Richmond Concrete Experts builds driveways, retaining walls, patios, and repairs for homeowners in El Sobrante, the unincorporated community in the hills just east of Richmond. Sloped lots and creek-side properties make up a lot of El Sobrante, and that shapes almost every concrete job here.
Hills, Creeks, and Sloped Driveways
El Sobrante covers about 3.1 square miles of western Contra Costa County, with a population of 15,524 in 2020. San Pablo Dam Road runs through the middle of it, past the library and alongside San Pablo Creek, and climbs toward EBMUD's San Pablo Reservoir. Valley View Road and Appian Way connect the neighborhoods to I-80.
Away from the creek, many homes sit on hillsides. On a steep lot, concrete has to deal with gravity and water at the same time:
Sloped driveways
A steep driveway needs a textured finish for traction, careful transitions at the street and the garage so cars don't scrape, and drainage that keeps winter runoff from cutting under the slab.
Retaining walls
Cutting into a hillside for a parking pad, patio, or flat yard usually means a wall. Under the California building code, a wall over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing, or one holding up a driveway or slope, needs a permit and usually an engineer. Our retaining walls page explains footings, drainage rock, and weep holes.
Soil that moves
East Bay hill soils can creep downslope and swell when wet. Deeper footings, steel, and keeping water away from the soil behind and under the concrete matter more here than on the flats.
Name and History
The name means "the surplus" in Spanish. It comes from Rancho El Sobrante, granted in 1841, whose boundaries were defined as the land left over between the surrounding ranchos. The area was later divided into smaller ranches along a dirt road beside San Pablo Creek, and the El Sobrante post office opened in 1941.
County Permits
Because El Sobrante is unincorporated, permits for retaining walls, structural slabs, and work in the road right-of-way go through Contra Costa County, not the City of Richmond. We check the requirements for your address before we schedule.
Free Estimates in El Sobrante
Call (510) 621-6126 or send the form. We'll walk the slope with you, look at where the water goes, and put the plan in writing.