Concrete cutting in Tracy CA - clean cuts and holes right where you need them
Need a trench through a slab, a doorway in a wall or a hole for a new drain? We plan it, check the slab and cut it cleanly.
Can you cut through my concrete without tearing out the whole slab?
Concrete cutting in Tracy, CA uses saws and core drills to make straight cuts in slabs and walls and round holes for pipe, drain and conduit, so you get the trench, opening or line you need without breaking out more concrete than the job calls for.
Most of the cutting we do around Tracy comes from a few situations: a plumber needs a trench through a garage or patio slab, a broken piece of driveway has to come out along a clean line, or a new pipe or vent has to pass through a wall. It's often the first step before a new concrete driveway or patio slab, because a sawed edge gives the new pour something straight to meet. The price turns on how many cuts and holes there are, how thick the slab is and how much steel is inside it, and whether you want the pieces broken up and hauled off. The schedule mostly turns on whether the slab needs checking for hidden steel first and whether a permit is involved, and when one is needed, we take care of the application and the inspections. Your written estimate lists each cut and each hole, so you can see what you're paying for.
When does a slab or wall need to be cut?
Most people don't think about cutting until something under or behind the concrete needs work. These are the situations that usually lead to a saw or a core drill, and what each one tends to mean.
Your plumber needs to reach a drain under the slab, which usually means sawing out a trench.
One driveway section has sunk or broken up while the rest is fine, so just that piece can come out.
Water pools on your patio with nowhere to go, and a cut-in drain line may be the fix.
You're adding a door, window or vent through a concrete wall, which calls for a sawed opening with clean edges.
A new pipe, conduit or drain has to pass through a slab or wall, so a round hole gets core drilled.
Someone broke out concrete by hand and left a ragged edge, so a new pour won't meet it cleanly.
Call before the plumber or the pour is on the calendar, because we want time to check the slab for hidden steel and plan each cut properly.
What happens after you call about concrete cutting in Tracy?
Here's how a cutting job runs with us, from the first call to the walk-through, so you know who you'll talk to and what you'll have in hand before any saw starts.
Call or send the form
Tell us what needs cutting and where, and we'll set a time for me to come out. We'll also settle who supplies water and power for the saw, since cutting uses both.
I look over the slab
I come out myself to measure, hear what you have in mind and look for signs of post-tensioning, the steel cables some slabs hide under high tension. I'll ask for any drawings or the original permit set, and if we can't be sure, we treat the slab as tensioned.
Get an itemized written estimate
Your estimate lists each cut and each hole and says plainly whether hauling the pieces away is included. If a permit or inspection is involved, we plan it in from the start.
We cut, clean up, walk it
Our own crew makes the cuts and cleans up, and I'm on site to oversee the work. Before we pack up, I walk the finished job with you.
Get a written estimate for your concrete cuts
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to see the site. The estimate is free, done at your property, written out part by part and comes with no obligation.
- Call
- (209) 237-1118
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Cutting methods and what suits your slab
Flat saws ride along the floor and make the straight cuts for trenches and section removal, while wall saws run on a track to cut openings in walls. Hand saws reach tight corners and smaller openings, and round holes for pipe or conduit are core drilled instead of sawed. For very thick or heavily reinforced concrete, cutters use wire saws, which pull a cutting cable through the section.
When a cut-out section gets a new pour, the part you can't see matters most. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, before we think about the finish, because a patch poured over loose dirt settles and leaves a lip at the cut line. That's usually the first place people want to save money, and it's the one I'd keep.
We're based in Tracy and work in the cities around it, including Manteca, Stockton, Livermore and Dublin, and in many more beyond the ones on this site. Sawing throws off slurry, a gray mix of water and concrete dust, and California's stormwater guidance says it shouldn't reach storm drains or creeks, so ask any crew how they catch it. The state licensing board lists sawing, breaking and coring under its concrete-related services class, and we're licensed and fully insured.
Concrete cutting questions we hear in Tracy
How much does concrete cutting cost in Tracy?
Professional saw cutting of concrete slabs usually costs about $4 to $15 per linear foot across the US, and that's for the sawing alone. Thicker or reinforced slabs run higher per foot, round holes are priced apart from straight cuts, and on a small job a minimum or trip charge can matter more than the per-foot rate. Your estimate gives you the figure for your own slab, cut by cut.
How do I know if my slab is post-tensioned?
A line of small patched pockets along the slab edge, or rust stains at the foundation edge, can mean steel cables run through it under high force. The drawings, the builder or the original permit set will settle it, and if there's any doubt, we treat the slab as tensioned. Cutting one of those cables can make it whip or burst out and hurt someone nearby, and the slab loses part of the strength it was designed with.
Does a concrete cutting quote include hauling the concrete away?
Not always, because sawing and removal are separate jobs. Breaking up, lifting and loading the pieces, plus disposal fees, can cost more than the sawing itself, so check before you compare prices. Our quote states in writing whether hauling the pieces away is included.
Do I need a permit to cut concrete in Tracy?
The City of Tracy requires an encroachment permit for work in the public right-of-way or on City-owned property, such as a sidewalk or the stretch of driveway at the street. The city's list names driveway and sidewalk work rather than cutting by itself, so when it's unclear whether your job needs a permit, we check with the city before we start. When one is needed, we handle the application and the inspections.
Who can pull a permit for concrete work in Tracy?
The owner of the house or residential property can, or a state-licensed contractor who also holds a valid City of Tracy business license, as the city's permit submittal requirements lay out. A hired contractor pulling the permit needs both licenses. If you'd rather act as owner-builder, I'll explain what the city will ask of you.
What is the best way to cut concrete without hitting pipes or rebar?
Scanning the slab before cutting is the usual step for structural or post-tensioned concrete, because it shows where rebar, the steel bars that hold a slab together, sits along with cables, conduit and pipes. It's worth asking early whether your job calls for a scan, since what's inside can change where the cut goes. I'll tell you at the site visit whether I think yours needs one.
Concrete work that often follows a cut
Concrete driveway building
If cutting out a broken section shows the rest of the driveway is sinking too, a new driveway on a dug-out, packed base may be the better fix.
Concrete patio construction
Once a trench is cut through your patio, it may be a good time to replace a tired slab with one that sheds water away from the house.
Tell us where your concrete needs cutting
Call (209) 237-1118 or use the form with where the cuts go, whether they're floor cuts, wall cuts or round holes, any slab drawings you have and whether you want the pieces hauled off, so I can come to the first visit ready to plan it.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM