Driveways, slabs and footings
Concrete and Foundation Removal Around Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale's flat lots are covered in concrete laid sixty or seventy years ago: driveways, patios, walks and slabs. We break it out, haul it to a recycler, and leave a clean subgrade for whatever replaces it.
Driveway and Patio Concrete Removal in Sunnyvale
Original driveways on Sunnyvale tract homes were poured thin, often without much reinforcement, and decades of tree roots and settling have cracked them into plates. Back patios were added later in whatever thickness the owner chose. Removing them is the first step for a new driveway, pavers, a larger lawn or a drought-tolerant yard. We saw cut clean edges where the old concrete meets anything that stays, such as the garage slab or a walkway, so the new work has a straight line to start from.
In Serra Park and Lakewood Village we often see a front yard that has been mostly paved over the years, with a widened driveway and a slab where the lawn used to be. Taking that back out is a common request before landscaping.
Slab and Foundation Removal
When a house or garage comes down, its slab and footings usually follow. A plain ranch slab breaks up with an excavator and hydraulic breaker. Eichler slabs take longer because of the radiant heating pipe cast inside, which has to be separated from the concrete for recycling. Raised foundations in older homes have perimeter footings and interior piers that all have to be dug out.
Foundation removal is not just about the concrete you can see. Old sewer and water lines, abandoned gas piping, and occasionally an old heating oil tank turn up under slabs. We remove what we find and tell you about it, since some of these items, like tanks, need their own closure process with the right agency.
Partial foundation removal is also common. When a remodel keeps most of the house but adds onto one side, we cut and remove just the section your engineer marks, without cracking the part that stays.
Retaining Wall, Step and Sidewalk Concrete Removal
Sunnyvale is flat, so tall retaining walls are rare, but low walls around raised planters, curbs along driveways, and concrete steps are everywhere. We remove them with smaller equipment and protect the soil and plantings behind them.
Work on a driveway approach or the public sidewalk is in the city right-of-way. That needs an encroachment permit from Sunnyvale Public Works, separate from any building permit. If your project touches the curb or sidewalk, we flag it early so the permit is in hand when the concrete comes out.
Concrete Recycling Under CALGreen Rules
Broken concrete recycles well as long as it stays clean. It is crushed into base rock and used again under roads and new slabs. We keep concrete loads free of wood, trash and soil so they qualify for recycling, and we keep the load records that the city's construction waste rules call for.
Rebar and wire mesh are pulled and sent to metal recycling. Asphalt, if it is mixed in, is kept separate. This sorting is part of the price, not an add-on, because it is how the job gets done right in Sunnyvale.
What Comes With Sunnyvale Concrete Removal
Saw Cutting and Concrete Breakout
We saw cut clean edges where concrete meets anything staying, then break out and load the rest with equipment sized to your yard and driveway.
Foundation and Footing Removal
Slabs, perimeter footings, piers and buried lines are dug out so the next foundation goes on native soil. Anything unusual we find is reported to you.
Right-of-Way Permit Check
If the job touches the sidewalk, curb or driveway approach, we let you know an encroachment permit from Sunnyvale Public Works is needed and help line it up.
Concrete and Rebar Recycling
Concrete is kept clean for crushing into base rock, and steel is sent for scrap. You get a clean, level subgrade ready for the next contractor.
Concrete Removal: Job Site Photos
Concrete and Foundation Removal Across Sunnyvale
Demolition FAQs
Sunnyvale Concrete Removal FAQ
What changes the price of breaking out concrete?
Square footage, thickness, the amount of rebar, access for equipment and trucks, and how far the concrete has to be carried. Slabs with radiant pipe or buried lines take longer.
Where does the broken concrete end up?
Yes. Clean concrete is crushed into base rock. We keep it separate from other debris so it can go to a recycler instead of a landfill.
Is a permit needed to tear out a driveway?
Removing a driveway on your own lot may not need a building permit, but any work on the driveway approach, curb or sidewalk needs an encroachment permit from the city. We check before we start.
Can only one section of a slab be cut out?
Yes. We saw cut along the line your engineer or contractor marks and remove only that section. The remaining slab is left with a clean edge.
Will breaking out a driveway hurt my trees?
Roots often grow under driveways and patios. We work carefully near trunks, avoid tearing large roots, and coordinate with an arborist when a tree may be protected by the city.
What condition is the ground left in?
We leave the subgrade level and free of debris. If the next contractor needs it compacted or brought to a specific grade, tell us and we can include that work in the same visit.
Demolition quote
Price Your Sunnyvale Concrete Removal
Tell us what needs to come out and roughly how big it is. Someone from our crew will reach out within a day, and photos of the area and the driveway help a lot.
- Permits
- Demolition
- Haul-off