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Serving San Rafael, CA and surrounding areas(628) 234-2248
San Rafael Concrete serves San Anselmo, CA with concrete retaining walls, driveway building, and patio construction for the older homes and creek-adjacent lots throughout this small Ross Valley town. We have completed over 400 local jobs since 2020 and understand the drainage and soil conditions specific to the Flatlands and hillside neighborhoods here. Call or submit a request and expect a reply within one business day.
San Anselmo is a small incorporated town of about 12,800 residents in Marin County, sitting roughly 1.5 miles west of San Rafael in the Ross Valley. The town centers on the Hub, the junction of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Red Hill Avenue, and Center Boulevard, where the downtown business district runs through a stretch of independent cafes, boutiques, and more than 130 antique vendors that have earned the town a regional reputation as a top antiquing destination.
The residential landscape divides roughly into two zones. The Flatlands, the low-lying area through which San Anselmo Creek runs, holds a mix of Victorian-era and early-20th-century homes, many with raised foundations that reflect the creek's documented flood history. The hillside neighborhoods climbing toward Fairfax have steeper lots, older concrete work, and properties where retaining walls are a practical necessity rather than an aesthetic choice. Many homes here were built in the decade after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when displaced residents relocated to Marin and brought their architectural preferences with them.
We also serve nearby San Rafael, less than two miles to the east, which keeps scheduling and logistics simple for homeowners who have properties or rental units in both communities.
Hillside lots in San Anselmo often depend on retaining walls to hold grade changes between neighbors, support driveways, and create usable yard space. Walls here need drainage detailing built in from the start because Marin winters saturate the soils fast, and hydrostatic pressure behind an undrained wall is what tips them over. Poured concrete with perforated drain pipe and granular backfill holds up in these conditions in a way that dry-stacked alternatives do not.
San Anselmo and San Rafael are less than two miles apart. We cover both communities on the same crews, which means faster scheduling and no travel-time surcharges for homeowners in either town or anyone with properties in both.
Many San Anselmo driveways date to the 1950s and 1960s and are showing the cracking and settlement that comes with aging concrete over fill soils. Replacing them correctly means removing the old slab, assessing what is underneath, compacting a proper aggregate base, and pouring with the reinforcement and joint spacing that prevents the same failure from recurring in another 20 years.
Flatlands properties in San Anselmo need patios designed with drainage in mind from the start. A slab that traps water against a raised foundation accelerates moisture damage to a house that may already be managing flood-related moisture. Proper slope-to-drain and integration with existing yard drainage are not afterthoughts — they are part of how a patio in this zone gets designed.
Sidewalk sections along the older residential streets near Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Center Boulevard frequently heave from tree roots and settle along creek-adjacent parcels. We pull the required Town of San Anselmo permits for right-of-way work and build replacement sections to match adjoining grades and the slope tolerances required for accessible walkways.
Victorian and Craftsman homes common in San Anselmo often have original entry steps that have shifted or crumbled. Poured concrete steps rebuilt to California Building Code rise-and-run requirements are a permanent fix, and they can be finished to complement older home styles without looking out of place on a pre-war property.
San Anselmo sits within the Ross Valley Watershed, and a significant portion of the town is built on the natural floodplain of San Anselmo Creek. The town officially refers to this low-lying zone as the Flatlands, and its flood history is well documented: major events in 1925, 1940, 1963, 1982, and 2005 have put downtown under as much as four feet of water. Homes in this zone have historically been built with raised foundations precisely because of this history. Any concrete work — patios, steps, retaining walls, or driveways — on a Flatlands lot must be designed to handle saturated soil conditions and periodic high groundwater rather than the dry-weather norms that apply elsewhere.
The town's housing stock adds another layer of complexity. San Anselmo attracted a wave of San Francisco residents after the 1906 earthquake, and the Victorian and Craftsman homes that came out of that era represent a large share of the residential fabric today. Concrete around these older homes must work with foundations that were not built to modern standards — raised-floor construction, original brick footings, and mature landscape features all influence how a new slab or wall is designed and where drainage runs.
Hillside properties above the Flatlands face different but equally specific conditions. The slopes west of town toward Fairfax are steep enough to require retaining walls on many lots, and the soils in those areas are subject to the same winter-saturation loading that affects hillside properties across Marin County. Walls on these lots that lack drainage aggregate behind them are the walls homeowners call about after the first heavy rain of the season.
We pull permits through the Town of San Anselmo Building Division and are familiar with how the town handles retaining wall plan review, particularly for sites near the creek corridor where additional review may be required regardless of wall height.
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is the main road through town — the same street that runs through the antiques district and past Imagination Park, where the bronze statues of Yoda and Indiana Jones mark a corner of the downtown. Most of our San Anselmo work is on the residential streets branching off Sir Francis Drake and Red Hill Avenue, including the Flatlands neighborhoods east of the Hub and the hillside lots climbing toward Fairfax. Knowing how creek-adjacent parcels drain and where the filled sections of the Flatlands tend to have soft subgrade is part of bidding these jobs accurately.
We also serve homeowners in Novato and Corte Madera, which means we can coordinate projects across multiple Marin communities without separate mobilization charges for each location.
Reach us by phone or through the contact form. We get back to you within one business day to understand the project and arrange a site visit. You do not need to be present for the initial call.
We visit the property to assess subgrade conditions, identify any drainage concerns, and measure the work area. For creek-adjacent Flatlands lots, we note soil conditions that affect base prep. The written estimate is itemized and free — no cost or obligation.
We handle permit applications with the Town of San Anselmo, excavate and compact the base, install drainage where required, and schedule the pour or wall construction during a dry weather window. You are welcome to be present but do not need to be.
After the concrete cures — seven days before foot traffic, 28 days before vehicle loads — we walk the finished work with you, answer any questions, and close out open permits with the town. The job is not complete until the work is right and the paperwork is done.
We serve all San Anselmo neighborhoods — the Flatlands near the creek, the hillside streets above Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and the residential blocks between the Hub and the town limits. Fill out the form or call directly, and we will respond within one business day with a free, itemized quote.
(628) 234-2248New driveway pours and full replacements built to handle daily traffic and Bay Area weather.
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Learn moreDurable garage floor slabs with optional coatings that resist oil, stains, and wear.
Learn moreStained, polished, and textured finishes that turn plain concrete into a design feature.
Learn morePoured concrete retaining walls that hold slopes, protect landscaping, and last for decades.
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Learn moreFull foundation installs including footings, anchor bolts, and waterproofing details.
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Learn moreStructural footings for fences, posts, retaining walls, and new construction additions.
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Learn moreServing these cities and communities.
From retaining walls on hillside lots to driveway replacements on the Flatlands, we handle permits, drainage design, subgrade prep, and final inspection. Call or send a message to get your free estimate.