San Bernardino Concrete CompanySan Bernardino Concrete Company

Concrete contractor in Highland, CA - driveways and patios built on a solid base

San Bernardino Concrete Company pours driveways, patios, steps and retaining walls in Highland, CA. We dig out and pack the base, set the slope so water runs away from your house, and our own crew does the pour.

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Stamped concrete paving fills a courtyard between two buildings, with a dark gray rectangular stone pattern and a glossy finish.
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  • Free quotes on site.
  • Expect a reply within 1 business day.

About Highland, CA

Highland has two sides for us. The older part of the city around the historic district still has early 1900s Craftsman bungalows with narrow driveways, front porches and big mature trees, while newer neighborhoods spread east and up toward the foothills on bigger lots with more slope. We come over from San Bernardino, where we're based, and work in both, and the jobs rarely look alike.

We see a similar mix next door in Redlands. Here it usually means the older house needs its worn-out concrete torn out and the base rebuilt, and the newer one needs a plan for the slope before anything gets poured.

Services in Highland, CA

  • Concrete driveway building

    Many older Highland driveways are thin and cracked from roots or a settled base. We break them out, dig to firm ground, pack a new base and pour.

  • Stamped concrete services

    Owners of older homes often want a patio that looks like stone or brick. Our stamped concrete work presses that pattern into a fresh slab over a packed base.

  • Concrete retaining walls

    Yards climbing toward the foothills often have a slope that slumps or sheds water onto the patio. We build retaining walls with footings and steel sized for what's behind them.

  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps on older Highland porches tend to tip, crumble or have uneven heights that catch a toe. We tear them out and form new ones with every step the same height.

  • Concrete patio construction

    Older Highland patios often tip toward the house, sending storm water against your wall. We set the slope so water runs out to the yard, then pour.

  • Concrete pool decks

    In Highland's summer heat the pool deck gets heavy use, and a slick one is trouble under wet feet. We pour decks with a textured finish that grips when wet.

Permits, licenses and pricing for concrete work in Highland

For concrete work in Highland, the city's Building and Safety office is the one we deal with. Its permit list names additions, pools, decks, fences and similar work but not driveways or patios, so I check with the office for your address before we plan anything, and when a job needs a permit we take care of it and set up the inspections. A slab for a new structure goes through the city's Planning Division before plans ever reach Building and Safety, which adds time at the front of the schedule. Before you hire anyone, ask about two licenses, a state contractor license, covered in the questions below, and a Highland business license, which the city requires before anyone does business here, with contractors based outside the city, as we are in San Bernardino, working under its Out of City license.

What moves the price is mostly what you can't see. The number goes up or down with how much old concrete we break out and haul, how far down we dig to reach firm ground, whether the slope calls for forms, steps or a wall, and the finish you pick, because a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps a slab from getting slick, costs less than a stamped pattern. On the older streets, where the truck can park and how far we have to wheel or pump the concrete count too, the same as on our jobs in Rialto. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, the weather and how long the slab has to cure, and the written estimate I leave you spells out what's included and what isn't so you can see where your number comes from.

Highland, CA properties and local conditions

Heat is the first thing we plan around. Older weather records from the early and middle 1900s put the average July high in Highland around 92°F, and heat like that pulls water out of fresh concrete too fast, so a slab finished under the midday sun can end up with a weak, dusty top that chips within a few years. In summer we pour early in the morning, keep the slab damp while it cures and won't start a pour we can't finish before the worst of the afternoon.

The other thing we watch is water. On sloped lots, and on older ones where the yard has settled over the years, runoff often heads for the house or under the slab, washing out the base until the concrete sinks, so before we set a form I work out where the water goes now and where it should go.

A free written estimate for your Highland concrete job

We'll get back to you within one business day to set a time, and I'll come out to your Highland property myself to look at the ground and ask how you'll use the space. The estimate is free, done on site and put in writing, and there's no obligation to go ahead.

What happens after you call us about a Highland job

  1. Call or send the form

    Call (840) 222-9185 or send the form and tell us what you're seeing, whether it's a cracked driveway, a sinking patio or a slope that needs holding back. We'll set a time for me to come out to your Highland address.

  2. I look at the site

    I check the ground, where the water runs and what's under the old concrete, and I ask how you'll use the space, so it helps if you're home. You get a written estimate listing what's included and what isn't, so you know what the number covers before you decide.

  3. We handle permits and pour

    If the job needs a city permit, we file it and book the inspections before work starts. Our own crew does the work, and I'm there for the base and the pour, the steps that decide how the slab holds up.

  4. We walk the finished job

    I go over the finished work with you and point out the joints and the slope. Then I tell you when it's safe to walk and drive on it, because curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength, needs time without weight on it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Highland?

Not always, because the city exempts walls no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall. That exemption doesn't cover a wall holding up extra weight above it, like a driveway or a building near the top, a wall holding back a slope steeper than 2 to 1, or one holding flammable liquids, and city policy still calls for a footing and vertical rebar, the steel bars that tie the wall into its footing, in every residential retaining wall unless it's specifically exempted. I check your wall against those rules on the first visit.

Can I apply for a building permit online in Highland?

Yes, Highland takes Building and Safety permit applications at any time through its online permit portal, and homeowners can file there as well as contractors. If we're doing your job and it needs a permit, the filing is ours to do.

Does a concrete contractor in Highland need a state license?

Yes, if the job needs a building permit, uses hired workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, counting every contract for the job. That license comes from the California Contractors State License Board, and it's separate from the Highland business license the city asks for. We're licensed and insured.

What's the best way to save money on a concrete patio in Highland?

Save on the finish, not the base. The dug-out, packed base is hidden on day one, which is why it's the first thing people want to trim, but a slab on loose dirt settles and cracks along with it and you end up paying twice. A plain broom finish over a solid base will usually outlast a stamped pattern poured over raked dirt, and a simple square shape costs less to form than curves.

How large a down payment can a contractor ask for in California?

On a home improvement job, the state caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Any other payments have to be written into the contract and tied to work done or materials delivered, so check for that in any contract you're handed.

What causes concrete driveways to crack in Highland?

Most cracks we see here start under the slab, in a subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, or in water running underneath and washing it away. Others come from a summer pour that dried too fast, as covered above, or from control joints, the grooves cut to tell concrete where to crack, that were cut late or skipped. Concrete still cracks a little, so we pack the base, plan the drainage and cut the joints on time to keep those cracks in the lines we chose.

Service areas

Explore the services

San Bernardino, CA

Talk through your Highland concrete job

Call (840) 222-9185 any day between 7 AM and 10 PM, so you can ring us after work while you're standing right next to the crack or the puddle.

Request a quote(840) 222-9185
(840) 222-9185Request a quote