Concrete Contractor in Salida, CA

Salida's 1990s driveways: replace, widen or add an RV pad

The Census Bureau counts 4,286 homes in Salida, and 2,117 of them were built from 1990 through 1999. That is 49.4 percent, by far the biggest decade. About 2 in 3 homes went up in 1990 or later, but only 16.4 percent in 2000 or later.

The 2000s added 666 homes, the 2010s just 39, and the latest estimates count none built in 2020 or later. Salida had 13,722 people in the 2010 census and 13,886 in 2020, a gain of 1.2 percent. About half its homes are now 27 to 36 years old, and so is any original driveway.

Deep cracks and sunken edges usually mean the old driveway needs to come out. Replacement starts with the tear-out, then we regrade, compact a new base, set rebar and pour. Each new driveway gets control joints and a thickness sized for vehicle loads. Broom finish is the plain option, and a stamped or colored finish is the upgrade.

The front walk and steps usually went in with the house, too. We replace front walks and steps and pour side-yard walkways, some with a channel drain set into the concrete. If the driveway feels tight, we can widen it for a third car or add an RV pad beside it.

Backyard patios and stamped concrete for Salida homeowners

Salida is a town of single-family homes. Detached houses make up about 19 in 20 homes, and owners live in about 3 in 4. If your back patio is the one poured with the house, it may be cracked, small or both. We replace and extend a backyard patio, and we pour slabs for covered patios.

Stamped concrete is a big part of our residential work. We press a pattern into the fresh concrete, such as ashlar slate, flagstone, wood plank or cobblestone. Integral color or an antiqued color brings out the pattern, and the surface is sealed after it cures.

Out back, we also pour slabs for sheds and workshops, plus pads for HVAC units and generators. For an ADU or an addition, we pour stem walls and footings to the engineer's plans. Every job is formed, poured and finished by our own crew.

Salida permits go through Stanislaus County

Salida began in 1870 as a railroad station, named with the Spanish word for exit. The old town was laid out as a triangle, and its downtown runs along Broadway.

Annexing Salida into Modesto was studied in 2012 and 2013, and residents pushed back. Salida is still unincorporated, governed by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. So county offices, not a city, handle its permits.

Work in the street, like a new driveway approach, a sidewalk or a curb, needs an encroachment permit. In unincorporated Stanislaus County, the Encroachment Permits section of County Public Works issues those for all County right-of-ways. The County's standards say approaches are built and repaired to its standard plates. They call for a light broom finish and joints no more than 10 feet apart.

Building questions go to the County's Building Permits Division, not the City of Modesto. Ask there about a patio cover or an ADU. That division runs the County's One-Stop Shop for construction permits. Confirm your project with the County before any work starts.

What Salida's soil and summer heat mean for a pour

The USDA soil survey maps the center of Salida as Hanford sandy loam, moderately deep over silt. It is nearly flat ground, with slopes of 0 to 1 percent. Hanford soils formed in sandy sediment washed down mostly from granite. They are farmed as well as built on, and almond growing has long been big around Salida.

This ground is well drained: water soaks in fairly fast, and little runs off. On soil like this, the base under the slab matters most. We grade and compact it before every pour, and slabs next to the house slope away from it.

Summer is the hard season for fresh concrete. The Modesto airport weather station, about 10 miles southeast, has a normal July high of 95 degrees. Highs reach 90 degrees or more on about 90 days a year, and 100 or more on about 18.

Heat pulls water out of fresh concrete fast, so summer pours start early in the day. We keep the new surface damp while it cures. Winter brings rain instead: about 80 percent of the station's 12.27 inches a year falls from November through March. In winter we watch the forecast and pour between storms.