How much slope a front walkway can carry on its own before a grade change needs steps instead, the California Residential Code landing requirement at the door, and exactly when a handrail or a guard is required.
A French drain has to discharge somewhere, and not every option is legal or smart: storm drain connections usually need a permit, dry wells have their own federal and state rules, and California law limits how much water you can send toward a neighbor’s yard.
How thick a concrete driveway should be, when wire mesh or rebar applies, what the California Residential Code actually requires, and why expansive Bay Area clay (Diablo series) changes the base and sometimes triggers an engineered design.
Drainage gravel, geotextile fabric and a perforated pipe are the three parts that keep water pressure from pushing a retaining wall over. How manufacturer installation guides specify each one, why Bay Area clay makes skipping them riskier, and what a pre-backfill check should cover.
Using the City of Concord’s published grading standards as a worked example: the October 1-April 15 rainy season, the September 1 erosion control plan deadline, the October 15 slope-stabilization deadline, and why wet Bay Area clay makes bad timing costly.
ICPI’s base-depth ranges for patios and driveways, why Bay Area clay (Diablo series, shrink-swell) changes the plan, what geotextile fabric does, and a pre-project checklist.
The strip of concrete between your garage and the street crosses the public right-of-way, which is why most driveway-approach work needs a city encroachment permit. How Concord, Dublin, San Jose and Pleasanton each handle it, what they ask for, and San Jose’s same-footprint exception.
The survey and notification steps that come before any Bay Area demolition permit: who is certified to do the survey, how BAAQMD notification and the J-number work, and the two different thresholds BAAQMD and federal NESHAP use.
Two different Cal/OSHA thresholds — 4 feet for egress, 5 feet for protective systems and a permit — explained with the soil classification rules and slope math that decide what a compliant trench actually looks like.
Nearly every concrete slab cracks eventually. Here is how to tell a normal hairline shrinkage crack from one that signals soil movement, plus a five-minute checklist to decide which one you have.