Concrete contractor in East Los Angeles - slabs built on a solid base
Santa Fe Springs Concrete is a concrete contractor building driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slabs for homeowners in East Los Angeles, plus walls, footings and small parking lots for property owners there.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
East Los Angeles homes and the concrete around them
We're a concrete contractor based in Santa Fe Springs, and most of our East Los Angeles calls come from homeowners on small lots where the houses sit close together, the driveway runs down one side and the backyard holds a patio and maybe a garage. Along Whittier Boulevard, which a lot of people here call the heart of the community, it's small shops and businesses, and those owners call about lots, walkways and walls. The jobs look a lot like the ones we do in Pico Rivera and El Monte, with older driveways cracked through, patios sinking toward the house and steps pulling away from the porch.
Tight lots shape almost every job here. There's seldom room for big equipment, so we often break out old slabs with small machines, haul the pieces out by hand and plan each pour around what the lot can take.
Concrete services for East Los Angeles properties
When an older driveway has cracked through or sunk at the edges, we tear it out, pack a new base and pour it fresh.
On a small lot the backyard patio does a lot of work, so we slope it away from the house and pack the base underneath.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick in one poured slab, with no loose pieces to shift or sprout weeds.
Walkways from the street or driveway to the front door take daily traffic, so we replace the lifted, broken sections before someone catches a toe on them.
Older garage floors here are often cracked or out of level, so we break out the slab and pour a new one sloped toward the door.
Color and decorative finishes help when concrete covers most of a small front yard, because that slab is a big part of what the street sees.
Where a yard steps down between neighbors or soil leans on a driveway, we build a concrete retaining wall with footings and drainage behind it.
For workshops, additions and small commercial spaces, we pour interior concrete floors flat and level so racks, tile or flooring sit right on top.
Around a backyard pool the deck has to shed water and give bare feet grip, so we slope it away from the water and texture the top.
Front steps on older houses tend to settle away from the porch or crack at the edges, so we rebuild them with even step heights.
When you're adding a room, a garage or a backyard unit on a tight lot, we build the slab it sits on, base and steel first.
For a new build or an addition, we dig, form and pour the foundation to your approved plans, so the framing crew starts on something square and level.
Small commercial and apartment lots on the busier streets here take traffic all day, so we build them on a packed base and grade them so water runs off.
Patio covers, block walls and additions on these lots all sit on footings, so we dig them to the depth the job calls for and pour them first.
If a slab or a corner of the house has dropped, we find out why before lifting anything, because the cause has to be fixed too.
Cutting lets us take out one bad section, open a slab for a new pipe or widen a driveway opening without breaking up concrete that's still good.
Get a free written estimate for your East Los Angeles job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the job and give you a free on-site estimate in writing, with no pressure and no obligation.
(562) 689-9662- Based in
- Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What working in East Los Angeles means for your job
East Los Angeles is unincorporated, so there's no city hall issuing permits here, and the permit comes from LA County Public Works, which has its own East Los Angeles Building and Safety Office. That affects the schedule, because when you apply the county tells you whether the job needs a plan check, a review of the plans before the permit goes out, and nothing gets poured until that's settled. Before we schedule, we look up what the county requires at your address, and when a permit is needed we handle the paperwork with you and agree up front who calls for each inspection. The county also has a business license, but it's for certain kinds of businesses located in its unincorporated areas, so the license to check on any concrete contractor is the state one, covered in the questions below.
On most blocks here the curb is lined with parked cars, and plenty of backyards are only reachable down a narrow side yard, so before pour day we work out where the truck parks and whether the concrete gets pumped or wheeled back. That access is one of the things that moves the price, along with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick, and your written estimate spells out what's included and what isn't. It's the same planning we do on jobs from Santa Fe Springs out to Anaheim.
Why concrete here cracks, sinks and needs replacing
Most of the cracked and sinking concrete we see around East Los Angeles goes back to what's under it. The subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, was often just raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled over the years and took the slab down with it. We dig out and compact the base before we pour, and if your budget is tight, that's the last place I'll cut, because you can upgrade a finish later but you can't fix a bad base without tearing the slab out.
The other common problem is water. A driveway or patio that falls toward the house sends water at the foundation, so we check where it runs before we set the forms, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, while the concrete is still fresh.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in East Los Angeles
Here's how it goes from your first call to the final walk-through, including where the county's part fits before anything gets scheduled.
Call or send a message
You call (562) 689-9662 or send the form, and we set a time for me to come out. You don't need measurements, just an idea of what you want.
I look at the job myself
I check the old concrete, the ground and where the water runs, and I hear what you want. You get a free written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so there's no guessing about the price.
We check the county's requirements
Before anything gets scheduled, we look up what the county requires at your address. If a permit is needed and the county calls for a plan check, that review comes before we set a pour date.
We build it, then walk it
Our crew does the work with me on site, from tear-out and base to the pour and the finish. When it's done I walk the finished job with you and tell you when it's safe to walk on and when to drive on.
Questions about concrete work in East Los Angeles
Do I need a permit for a concrete patio or retaining wall in East Los Angeles?
Plan on it, because LA County's permit list names patios and retaining walls among its building permit items, and grading work is on it too. Driveways aren't named on that list, so we ask the county about your address before we schedule rather than guess. Work that doesn't need a permit still has to meet the building code and any other approvals it requires.
When is the first inspection due after I get a concrete permit in East Los Angeles?
The county wants the first inspection requested within 12 months of getting the permit. After that, inspections need to happen every 6 months to keep the permit active, which is one reason we agree up front who calls for each one.
How do I know if a concrete contractor is licensed in California?
Ask for their license from the Contractors State License Board before you take a bid, because the state requires the license before a contractor bids. A license is needed whenever the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or runs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, which covers nearly every concrete job. We're licensed and insured.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in East Los Angeles?
Your price comes from the written estimate after I've seen the driveway, because tear-out, base work and access on a tight lot change the number more than anything. Rebar, the steel bars that hold a slab together if it cracks, adds some cost, and a broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. The estimate lists each part so you can see where the money goes.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You'll stay off it for the first few days and keep the car off it longer, because concrete keeps gaining strength while it cures, the slow hardening that goes on well after the pour. Driving on it too early is how good concrete gets cracked in its first week. I give you the dates for your pour when we walk the finished job.
Will my new concrete crack like the old one did?
Concrete can still crack, but with a packed base, rebar and control joints cut on time, cracks stay few and tight and show up in the lines we chose. Most of the old slabs we tear out here failed because of what was under them, which is why we spend the time on the base before we pour.
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Get your East Los Angeles concrete job priced
Send a couple of photos of the cracked or sinking concrete with your message, and I'll show up already knowing what to look at.