Slab and wall breakout
Concrete and Foundation Removal in Los Gatos
Cracked driveways, root-lifted patios, walkways, garage slabs, old foundations and hillside retaining walls broken out across Los Gatos, with clean concrete sent off to be crushed and reused.
Driveway and Patio Concrete Removal in Los Gatos
Concrete in Los Gatos takes a beating from tree roots, clay soil that swells in winter, and decades of heavy cars on steep driveways. We remove cracked and heaved driveways, patios, walkways, garage aprons and pool decks so your landscaper or flatwork contractor can pour new or switch to pavers.
Steep driveways need extra planning. A long sloped driveway in the hills above Blossom Hill Road may be the only way to the house, so we usually work it in sections and keep a path open. Driveways that meet the street at a steep angle also need a clean transition at the curb, and work in the public right-of-way may need an encroachment permit from the town. On a flat lot in Campbell or Belwood, the work goes faster: saw-cut the edges, break the slab, load it and haul.
Foundation Removal After a Teardown
When a house comes down, the foundation usually goes too. Older Los Gatos houses can have shallow perimeter footings with brick or unreinforced concrete. Hillside homes may have tall stepped foundations, piers and grade beams buried deep in the slope. Newer houses often have post-tensioned slabs, which have to be identified and de-tensioned safely before cutting.
Some owners keep part of a foundation to reuse it in a remodel. That decision belongs to the structural engineer. If part stays, we saw-cut the line cleanly and protect the remaining concrete. Everything else, including buried footings, old piers and debris left from past remodels, is dug out so the builder starts on clean ground.
Retaining Wall Removal on Hillside Lots
Hillside lots in Los Gatos are full of retaining walls: concrete, block, railroad tie and stacked rock. When a wall is failing or a new design moves it, it has to come out without letting the hill come down with it. That usually means removing the wall in stages, working with a shoring or grading plan, and coordinating with the engineer who designed its replacement.
Wall removals near property lines or under trees need extra care. We look for roots of protected oaks, drainage pipes behind the wall and any utilities. Large walls can also trigger grading review by the town. We check what the plans and permits say before we start breaking.
Concrete Recycling and Haul-Off in Los Gatos
Broken slab with nothing mixed in is welcome at a crushing yard. We keep it separate from soil, wood and trash and haul it to a facility that crushes it into base rock. That keeps the job in line with state CALGreen construction waste rules and is usually cheaper than mixing it with general debris.
Concrete is heavy, and trucks fill up fast. A load of broken slab weighs out long before the truck bed looks full, so the number of trips is set by weight, not by how much the pile appears to hold. On narrow Los Gatos streets and steep driveways we often use smaller trucks and make more loads. We plan the hauling around school traffic, garbage day and neighbors' parking to keep the street usable while the work goes on.
What Our Concrete Removal Includes in Los Gatos
Saw-Cutting Before Concrete Removal
Where concrete meets a driveway, sidewalk or foundation that is staying, we saw-cut a straight line first. The new pour or pavers can then tie into a clean, sound edge.
Breaking and Loading Concrete
We use breakers sized for the job, from hand tools near roots and walls to excavator-mounted hammers on thick foundations. Rebar and wire mesh are separated as the concrete is loaded.
Recycled Concrete, Not Landfilled
Clean concrete goes to a recycling facility for crushing. Steel goes to scrap. We keep tickets that show where the material went for your permit or green building records.
Subgrade Left Ready After Removal
After removal we clean up the base, fill low spots and leave the subgrade ready for your flatwork contractor, landscaper or builder to start the next step.
Concrete Removal: Job Site Photos
Concrete and Foundation Removal Across Los Gatos
Demolition FAQs
Los Gatos Concrete Breakout FAQ
How is concrete removal priced in Los Gatos?
Thickness, rebar, total area, access for equipment and trucks, slope, haul distance and whether soil comes out too. A thick, steel-reinforced driveway on a steep hill costs more than a thin patio on a flat lot.
Where does the broken concrete end up?
At a crushing yard, where it becomes base rock and aggregate. Keeping it separate from dirt and trash makes recycling possible and usually lowers disposal cost.
Do I need a permit to remove a driveway or retaining wall?
A driveway replacement usually needs town approval when it touches the street or sidewalk, and larger retaining walls can need grading or building permits. We check with the town or city before starting.
How long does it take to remove a driveway in Los Gatos?
A standard driveway on a flat lot is often a day or two of breaking and hauling. A long, steep hillside driveway with thick concrete and rebar can take several days, especially when we keep part of it open for the household.
Can you remove concrete near a protected tree?
Yes, with care. We follow the arborist's guidance, break concrete by hand near roots and keep heavy equipment outside the protection zone.
Demolition quote
Price Your Los Gatos Concrete Breakout
List the slabs or walls that need to go, a rough size for each, and how a truck gets close. Expect our reply within a day.
- Permits
- Demolition
- Haul-off