Piedmont Advanced ConcretePiedmont Advanced Concrete

Concrete Contractor in Ashland, CA - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Solid Base

Piedmont Advanced Concrete pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations for homeowners and small businesses in Ashland, CA. We dig out failing slabs, build a packed base underneath, and finish new concrete that drains away from your house.

Request a quote(510) 738-1848
A smooth concrete driveway runs between stucco houses toward a block wall, with gravel strips along its edges.
  • Licensed and insured.
  • Free in-person estimates.
  • Expect a reply within 1 business day.

About Ashland, CA

Ashland is an unincorporated community in Alameda County, set between San Leandro and Castro Valley, with East 14th Street running through it as the main commercial street. Most of the calls we get here come from the neighborhoods off that street, where modest single-family homes, many of them several decades old, sit beside small apartment buildings and shops.

Because so many of these houses are older, the driveways and walks around them often are too, so most of our work in Ashland is replacing concrete that has done its time rather than pouring on open ground.

Services in Ashland, CA

  • Concrete driveway building

    Ashland driveways often sink at the street end where the old base gave out. We tear out the slab, rebuild the base and pour a new driveway that drains to the street.

  • Concrete patio construction

    Back patios here are often small and tilted toward the house, so rain pools at the back door. We pour a new patio with a gentle fall away from the walls.

  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Front walks on older Ashland lots get heaved by tree roots until they trip people. We cut out the raised panels, deal with the roots where we can and pour level walks.

  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps on older houses here often have risers of different heights and cracked treads. We rebuild them with even steps, steel inside and a finish that grips when wet.

  • Foundation installation

    Ashland additions, garages and older houses needing new support start with a sound foundation. Our foundation installation work is dug and formed to the plans before anything is built on top.

  • Concrete parking lot building

    Shops and small apartment buildings in Ashland's commercial strip often have worn lots behind them that hold water. We regrade, rebuild the base and pour parking areas that drain and carry cars.

What we plan around when we work in Ashland

Ashland has no city government of its own, so on a job here we deal with Alameda County, whose building inspection division issues permits and does inspections for privately funded construction across the county's unincorporated areas. Each inspection has to be booked and passed before the next stage can start, so the county's calendar becomes part of your schedule. Two things are worth checking with any contractor you hire here, a California contractor's license from the state licensing board and the county business license, which the county requires for any business working in unincorporated Alameda County, even one based somewhere else or already holding another city's license. We're licensed and insured.

When your job needs a permit or a county review, we handle the application and the paperwork and tell you up front that it goes through the county, and if anything isn't clear, we check with the county before we start. We're based in Piedmont and do the same work in Hayward and the other cities around Ashland, and on the busier streets near East 14th Street, parking the concrete truck without blocking traffic or a neighbor's driveway is part of planning the pour. The price moves mostly with the size of the job, how much old concrete comes out first and how easy your yard is to reach, while the schedule turns on the county's inspections, the weather and curing, the days fresh concrete needs to harden before it takes weight. I'll put your own figure in a written estimate after I've seen the site.

Ashland, CA properties and local conditions

When we break out old concrete in Ashland, the reason it failed is usually underneath it, a thin slab poured on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settled as the dirt did. That's why we dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and pack a new base before we form anything. In a kitchen a plate is only as good as the prep behind it, and concrete is the same, except the prep is buried on day one. Access shapes the job here too, since many yards are reached only through a narrow side yard, so old concrete often leaves by wheelbarrow and the new pour may need a pump to reach the back.

This whole part of the county is earthquake country, with fault zones and seismic hazard areas throughout, including heavily populated stretches of the Hayward Fault. That doesn't put any given Ashland lot in a zone, but on older houses it's one more reason we plan footing and foundation work carefully before anyone digs.

Get a written concrete estimate for your Ashland property

We reply to every call and form within one business day to set up a visit to your Ashland property. The estimate is free and done on site, with no obligation, and once I've measured and looked at access, I send you a written estimate.

What happens after you call us about a job in Ashland

  1. Call or send the form

    Thank you for reaching out. Call (510) 738-1848 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out.

  2. I visit and measure the site

    I come out myself, look at the ground, the drainage and how we'll get equipment into your yard, and listen to what you have in mind. You then get a written estimate, so you know the cost before anything is scheduled.

  3. We handle county steps and pour

    If the job needs a permit, we file it with the county and plan around its inspections, then our crew forms, pours and finishes with me on site. Prep comes first, because once the truck arrives there's no starting over.

  4. We clean up and walk it

    We haul away the old concrete and debris and walk the finished job with you. I'll tell you how long to stay off it while it cures and when it's ready for a car.

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply for a building permit in Ashland, CA?

You apply through the Alameda County Permit Portal, where owners and contractors file permit applications, submit plans, schedule inspections and check a permit's status. When we take on a job that needs a permit, we file it for you, and you can look up its status on the portal yourself at any time.

Do I need a permit to redo the driveway apron in front of my Ashland house?

Work in a county road, sidewalk or public right-of-way falls under its own permit category with Alameda County, and the apron where your driveway meets the street often sits in that strip. Before we touch anything at the street, we check with the county which permit applies and handle the application.

When does a concrete contractor need a California license?

The state requires a contractor's license when a job needs a building permit, uses any other workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Nearly any driveway, patio or foundation job crosses at least one of those lines, so ask any contractor for their license before you sign.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Ashland, CA?

Each driveway here gets priced from what I measure on site, and you get that figure in a written estimate. Removing the old slab, digging out soft ground and working through a tight side yard usually raise the price, while a plain finish keeps it down. If something has to give in the budget, I'd rather simplify the finish than thin the base, because a broom finish, the light texture that keeps feet and tires from slipping, on a solid base will outlast a fancy surface on soft ground.

What is the best time of year to pour concrete in Ashland?

Late spring through early fall is the easiest stretch, because nearly all of the county's rain falls between October and April. We do pour in the wet months, but we watch the forecast closely and cover the slab while it cures, and in the warm months we start early so the pour isn't fighting midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top.

How do I keep a new concrete driveway in Ashland from cracking like the old one?

No one can honestly promise a slab won't crack, but a dug and packed base, steel and well-placed joints keep cracks small and put them where we choose. We set rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it does crack, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a planned place to crack, right after the pour so the slab doesn't pick its own spots. Then we slope it to drain and keep it damp while it cures.

Service areas

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Piedmont, CA

Talk through your Ashland concrete project

We answer the phone into the evening and on weekends, so call (510) 738-1848 after work or send the form tonight.

Request a quote(510) 738-1848
(510) 738-1848Request a quote