Concrete contractor in Foster City - driveways and patios pitched to drain
Complete San Carlos Concrete is a concrete contractor in San Carlos that pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps, slabs and foundations for Foster City homes, plus replacing slabs that have cracked, sunk or started holding water.
Foster City concrete work, as we see it
Foster City is a planned city built around its lagoon, which winds through the neighborhoods. Most of the homes we work on here are single-family houses and townhomes whose driveways, patios and walks went in when those streets were laid out. After decades of cars and weather, people usually call about cracked driveway panels, walks that have settled into trip edges and patios that hold water after rain. It's a short drive from our base in San Carlos, right next to San Mateo and Belmont, and we do the same work farther south in Palo Alto.
This close to the Bay the ground is low and flat, so water won't run off a slab unless we build the slope in. On most Foster City jobs that makes the base and the pitch the real work, more than the finish on top.
What Foster City lots mean for a new slab
Most of our Foster City work is flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks that lie on the ground. Here's what we usually find on these lots before we dig.
Many driveways and walks poured decades ago have settled where the base under them was raked level instead of dug out and packed.
Driveways and garage floors that fall toward the house send rainwater to the door, and no surface coating will fix that slope.
Lots along the lagoon often have tight side yards, so we plan how base rock and concrete will reach a backyard patio before the pour.
The city's design criteria put Foster City in Seismic Design Category E, so foundations, footings and retaining walls have to be built to that earthquake standard.
The base, the tear-out and how water leaves your lot set both the price and the schedule, so I measure them on site before you get a written estimate.
Where we work in and around Foster City
We're a concrete contractor in San Carlos, CA, and Foster City is one of the cities around it where we work, along with Redwood City and San Mateo. Every city with its own page is listed below.
Concrete services for Foster City homes
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has cracked or sunk at the garage, we tear it out, pack a new base and pour it around rebar, the steel that holds cracks tight.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio on flat ground has to shed water, so we set its pitch away from the house before any forms go in.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or entry walk the look of stone or brick, pressed in while the slab is still soft so the pattern stays sharp.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks that have heaved or settled into trip edges get replaced with a broom finish, a light brushed texture that keeps shoes from slipping when it's wet.
Garage floor concrete
A garage slab that's cracked, stained or sloping toward the house door gets broken out and repoured with a pitch toward the opening so water drains out.
Decorative concrete
Decorative concrete covers color, exposed aggregate and scored patterns, useful when a townhome entry or courtyard should match the house instead of looking like a plain gray slab.
Concrete retaining walls
Even on level lots, a raised planter or a step up between yard and patio needs a wall that holds the soil back without leaning over time.
Concrete floor installation
For a room addition, a workshop or a backyard cottage, we pour interior floors flat and level so flooring goes down without shimming or grinding high spots.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here take sun, splashing and bare feet, so we pitch them away from the pool and give them a texture that stays grippy when wet.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have pulled away from the house or rise unevenly get rebuilt with every step the same height, since an odd step trips people.
Slab foundation building
A slab foundation for an addition or garage goes on a dug-out, packed base with the steel placed exactly where the approved drawings show it.
Foundation installation
When an addition or a rebuilt structure needs perimeter foundation walls, we form and pour them to the plans so the framing sits square from the first board.
Concrete parking lot building
Townhome complexes and small commercial lots get concrete parking areas poured thick enough for daily traffic and pitched to drains, so puddles don't sit in stalls.
Concrete footings
Footings carry patio covers, garden walls and additions, and we dig them to the depth and width the plans call for before setting steel and pouring.
Foundation raising
When part of a house or garage slab has sunk, foundation raising lifts it back toward level, though I'll tell you on site if replacement makes more sense.
Concrete cutting
Concrete cutting lets us remove one damaged driveway panel, open a slab for a new drain line or cut a clean edge without breaking up the rest.
Get a free written estimate for your Foster City concrete job
We reply within one business day, with no pressure and no obligation. I usually come out myself to look at your Foster City job and take measurements. Then you get a free estimate in writing with the work spelled out.
- Call
- (650) 866-1977
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Why choose us for concrete in Foster City
I learned concrete under an experienced contractor and started this business in San Carlos in 2017. Here's how that shows up when you hire us for a slab in Foster City.
I measure and check the work myself
I usually come out myself to look at the job and take measurements. I check the crew's forming, pouring and finishing as it goes, because a concrete mistake sets with the slab.
Your budget goes to the base first
Once the pour is done you never see the base, so it's the first thing people want to cut. I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because a fancy surface over loose dirt still sinks.
Licensed, insured and satisfaction guaranteed
We're fully licensed and insured. When a job needs a permit, we settle with you who pulls it and write that into the contract. To start, call (650) 866-1977 or use the form above.
Foster City concrete questions we hear most
Do I need a permit to replace my concrete driveway in Foster City?
Foster City's residential permit list says driveways and sidewalks don't need a building permit, but they may need an encroachment permit from the Public Works Department. For patios, foundations, retaining walls and other structures, ask the city's Building Division, since it issues residential building permits. Before any work starts, we settle with you who will pull a permit if one's needed and write that into the contract.
Which building code applies to a new slab foundation in Foster City?
Foster City follows the 2025 California Building Code, in effect since January 1, 2026, along with the other 2025 California codes the city adopted. The city's Adopted Codes page also links to its local amendments to those codes. A new slab foundation or footing gets built to that code and to the approved plans.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Foster City?
The price comes down to the driveway's size, whether the old slab has to be broken out and hauled away, how much base has to be dug and packed, and the finish you pick. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and a driveway the concrete truck can't reach directly adds labor. The free estimate gives you the figure for your driveway, in writing.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Foster City?
You can usually walk on a new slab after about a day and drive on it after about a week, depending on the weather. That wait is curing, the time concrete needs to hold its moisture and gain strength, and driving on it early is how edges chip and crack. When I'm on site I'll tell you how your schedule is likely to run, since tear-out, base work and weather all move it.
What causes concrete driveways to crack and sink in Foster City?
Most sinking comes from the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, being raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settles and the concrete follows. Random cracks show up where control joints, the grooves cut to give concrete a planned place to crack, were cut late or skipped. We pack the base and cut the joints on time so cracks have somewhere planned to go.
What is the best way to stop water pooling on my patio in Foster City?
The best way is a patio poured with a steady pitch away from the house, because on flat lots water has no other reason to leave. If your patio already holds water or tips toward the foundation, it usually has to be cut out and replaced, since patching won't change the slope. I'll check where the water runs when I'm out there and tell you whether replacing it is worth doing.
Book your Foster City concrete estimate today
We're open until 11 PM every day of the week, so call (650) 866-1977 after work or send the form tonight.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM