Concrete Contractor in San Bernardino - Driveways and Patios Built From the Base Up
Classic Rialto Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Rialto that pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps and retaining walls for homes across San Bernardino, from older streets downtown to newer lots near the foothills.
San Bernardino as we see it on our jobs
San Bernardino is a big city, and the ground changes as you cross it. The north end climbs toward the foothills under the Arrowhead you can see from most of the city, while the older neighborhoods near downtown sit flatter, with smaller lots, narrow driveways and walkways that have been patched more than once. We're based next door in Rialto, and the same kinds of jobs carry over into Muscoy on the west side and Highland to the east.
Most of what we pour here goes onto houses that already have concrete, so the job usually starts with tearing out the old slab and finding out why it failed. On the sloped lots up north, where the water runs matters as much as the slab itself.
Services in San Bernardino, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older San Bernardino driveways often crack and sink because the ground under them was never packed. We dig out soft dirt, pack a new base and pour.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here often have a small original slab that's tipped toward the house. We pour a bigger patio sloped to send rain away from your walls.
Stamped concrete services
On older homes here, plain gray can look out of place by the front door. Stamped concrete gives you a stone or brick look in one solid slab.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped lots near the foothills shed dirt onto patios and drives. We build retaining walls with drainage behind them, so water drains out instead of pushing on them.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here tend to settle away from the porch and leave a gap. We tear them out and pour new steps on solid footings.
Concrete cutting
Narrow driveways on older lots here often need widening for a second car. We saw-cut a clean edge so the new section meets the old slab neatly.
What a concrete job in San Bernardino involves before we pour
The city's Building and Safety Division issues building permits in San Bernardino, and on bigger jobs it reviews plans before it issues one, which can hold up a start date. Whether your driveway or patio needs a permit is a question for that office, so we ask before we bid, then pull any permit the job needs and see it through the inspections. Before you hire anyone, ask to see the state contractor license for the work, a current city business license and, if they have employees, proof of workers' comp, because the city wants those same things before it issues a permit.
Getting a crew to your street is easy, because we're based in Rialto and work the cities around it, from Colton out to Rancho Cucamonga. On your job, the price mostly turns on the size of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out and the finish you choose, and the schedule turns on the permit, the weather and how long you can go without the driveway or patio. Your written estimate spells out what's included. We're licensed and fully insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
What San Bernardino houses and lots do to concrete
A lot of the concrete we tear out here was poured years ago on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it has settled unevenly, cracked in places nobody chose and sometimes tipped toward the house, where water pools by the garage or the back door. We dig down to firm ground, pack a new base, check where the water runs before we set forms and give the new slab a slope away from your foundation.
On the sloped lots toward the foothills, the trouble is usually water and dirt moving downhill. We look at the whole yard, not just the slab, and plan the pour and any drains around where the water wants to go.
Get a written estimate for your San Bernardino concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your San Bernardino property. The estimate is free, done on site and in writing with what's included, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in San Bernardino
Call or send the form
Call (909) 546-5019 or send the form with a few lines about the driveway, patio, steps or wall you have in mind. Tell us if water pools anywhere, since that's one of the first things I'll look at.
I measure and talk options
I come out to your place, measure, check how the ground sits and where the water runs, and talk through your options. Then you get a written estimate with what's included.
We handle any permit needed
If the job needs a permit, we pull it with the city and line up the inspections. On a bigger job, the pour date waits on the city's plan review.
Our crew forms and pours
We pick the pour day around the weather, then our own crew digs out, packs the base, sets forms, pours and finishes. I'm there on pour day checking the work as it goes.
We walk the finished job
When it's done, we walk it together so you can see the joints and the finish up close. I go over how to care for the new concrete while it cures, the slow hardening that gives it its strength.
Concrete questions from San Bernardino homeowners
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in San Bernardino?
Your price comes from a written estimate after I've measured, because it turns on things I can only see on site, like how thick the slab needs to be, how much soft dirt has to come out under it and how easy it is to get a truck to your driveway. If the budget needs trimming, I'd rather drop a decorative finish than skimp on the base, because a plain slab on packed ground outlasts a fancy one on loose dirt.
What causes concrete driveways in San Bernardino to crack and sink?
Usually it's the ground, not the concrete, when the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, or when water runs under the slab and washes that dirt away. We pack a firm base, slope the slab to drain, add rebar, the steel that holds the slab together, where the job calls for it, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack. Concrete can still crack, but this way it shows up as a line in a groove we chose instead of a split across the middle.
How long does it take before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for days after the pour. The mix and the weather that week change the wait, so I give you the dates for your own slab at the final walkthrough.
Can I get a building permit for my own house in San Bernardino?
In most cases yes, for work on a one- or two-family home or its accessory structure, if you live there or plan to, can show proof of residence and do the work yourself. You also sign a statement that you won't employ anyone in a way covered by California workers' compensation laws, so if you hire our crew, we pull the permit instead.
Does a concrete contractor from outside San Bernardino need a city business license?
Yes, anyone doing business in San Bernardino needs a city registration certificate unless state or federal law exempts them, and that includes contractors based in other cities. Businesses from outside may be charged a flat rate the city sets, and since we come from Rialto, it's fair to ask us, like anyone you're considering, to show it.
Does a retaining wall in San Bernardino need a permit?
A building permit is needed once the wall is over 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, or when it holds back an added load such as a slope or a driveway above it. Every wall also needs zoning approval from the city's Planning Division, and some call for plans from a California registered architect or engineer, so we sort out what yours needs before we bid.
Walk your San Bernardino job with us
The best questions come up when we're standing over the old slab together, so call (909) 546-5019 or send the form and we'll set a time.