Concrete Contractor in Palo Alto, CA - New Slabs Where Old Ones Heaved
D&L Santa Clara Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor working in Palo Alto. We replace cracked and lifted driveways, patios and walkways, and pour new slabs, steps and garage floors for houses across the city.
Get an estimate for your Palo Alto concrete
I walk the slab with you, measure it, and check how water runs off your lot.
Palo Alto: big trees, older lots, lifted slabs
A lot of our work in Palo Alto is on older streets, from Old Palo Alto out toward the bay, where the trees have had decades to grow and their roots have pushed up driveways and front walks. Many of these houses have been remodeled more than once, so we often find slabs from two or three different eras sitting side by side, each on its own base. We see the same mix of aging concrete next door in East Palo Alto and Mountain View.
The city's code also has a chapter of flood hazard rules, listed right beside its rules for houses, so I ask the city whether any of them touch your address before we set the height of a new slab. Beyond that, the job here turns on how deep the old concrete and roots go, and on getting the new slab to drain away from the house.
Working in Palo Alto: permits, timing and price
Building permits here come from the city's Development Services office, which also checks drawings against the codes and sends out the inspectors. Its list of permit work names remodels, re-roofs, new homes and backyard units but doesn't spell out driveways or patios, so I check with that office about your address while I put the estimate together, and when we're the ones pulling the permit, we handle the paperwork and the inspections. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to show you the paperwork when I come out.
A permit wait, when the job needs one, usually moves the start date more than anything we do. After the pour, curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before it takes weight, decides when you get the driveway back, and you can walk on it well before you park on it. The price moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete and root we break out, and how deep we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and your written estimate lists what's included. I'm there on pour day with our own crew, and the base and forms are done before the truck arrives because concrete won't wait for anyone, the same way we run jobs in Campbell and the other cities around Santa Clara.
Services in Palo Alto, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older Palo Alto driveways are often lifted by roots and patched more than once. We tear them out, dig and pack a fresh base, and pour a new slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks lift and crack where tree roots run underneath. We cut out the bad sections and pour new walk on a packed base, matched to what stays.
Concrete patio construction
Remodeled houses often end up with patios that tilt back toward the house. We reset the base so the new patio drains away from your walls.
Decorative concrete
Many Palo Alto homeowners want new concrete that suits an older house rather than plain gray. Our decorative concrete work adds color and texture over the same well-packed base.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses settle and pull away from the porch. We form and pour new steps sized to your doorway, with a textured finish for grip.
Slab foundation building
Backyard units and additions on Palo Alto lots each need a solid slab underneath. We pour them from the engineer's plans, with the steel and thickness the plans call for.
Your free on-site estimate in Palo Alto
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time, and I'll come out to your Palo Alto address myself to look at the job and measure. The estimate is free, with no pressure and no obligation.
- 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 Palo Alto homeowners can count on
We're based in Santa Clara, CA, and offer 16 concrete services across 12 service areas, Palo Alto among them. 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
How long does it take to get a building permit in Palo Alto for a small concrete job?
Some minor projects qualify for an instant building permit from the city, which can shorten the wait a lot on small jobs. Larger work goes through plan review first, where city staff check the drawings against the codes before the permit is issued.
Which building codes apply to a concrete project in Palo Alto right now?
Projects submitted to the city since January 1, 2026 have to meet the 2025 California Building Codes along with Palo Alto's own amendments. Those amendments mean a rule here can differ from the one in a neighboring city, so we build to what Palo Alto checks.
How do I send plans for a building permit to the City of Palo Alto?
Plans go in as digital files, because the city takes all permit submittals in digital format only. When we're pulling the permit for your concrete work, we send the files and handle the inspections, so you don't have to.
Is an emailed PDF invoice from the City of Palo Alto about my permit real?
Not if it asks you to reply to get a separate payment link, because the city says its staff don't send those. You can treat an email like that as coming from outside the city, and if it names a job we're doing for you, call us at (669) 281-0773 and we'll check it with the city.
What drives the cost of a new concrete driveway in Palo Alto?
Most of the price is in the work you'll never see, the tear-out and the base, with the finish adding on top. If a budget has to give, I'd rather you pick a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps feet and tires from slipping, than skimp on the base, because a nice surface on poorly packed dirt settles and cracks along with it. Thickness, rebar, the steel inside that holds the slab together if it cracks, and how close the truck can get to your driveway also count.
What causes concrete driveways in Palo Alto to crack, and will a new one crack too?
Concrete shrinks as it dries, so almost every slab cracks somewhere, and the honest goal is to decide where. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the crack a straight line to follow, early enough to do their job, and we pour on a base that's dug out and packed rather than raked level, since a slab on loose dirt sinks and splits as the dirt settles. Tree roots are the other big cause here, and I'll show you at the estimate where they're most likely to push back.
Tell us about your Palo Alto project
Call (669) 281-0773 or send the form with a few lines about the slab, so I know what to look at before I get there.