Concrete Patio Construction in Vacaville CA - A Patio Built Right Underneath
Cracked, sunken patio or just bare dirt out back? We dig out, pack the base and pour a slab built to sit level.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a concrete patio in Vacaville?
The short answer: Concrete patio construction in Vacaville means digging out the yard, packing a firm base, setting forms, then pouring and finishing a flat slab you can put a table, chairs and a grill on for years.
Most people call us with an old patio that's cracked and heaving, or a patch of dirt right out the back door that turns to mud every winter. The price turns on the size, how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging and base work the ground needs and how close we can get the truck. The schedule turns on the weather, the cure and whatever the city wants for your address, which we check before we dig. My written estimate spells out what's included, so you can lay it next to other quotes line by line.
How do you know your patio needs replacing?
Cracks running every direction
If the cracks wander across the slab instead of following straight cut lines, the joints were usually cut late, put in the wrong spots or skipped. Left alone, the edges of those cracks chip off and pieces start to rock under your feet.
One side sinking lower
When part of the patio tips down or leaves a lip where it meets the house or the path, the base was usually raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the dirt settled and took the slab with it. The gap keeps growing, and chairs and tables never sit flat again.
Dusty, flaking top surface
Gray powder on your shoes or a top layer that peels away usually means the slab was poured in midday heat or never properly cured, so the surface came out weak. That weak layer keeps wearing, and sweeping or sealing it won't bring it back.
How we build a concrete patio
I start by marking out the patio with you, then my crew digs out the soft dirt and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, so it doesn't settle later. We set the forms, lay the mesh and plan the control joints, the cuts that give a crack a straight line to follow, together, because mesh helps hold a crack tight but the joints decide where it goes. On a hot day we'd rather pour early, finish while the concrete is still workable and start curing right after, which means keeping the slab wet or covered so it hardens slowly and strong. If the budget gets tight, I'll tell you to cut something on top before you cut the base, because nobody sees the base on pour day and it's the part that decides whether your patio stays flat.
If you want a pattern pressed into the surface, that's our stamped concrete work, done during the same pour. Most patios also need a dry way to get to them, so we can run a concrete sidewalk from the gate or driveway at the same time and line up the edges and joints.
A new patio on open ground
This suits a yard with lawn or bare dirt where you want a place to sit. Most of the work happens before the pour, digging out and packing ground that has never carried a slab.
Tearing out an old patio
This suits a slab that's cracked, sunken or flaking past saving. We break it out and haul it off, then look hard at what was underneath, because whatever let the old one fail has to be fixed before new concrete goes down.
What happens when you call about a patio in Vacaville?
Here's how a patio job runs with us, from your first call to the day we walk the finished slab together, so you know who's doing what at each step.
- Step 01
Call or send a request
Call (707) 898-1384 or use the form and tell us roughly how big a patio you want and where it goes. We'll set a time for me to come see the yard.
- Step 02
Walk the yard together
I look at the ground and ask what the patio has to carry, whether that's a hot tub, a grill or just a few chairs. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
- Step 03
Prep, form and pour
Once the city's side is handled, my crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and lays out the joints, then pours and finishes with me running the work. On hot days that usually means an early start.
- Step 04
Cure, then walk through
We start curing as soon as the finishing is done and tell you when the slab is ready for foot traffic and furniture. Then we walk the finished patio with you.
Concrete patio construction in Vacaville and nearby cities
In Vacaville, the city's Building Division reviews and inspects all new construction and improvements to existing structures inside city limits. Whether your patio needs a permit comes down to what the division wants for your address, so we ask before we start, and when a permit is needed we pull it, keep the papers on site and meet the inspector. If you'd rather pull an owner-builder permit yourself, the city has you register a Public User account through its building permits page.
One soil data site puts about 51 percent of Solano County's soil area in high shrink-swell clay, also called expansive clay, and that's a county-wide figure, not a reading of your yard. We build patios on all kinds of ground in Fairfield and Dixon too, along with other cities around Vacaville.
Get a written estimate for your concrete patio
We reply within 1 business day to set up a visit. The estimate at your property is free, and there's no pressure to book once you have it in writing.
Why Vacaville homeowners call Custom Vacaville Concrete Company
I come out to see it
The person who walks your yard and writes the estimate is the same one running the crew on pour day. Nothing you tell me gets lost between a salesperson and the people holding the shovels.
In business since 2013
I spent my school summers on concrete crews and started this business in 2013, learning the trade from the digging and packing most people never see. That's why the base gets my attention before the finish does.
Fully licensed and insured
The Contractors State License Board licenses California's contractors and lists flat concrete work, patios included, as the work of a concrete contractor. Ask anyone you're comparing which license covers the job.
Straight talk about cracks
I'll tell you up front that concrete cracks and show you where the joints will put those cracks, instead of promising a slab that never moves. Satisfaction guaranteed.
If you've got a patio in mind, send us a request or call (707) 898-1384 and I'll come take a look.
Concrete patio questions we hear in Vacaville
Will a new concrete patio crack?
Probably somewhere, because no one can keep concrete from cracking entirely, but well-planned joints keep it in check. National trade guidance says wire mesh won't stop cracking either, though it tends to keep cracks and joints from opening up, so the joints do the real controlling. When you compare quotes, ask each contractor where the joints will go.
How much does a concrete patio cost per square foot in California?
A standard 4-inch concrete slab in California usually costs about $9 to $18 per square foot installed, covering materials, labor and a basic broom finish, the light texture that gives your feet some grip. That's the going rate across the state, not our price, and tearing out an old slab, extra base work or a stamped surface can push a patio past it. Your written estimate gives you your own figure.
How long does a new concrete patio need to cure?
Hot-weather trade guidance says curing should start as soon as finishing is done and keep going for at least 3 days. Curing means holding the water in the slab, either by covering it with wet burlap and plastic sheeting, spraying on a curing compound or keeping it wet with water, so it hardens strong instead of drying out.
What is the best way to pour a concrete patio in hot weather?
Start early, because concrete placed in high heat sets faster and has to be finished more quickly. Trade guidance recommends scheduling deliveries outside the hottest part of the day when possible, so a summer pour often begins first thing in the morning.
How much can a contractor ask for as a down payment in California?
The state license board says a contractor can't ask for or accept a down payment of more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. If a patio quote wants more than that up front, ask why before you sign.
How do I compare concrete patio quotes in Vacaville?
Compare what's under the slab and how it's jointed, not just the bottom line. Ask each contractor how they'll dig out and pack the base, where the joints go, whether mesh goes in and how they'll cure it, and get those answers in writing. A low number that skips the base usually costs more once the patio settles.
Related concrete work for your yard
Stamped concrete services
Want the patio to look like more than plain gray? Stamped concrete presses a pattern into the slab while it's fresh, so it's built in, not added later.
Concrete sidewalk building
A patio is only as handy as the way you reach it, and a poured walk from the gate or driveway keeps you off muddy grass.
Send your patio size and yard photos
Call (707) 898-1384 or use the form with the rough size and a few photos of the yard, and I'll show up to the site already knowing what to look for.