Concrete contractor in Cupertino - driveways and patios built from the base up
D&L Santa Clara Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Santa Clara, CA. In Cupertino we pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and retaining walls, and we tear out and replace old slabs that have cracked or sunk.
Ask us to price your Cupertino slab
I walk the site, measure, and check where your water runs before we price anything.
Cupertino: mature trees and older driveways
Many of our Cupertino calls come from single-family streets where the houses have been there a while, and the driveway, front walk and back patio are often as old as the house. A lot of those homes have been added onto or rebuilt, and the concrete out front usually gets redone near the end of that work, once the trucks and dumpsters are gone. Toward the foothills, where Cupertino meets Saratoga, the lots slope more and we build more steps and retaining walls than we do on the flat blocks over toward Sunnyvale.
Here the ground and the trees shape the job more than the house does. Big yard and street trees push roots under old slabs and lift them, and the heavy soil usually swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries, so we spend our time on what's under the slab before we think about the top.
Working in Cupertino: permits, licenses and prep
Building permits here come from the City of Cupertino Building Division, so I check with the division for your address while I put the estimate together, and when we're the ones pulling the permit, we handle the paperwork and the inspections. If your job needs plan review, that wait usually sets the start date more than our crew does. Before you hire anyone, check two things about them, a California contractor's license from the state licensing board and a Cupertino business license, which the city requires of contractors working here.
What moves the price in Cupertino is mostly what has to come out and what's underneath: the size of the area, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, and how much of the subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, has to be dug out and rebuilt where roots or soft soil got into it. The finish matters too, and the schedule turns on the permit and on curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before you use it. The prep is the same whether we're here or across the valley in Milpitas, but the city office isn't, so every job starts with the office for that address, and the estimate is where you get your own number.
Services in Cupertino, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older Cupertino driveways often crack and lift where tree roots run under them. We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour new with planned joints.
Concrete patio construction
Backyard patios here often settle toward the house after years of sprinkler water. We set the new slab to fall away from the house so water drains off it.
Stamped concrete services
Remodeled Cupertino homes often want a patio or walk that matches new stonework. With our stamped concrete work, we press that pattern into a slab on a packed base.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped lots toward the foothills often need a wall to hold a yard or driveway. We build retaining walls with drainage behind them so water can't push them out.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older homes often pull away from the house as the ground moves. We rebuild them on a packed base with rebar, steel bars that hold them together.
Concrete cutting
Where a root has lifted one or two walk panels, the whole walk doesn't always have to go. We cut out the damaged panels and pour new ones.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Cupertino home
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to your Cupertino address myself to look at the job and measure. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, and we write out what's included so you can see exactly what you're paying for.
- Phone
- (669) 281-0773
- Location
- Santa Clara, CA 95050
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- Credentials
- Licensed and fully insured.
What Cupertino homeowners can count on
We're based in Santa Clara, CA and offer 16 concrete services across 12 cities, Cupertino included. Every job starts with a free on-site estimate.
- Based in
- CA
- Santa Clara
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 12
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway or patio in Cupertino?
Check with the city before you assume you don't, because Cupertino requires a permit for any construction or alteration that isn't on its exempt list. The exemption we've seen for single-family homes covers small one-story detached sheds kept clear of drains, easements and setbacks, not driveways or patios, so we ask the Building Division about your address before we price the job. If work starts without a permit, the city stops it until one is issued and doubles the permit fees.
How long does plan review take for a permit in Cupertino?
The city currently reports an average of 20 to 30 business days for the first plan review and 10 to 20 business days for each review after that. Small projects can go through counter plan review, and the city can issue a building permit the same day if the plans are complete. We fold that wait into the start date we talk about at the estimate.
How do I check that a concrete contractor is licensed to work in Cupertino?
Ask for their California contractor's license and their Cupertino business license, and check both before you sign. The state licensing board requires a license when a job needs a building permit, uses any extra workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The city also won't schedule a final inspection until the contractor and every subcontractor on the job hold a Cupertino business license.
What affects the cost of a new concrete driveway in Cupertino?
Tear-out, tree roots and the base usually drive the price here, because many Cupertino driveways have an old slab to break out and roots or soft soil to dig out under it. A sloped lot adds forming work, and a stamped or colored finish costs more than a broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip. If the job needs a permit, its fee goes on top, and the free estimate puts your own number on all of it.
What causes concrete driveways to crack in Cupertino?
Most cracks here come from the ground moving under the slab, whether it's tree roots, heavy soil that swells and shrinks, or a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. Concrete usually cracks somewhere, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give a crack a straight line to follow, on time so it lands where we chose. The base is hidden on day one and it's the first thing people want to cut, but I'd trim the finish before I'd skimp on the base, because a nice top on a bad base cracks just the same.
How long will I be without my driveway after a new pour in Cupertino?
You're off it through the tear-out, the prep and the curing, and you can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it. Curing keeps going long after the slab looks dry, so I'll tell you on pour day when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for the car. We plan pours for the cooler part of the day, because a midday pour in the heat can leave a weak, dusty top.
Tell us about your Cupertino project
Call (669) 281-0773 or use the form to describe the job and ask what the permit steps look like for your address.