Concrete Contractor in Whittier, CA - Driveways and Slabs Built for Sloped Lots
Santa Fe Springs Concrete is a concrete contractor building driveways, patios, walkways, steps, slabs and foundations in Whittier, CA. I come out to every job myself, and our crew does the work with me on site.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Whittier's older houses and the ground under them
Whittier is mostly houses, plenty of them older, with driveways and front walks that have settled, cracked or tipped toward the garage over the years. The streets climb as you head north toward the hills, so many lots up there slope, while the blocks to the south and west run flatter, much like our home base in Santa Fe Springs. Mixed in are small shops and apartment buildings whose owners call us about a worn parking lot, a wall or a slab.
We do the same work in South Whittier and down in Buena Park, but the hills change the job here. On a sloped lot, where the water runs and what holds the dirt in place matter as much as the slab itself, so we look at the grade and the drains before we talk about a finish.
Concrete work we do on Whittier properties
On sloped Whittier lots a driveway has to shed water away from the garage, so we set which way the new slab slopes before the forms go up.
Older Whittier patios often crack or hold water by the back door, so we replace them with a slab that drains toward the yard.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walkway the look of stone or brick in one solid slab, so there are no loose pavers to shift on a slope.
Front walks lift into trip spots where tree roots grow under them, so we cut out the bad sections and pour new ones that sit level.
Garage floors in Whittier's older homes are often cracked, stained and low in spots, so we break them out and pour a new slab that's smooth and level.
Colored, stained or textured finishes let a front entry suit an older Whittier house instead of reading as a plain gray slab.
On the sloped lots up toward the hills, a concrete retaining wall holds back the yard so it stops washing onto the driveway or against the house.
Converting a garage or adding a workshop behind a Whittier house usually starts with a new floor slab, poured level so the finished floor goes down flat.
Backyard pool decks here get sun and splashing most of the year, so we finish them with texture that grips wet feet and slope them to drain.
Hillside homes in Whittier often need steps up from the walk, and we pour every step the same height so they're easy to climb.
An addition or backyard unit in Whittier usually sits on a slab foundation, and we form, reinforce and pour it to the approved plans.
For a rebuilt garage, a second unit or a room added onto an older house, we dig, form and pour the foundation the walls stand on.
Small shops and apartment buildings around Whittier call us when a lot has broken spots, standing water or cracks wide enough to catch a tire.
Patio covers, block walls and posts on Whittier lots all need footings, the buried concrete that carries the weight, sized for the load and the soil.
When part of an older house settles and doors start sticking or floors tilt, we find out why it moved before we lift and support that section.
When only one section of a driveway is broken, we saw-cut it out so the good concrete stays, and we cut clean openings for new drain lines.
Get a free estimate for your Whittier concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself to look at the job, and you get a free estimate in writing with 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
Working in Whittier, from permits to price
Inside the City of Whittier, building permits come from the city's Building & Safety Division, and a job that needs one can't start until the city has reviewed it, so the permit is usually what sets the first date on the calendar. If your address is in South Whittier-Sunshine Acres or West Whittier-Los Nietos, those are unincorporated county communities, and LA County Public Works issues the permit instead. When a permit is needed, we handle the paperwork with you and settle up front who calls for each inspection.
There are two things worth checking on any contractor you bring in. One is the California state contractor license, and the other is the business license Whittier requires from anyone doing business in the city, even a company based outside it, and the city checks the state license when a contractor applies. We're licensed and insured. Past the paperwork, the price here mostly turns on how much old concrete comes out, how much base has to be rebuilt, how steep the lot is and whether a truck can reach the forms on a tight hillside street, while the schedule turns on the permit and the weather on pour day. Your estimate gives you the number in writing once I've seen the job.
Why Whittier slabs crack, sink and hold water
Most of the sinking and cracked concrete we see in Whittier was set up to fail before the pour. The subgrade, the dirt and gravel a slab sits on, got raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settled and the slab went with it, or the slab was poured leaning toward the house so every rain runs underneath. When a budget gets tight, the base is the first thing people want to cut, because it's buried on day one and the finish is what you look at. I'd rather tell you that at the estimate and spend the money underneath, since a plain slab on a solid base will outlast a fancy one on loose dirt.
The city's own findings say this part of Los Angeles County is more prone to earthquakes than many other parts of California. A slab or wall that cracks in a shake holds together better with rebar, steel bars set inside the concrete, so we place steel where the job calls for it and raise it off the dirt so it ends up in the middle of the pour.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Whittier
Here's how it goes from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know who you'll talk to and when you'll see a price.
Call or send us a message
Call (562) 689-9662 or fill out the form with a line about the job, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if you can be home for the visit so you can show me what's bothering you.
I look at the job myself
I check the ground, the slope and where your water goes, and you get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts. Before we schedule, we look up what the city or county office for your address requires, and a job that needs a Whittier permit goes through the city's planning review and then plan check, a review of the drawings, before we can set a date.
We build it with me there
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and steel and pours, with me on site. On a permit job, the city's inspectors come out as needed to check that the work matches what was approved.
We walk the finished job
When it's done I walk it with you and go over the curing, the wait while the concrete hardens and gains strength. You'll know when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for a car.
Questions about concrete work in Whittier
Do I need a permit for concrete work at my house in Whittier?
You need a city permit for work that builds, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes a building, so foundations, slabs for an addition and footings for a structure usually go through the city. For a driveway, patio or walkway on its own, the city's list doesn't say, so the answer comes from Building & Safety, and we check with them for your address before we schedule. The city's plan check, permit and inspection page lays out the steps if you want to read them yourself.
When does a concrete contractor need a state license in California?
A contractor needs a license from the Contractors State License Board when the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or adds up to $1,000 or more in labor and materials across the project. Most driveway, patio and slab jobs clear that mark, so ask for the license number before you sign and check it with the board.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Whittier?
The biggest costs in a Whittier driveway are usually the parts you don't see, the tear-out and the base, more than the concrete itself. A steep lot can mean more digging and a pump truck, a thicker slab or added steel means more material, and a stamped or colored surface costs more than a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps tires and shoes from slipping. I'll price each of those in writing after I see your driveway.
How do I keep a new concrete driveway from cracking like my old one?
Concrete will usually crack somewhere, so the goal is to choose where and keep those cracks tight. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a weak line to crack along, while the concrete is still fresh, because a joint cut late or skipped leaves the cracks to pick their own path. In summer we pour early in the day, since a slab that dries too fast in midday heat ends up with a weak, dusty top.
How long will I be without my driveway when it's replaced?
You're off it from the day we tear out the old slab until the new one has cured enough to take a car, and that last stretch is the longer wait. You can usually walk on it well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for days after the pour. Plan on parking on the street, since a car on green concrete can leave marks or cracks that stay.
What is the best way to pour a patio on a sloped lot in Whittier?
Cut the patio into the slope and pack the ground under it, rather than building it up with loose fill that settles later. On the high side you'll usually need a low retaining wall or a step, and the slab should fall away from the house so rain runs to the yard or a drain. We work out the grade and the water path at the estimate, before any forms go in.
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Get your Whittier concrete job looked at
Water working under a cracked slab keeps washing out the base, so the sooner I see it, the more of what's there we may be able to save.