Double AA Concrete still laying it down in Fallbrook

Art Baeza and his brother, Arthur, have been smoothing things out in Fallbrook for more than 25 years as the men behind Double AA Concrete.

Second generation masons, the Baezas have been successful for so long for one simple reason.

"We're 100 percent hands-on," said Art. "No job too big, no job too small. We're on the job, we do the job."

As for inheriting some of their father's masonry talent, Art said, "It doesn’t matter what you do in life, you've still got to work at it.”

There always seems to be some work for Double AA Concrete in Fallbrook, which is home to many houses with long and expansive driveways.

“New driveways R&R – remove and replace,” responded Art quickly when asked what was the most-frequently requested job. "Ninety-five percent of the work we do is residential."

Art, who has been "working concrete for 43 years," said a driveway for a home on Alta Vista Drive stands out in terms of interesting jobs.

"It was one heck of a slope – about 27 degrees," said Art. "And it was probably about 900-feet long and 20-feet wide."

Of course, Double AA Concrete does much more than just driveways.

"Anything to do with flatwork and concrete," said Art. "Stamp, regular, gray, or color. Patio, sidewalks, steppingstones – all done by hand and all pretty much custom.

"If it's concrete, we can provide any service," continued Art. "We have the equipment to cut grade, excavate or demo. Whether it’s grading or just rough excavation, it’s not a problem. One call usually takes care of it – you get all the excavation and all the concrete work, whether it’s excavating a foot or excavating two inches, it doesn’t matter."

Art said Double AA Concrete excels in stamp work.

"It’s some of the best looking stuff," said Art. "You can do a lot with concrete now. In the old days it was just a broom or color, now you can put all kinds of textures. Whether you go Old English, or random stone, or all the slates, it can be done with concrete."

Stamped concrete can require some careful prep work.

"You pour it, you texture it – sometimes you have to do some meticulous prep – and then it gets a 28-day cure," said Art. "In 28 days you come back and seal it. You can actually put a shine to it or you can have a flattening agent and have it just dull. Almost like a flat look. It's still the sheen, but flat without the real mirror shine on the surface.”

Art said a exceptional stamped concrete job can really enhance the value of a property. "Absolutely, it adds a lot," said Art. "It’s not the run of the mill concrete."

Double AA Concrete has also gained the trust of contractors for being reliable and for completing jobs on time.

"If we’re scheduled for the first, we’ll be there on the first," said Art. "If it’s a 10-day project, it will be done in 10 days. Schedule is everything."

For more information about Double AA Concrete, or a free estimate, call Art at (619) 851-7181.