Concrete Contractor in Santa Ynez, CA - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Solid Base
Premier Santa Barbara Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Santa Barbara, and we pour driveways, patios, walks, footings and foundations for homes and ranch properties in Santa Ynez, with the ground work and drainage done first.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Santa Ynez properties and the concrete they need
Santa Ynez is a small western community over San Marcos Pass from Santa Barbara, and most of the properties we see there are ranch-style houses, horse properties and homes on bigger lots, with a short main street of shops at the center. The work is the same kind we do on the coast in Carpinteria and around Santa Barbara, but jobs here tend to run larger, because driveways are longer and a slab often has to carry trucks, trailers and equipment instead of a single car.
Bigger lots mean longer runs of concrete and more ground to read for where the water goes, so on most Santa Ynez jobs the ground work is a bigger share of the job than the finish.
Concrete services we offer in Santa Ynez
Concrete driveway building
Long Santa Ynez driveways carry cars, trucks and trailers, so we dig out soft dirt, pack the base and slope the slab to shed water.
Concrete patio construction
A patio off the back of a ranch house gets a lot of use, and we set it to fall away from the walls so rain doesn't pool there.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or entry the look of stone or brick, a good match for the western-style homes here, on the same packed base.
Concrete sidewalk building
We pour walks from the drive to the front door, the barn or the guest house, with a broom finish for grip and joints where cracks belong.
Garage floor concrete
Garages and workshops here often hold heavy trucks and equipment, so we size the slab and steel to the load and slope it toward the door.
Decorative concrete
We do colored and textured concrete for entries, courtyards and outdoor kitchens when you want something warmer than plain gray that still sheds water.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a lot drops toward a drive or a pasture, a concrete wall holds the soil back, with drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
We pour interior floors for barns, studios and converted outbuildings, flat and finished to suit whether you'll leave the concrete bare or cover it.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here need a surface that isn't slick underfoot when it's wet, and a slope that carries splash water away from the pool and the house.
Concrete steps construction
Older porches and entries often have steps that have settled or crumbled at the edges, and we replace them with even risers on a solid footing.
Slab foundation building
For guest houses, workshops and additions, we build slab foundations to the plans, with the ground prepared and checked before any concrete goes in.
Foundation installation
When you're building a new home or adding on, we set the forms and steel as the plans show and check them before the truck arrives.
Concrete parking lot building
Shops, barns and ranch businesses around Santa Ynez need parking areas that take delivery trucks and drain cleanly, so we build them on a deep, packed base.
Concrete footings
Barns, decks, carports and fence posts need footings that hold their place, so we dig them to the size the plans call for and pour them square.
Foundation raising
When an older house or outbuilding has settled and doors stick or floors slope, we look at why it sank before we talk about lifting it.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut old slabs for new drains, utility lines or a wider drive, and cut clean openings so the rest of the concrete stays sound.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Santa Ynez project
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. I measure the job and look at the ground, then send a written estimate that spells out what's in it, with no obligation.
(805) 869-0160- Based in
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Permits, licenses and pricing for Santa Ynez jobs
Before we set a date, I check with the office that covers your address, and for work in the unincorporated parts of Santa Barbara County that's the county's Building and Safety Division, which issues building permits and inspects work while it's under way. When a job needs a permit, its review and inspections set the pace, so we build the schedule around them and either pull the permit ourselves or walk you through it. A business located in the unincorporated county may need a County Business License from the county Tax Collector's Office, so it's fair to ask a local crew about it, and we're fully licensed and insured.
Price moves with the size of the slab, how much soft dirt has to come out and how much base goes back in, whether old concrete needs breaking up and hauling, how far the truck has to reach on a long property, and the finish, from a plain broom finish up to color or a stamped pattern. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, the days concrete needs to harden before you put weight on it, and my written estimate lays all of that out for your job. Our crew comes up over San Marcos Pass from Santa Barbara, the same crew that pours driveways and patios in Goleta, so we plan pour days early and arrive with everything on the truck.
Heavy loads and older slabs on Santa Ynez lots
A lot of what we pour in Santa Ynez is flatwork, the slabs that lie on the ground like driveways, pads and walks, and much of it has to carry more than a sedan because trucks, horse trailers and farm equipment park and turn on it. We size the slab thickness and the rebar, the steel bars inside that hold the concrete together if it cracks, to what will sit on it, and we build the turnarounds as stout as the straight runs, since that's where heavy wheels grind a slab down.
On older properties we often find slabs that sank, tipped or hold water against a wall, and it usually comes back to a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. We dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, pack the base in layers and set the forms so the finished surface sheds water away from the house.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Santa Ynez
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and what you'll have in hand before you decide anything.
Call or send the form
You call (805) 869-0160 or send the form, and we set a time for me to come out to your property. You don't need drawings yet, only a rough idea of what you want.
I measure and read the ground
I measure, look at the ground and where water runs across it, and ask how you'll use the concrete, whether that's cars, a horse trailer or a patio table. Then I send a written estimate that spells out what's in it, so you know what you're paying for before anything is booked.
We check permits and prep
Before we set a pour date we check what the job needs from the county, and if there's a permit we plan around its review and inspections. Then we dig out, pack the base and set the forms, so the slab goes down on firm ground.
We pour, finish and walk it
Our crew pours and finishes with me on site, cuts the joints on time and lets the concrete cure before anyone uses it. When it's done I walk the finished work with you and go over when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for cars.
Questions about concrete work in Santa Ynez
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Santa Ynez?
The cost depends mostly on the driveway's length and width, the ground under it and the finish you choose, so I give you a figure in a written estimate after I measure. Long ranch driveways and turnarounds add up quickly, and tearing out an old slab adds hauling. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you go plain on the finish than thin on the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's the one part you can't fix later without breaking everything out.
What building code does Santa Barbara County use for concrete work in Santa Ynez?
Santa Barbara County builds to the 2025 California Building Code with its own local amendments, which the county adopted late in 2025. The county code covers buildings and structures in the unincorporated areas, and it's there to protect health and safety in how things are built and used. For us that means footings, foundations and other structural concrete get built to the plans and to that code.
Do I need a stormwater plan for a large concrete driveway in Santa Ynez?
You might, if the project adds or replaces a lot of hard surface. An older county permit form asks for a Stormwater Control Plan with the application when new or replaced surface that water can't soak through is more than 2,500 square feet. A long ranch driveway with a turnaround can reach that size faster than people expect, so because that rule comes from an older form, I check the current requirement with the county while the plans are still taking shape.
How long does a Santa Barbara County building permit application stay open?
On the county's older permit form, a building permit application expires 365 days from the date it's filed, and an application to fix a code enforcement violation expires 180 days from filing. That's plenty of room for a normal project, but it's a reason not to file and then let the job sit, so we line up the work once the application is in.
How do I find out which county permit my concrete project in Santa Ynez needs?
The county decides, and it asks people to contact its staff with questions about which permit a project needs. It issues two general types, planning and building, with many kinds under each, where a planning permit lets you carry out a project on your parcel and a building permit is how the county tracks the construction as it goes. I sort this out with you before we put a date on the calendar.
What causes a new concrete driveway in Santa Ynez to crack?
Almost every slab cracks somewhere, because concrete shrinks as it dries and the ground under it shifts a little, so the real job is controlling where. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the crack a straight, planned place to form, and we set rebar to hold the pieces together. Ugly cracking usually traces back to joints cut late or skipped, or a pour in the midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top, which is why we time both carefully.
Santa Barbara, CA
Tell us about your Santa Ynez project
We answer the phone into the evening every day of the week, so you can call (805) 869-0160 after work or send the form whenever it suits you.