Concrete Contractor in San Clemente, CA - Slabs Built for Sloped Coastal Lots

The city's list of work that needs no building permit includes driveways up to 30 inches above the ground beside them, unless the driveway sits over a basement or a story below or is part of an accessible route, a path built for wheelchair use. That list is the city's reference, so the Building and Safety Division gives the ruling on your project. If yours needs a permit and we're the contractor, we pull it, handle the paperwork and plan the schedule around the review.

Measure from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, because the city's list exempts a retaining wall that holds back four feet of earth or less. That exemption ends when the wall also carries a surcharge, extra weight such as a driveway, a slope or a building above it, or when it holds back certain flammable or combustible liquids, and retaining walls otherwise need a permit. I'll measure it with you at the estimate so we both know where your wall stands.

A California licensed contractor can get it, or if you're doing the work yourself, you can get an owner-builder permit after filling out the city's owner-builder verification form. When we're your contractor, we pull the permit and handle the city paperwork ourselves. I'll also tell you early if anything has to come from you, like approval from your HOA.

Yes, the California Contractors State License Board requires a license whenever the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. San Clemente also requires a business license from anyone doing or advertising business in the city. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm glad to go over it at the estimate.

Crews can work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., subject to the conditions on the permit, and no construction is allowed on Sundays or city-recognized holidays. Those hours come from the city's Engineering Permits office, which also handles grading permits and encroachment permits for work that reaches into the street. We set pours and concrete deliveries inside that window, so your neighbors don't hear trucks before it opens.

The price comes down to size, what has to come out first, how hard your lot is to reach and the finish you pick, so I give you a number only after I've seen the job. Tearing out and hauling off an old slab, carrying concrete up a slope and building up the base all add cost, and a stamped or colored finish costs more than a plain broom finish. Your free written quote lists what's included and what isn't, so you can compare it fairly with anyone else's.