San Bernardino Concrete CompanySan Bernardino Concrete Company

Concrete Contractor in Riverside, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base

San Bernardino Concrete Company pours driveways, patios, walkways, garage floors and retaining walls for homes across Riverside, CA, and I come out to look at every job myself before our crew sets a form.

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About Riverside, CA

Riverside is a big city, and on our jobs it can feel like several cities in one. There are older streets around downtown, in the shadow of Mount Rubidoux, where houses still have their first driveways and front walks, and there are newer neighborhoods farther out where the slabs are younger but often smaller than people want. On the east side, up toward UCR and the Box Springs foothills, the lots start to tilt. Riverside sits right next to Grand Terrace and a short drive from Colton, and the calls we get here sound a lot like the ones from those cities, with cracked driveways, sinking patios and garages that need a better floor.

The age of the house usually tells me what's under the old concrete, and the lot tells me where the water wants to go, so those two things shape most of the jobs we price here.

Services in Riverside, CA

  • Concrete driveway building

    Many older Riverside driveways have cracked and settled with the dirt under them. We break out the old slab, dig down, pack a real base and pour new.

  • Concrete patio construction

    Newer tract homes here often came with a small patio slab that families outgrow fast. We extend or replace it and set the slope so rain runs away from the house.

  • Garage floor concrete

    Older garages here often have floors pitted, oil-soaked or cracked across the middle. We break it out and pour a new garage floor with steel inside to keep cracks tight.

  • Concrete retaining walls

    Sloped lots on the east side often need a wall to hold a yard level. We build the footing and the drainage behind it, since those decide whether a wall holds.

  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps on older Riverside houses tend to settle and pull away from the porch. We rebuild them on a real footing with steel tying the treads together.

  • Concrete cutting

    Remodels, plumbing repairs and add-ons often mean opening up an existing slab. We saw-cut clean, straight lines so the patch or new opening looks planned, not hacked.

What I check before we pour in Riverside

The City of Riverside issues the building permits here, so before we schedule anything I check with the city about your address and your project. Most applications need a sign-off from the Planning Division before the Building & Safety Division does its plan check, and that review usually sets the start date more than the concrete truck does. You can check on us too. The city says a business working within its limits needs a valid City Business License, and its Finance page adds that companies based outside the city may also need one, which is worth asking any out-of-town crew about, ours included. The Business License Division answers questions about it.

When your job needs a permit, we take care of it and set up the inspections. The price here mostly comes down to size and thickness, whether there's old concrete to break out and haul away, how much digging and packing the base needs, how close a truck can get and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on the city's review and on curing, the days a fresh slab needs to harden before it takes weight, and I put what's included and what isn't in writing at the estimate. Riverside is a straight run down the 215 from San Bernardino, and we pour the same kind of work in Fontana and Rialto.

Riverside, CA properties and local conditions

On the older lots we usually find driveways and walks poured thin over dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, with cracks wherever the ground moved and tree roots lifting the edges. We don't patch over that, because a patch sits on the same bad ground. We dig out the soft subgrade, which is the dirt the slab sits on, pack a fresh base and cut control joints, the grooves that give the concrete a place to crack in a straight line instead of across the middle.

On the newer streets the problem is usually water. A patio or driveway that falls toward the house sends runoff right at the foundation, so I check where the water runs before we set a form, and we pour in the morning, before the heat of the day, so the top cures hard instead of drying out weak and dusty.

Get a free written estimate for your Riverside concrete job

Call or send the form, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out to your place in Riverside myself, look at the ground and how you'll use the slab, then give you a free written estimate with no obligation.

How a concrete job goes when you call us in Riverside

  1. Call or send the form

    Tell us what you've got, whether it's a cracked driveway, a patio you want bigger or a wall on a slope. We answer the phone from 7 AM to 10 PM, every day of the week.

  2. I walk the site with you

    I look at the ground, the slope and where the water goes, and I ask how you'll use the space. It helps if you're home, because what you'll park or set on the slab changes what I recommend, and you'll have the cost in writing.

  3. We file permits and prep

    If your job needs a permit, we file it and set up the inspections. The city issues some simple permits over the counter the same day while other projects need plans and a plan review, so I'll tell you which way yours is likely to go before we book a pour date.

  4. We pour, then walk it together

    Our own crew does the work, and I'm there for the pour and the steps that matter most. When it's done I go over the finished job with you and tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for the car.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Riverside, CA?

Possibly, so it's worth asking before any work starts, because the city's permit rules require a building permit for most construction, including building, altering or repairing a structure. The list of work that needs no permit is finish work like painting, tile, carpet, cabinets and countertops, and driveways, patios and other flatwork aren't on it. I check with the city for your address and your project before we put you on the schedule.

Does a retaining wall need a permit in Riverside?

A retaining wall no taller than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, doesn't need a permit in Riverside, as long as it isn't holding up extra load or holding back certain liquids the city lists. That extra load, which the city calls a surcharge, can be a driveway, a parked car or more slope sitting above the wall. Past those limits the exemption ends, and if your wall needs an engineer, I'll tell you up front.

How do I get a building permit for concrete work in Riverside?

The property owner, the owner's authorized agent or an appropriately licensed contractor can apply for many types of permits, and applications can be made at the Permit Services counter in the city's One Stop Shop. When you hire us, the application and the inspections are our part of the job.

How long does a Riverside building permit stay valid?

A permit for residential work becomes invalid if the permitted work doesn't start on site within 12 months after the city issues it. That matters if you pull a permit now and plan to pour next year, so I line up the permit with a pour date we can actually keep.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Riverside?

Your number comes from the written estimate I give you after seeing the driveway, because what's under the old one decides most of the cost. A lot of older Riverside driveways need a full tear-out and a new base, which costs more than the slab you see. If the budget's tight, keep the base and go with a plain broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, instead of stamped or colored concrete, since nobody sees the base on day one and it's the part that decides whether the driveway settles.

What causes concrete driveways in Riverside to crack and sink?

Usually it's what's underneath, a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settles as the dirt does. Water finishes the job when a slab falls toward the house or nobody checked where the runoff goes, and cracks land in random places when the control joints were cut late or skipped. Every slab cracks some, so what we control is the base, the drainage and where those cracks show up.

Service areas

Explore the services

San Bernardino, CA

Ask about your Riverside concrete project

Call (840) 222-9185 or send the form, and we'll sort out your project's permit steps along with the price, so you know the whole path before any work starts.

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