or tight lots add the most, because so much of the work happens before any concrete arrives, and a driveway that carries heavier vehicles needs a thicker slab with more steel. I'll go through each of those with you at the estimate.

Does a concrete contractor in Berkeley need a California state license?

Yes, for most concrete work, because California requires a contractor's license whenever a project needs a building permit, uses any extra workers or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A new driveway, patio or wall crosses at least one of those lines almost every time. We're licensed and fully insured.

Service areas

Besides Berkeley, we work in Oakland, Richmond, Albany, Emeryville, Alameda, San Leandro, Kensington, El Cerrito, Orinda, Piedmont and Pinole, plus other cities around them. If you don't see your city, call (510) 345-1330 or send the form and ask.

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(510) 345-1330Get an estimate