Concrete Contractor in South Whittier - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
Standard Pico Rivera Concrete is a concrete contractor in Pico Rivera, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walkways, steps and garage floors for South Whittier homes, breaking out cracked or sunken slabs and rebuilding them from the base up.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work for South Whittier homes
South Whittier isn't a city of its own, and that changes who you deal with on a concrete job. It's unincorporated land, so the County of Los Angeles governs it and County departments handle the services a city hall would. It shares a name with Whittier, where we also work, and we take jobs here the same way we do in Downey and the other cities around Pico Rivera.
On our jobs here we mostly see single-family homes with driveways, side walks and back patios that have been down a long time, often patched more than once. Old concrete like that usually has a tired base under it, so the real work starts with breaking out and digging down before anything gets poured.
What we pour in South Whittier
Concrete driveway building
Many South Whittier driveways have cracked and dropped after years of cars on a thin base. We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and repour.
Concrete patio construction
Back patios here often settle until water runs toward the house instead of away. We pour new patios sloped so the water heads for the yard.
Garage floor concrete
Older garage floors here are often cracked, stained or sunk at the door. We break them out and pour a new concrete garage floor sloped to drain.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here often pull away from the porch. We form new steps, set steel inside them and pour them level and square.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walkways along the side of the house here often heave where tree roots run underneath. We cut out the damaged sections and pour new walks.
Stamped concrete services
Some owners here want more than plain gray for a front walk or patio. We press pattern and color into the surface, over the same packed base.
What older South Whittier slabs need
Most of the concrete we break out in South Whittier failed from underneath, not on top. The subgrade, the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, was often just raked level years ago, so it settled with the soil and the slab cracked and sank right along with it. Before we pour, our crew digs out the soft fill, brings in base and packs it, and we check where the water goes so the new slab falls away from your house, not toward it. That base is hidden the day we pour, and it's usually the first thing people want to cut from a budget. I'd rather spend your money there than on a fancy finish, because a nice surface on a bad base cracks just the same.
Your price mostly moves with how big the slab is, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs. The schedule turns on that same breakout and base work, the wait before you can use the slab, and a permit if your job needs one. I come out, measure and give you a written estimate that lists what's included.
Get a free estimate for your South Whittier concrete job
Call (562) 271-1038 or send the form, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your South Whittier house myself, measure, and write you an estimate that lists what's included. It's free, and there's no obligation.
South Whittier concrete questions
These are the questions South Whittier homeowners ask us most about concrete work. If yours isn't here, call or send the form and I'll answer it for your job.
Who issues building permits for a home in South Whittier?
LA County Public Works does, because South Whittier is unincorporated County land. Its South Whittier District Office, which is in Norwalk, processes permits to build, remodel, demolish or move structures. If your concrete job needs a permit, we pull it and deal with that office for you.
How do I find out if my concrete job in South Whittier needs a permit?
Look up your address on the County's Service Locator, which shows the office that handles permits for it, along with that Building and Safety office's phone and email so you can ask them. Work that's exempt from a building permit may still need separate plumbing, electrical or mechanical permits, and it still has to meet zoning rules. If I'm not sure what your address needs, I check with that office before we start.
Does a small concrete job in South Whittier need a licensed contractor?
It does unless the job is under $1,000, needs no permit and the person doing it has no one working for them, because that's the only case where California lets someone without a license do the work. The state licensing board raised that limit from $500 to $1,000, and all three conditions have to hold. We're licensed and fully insured, and every job we do is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in South Whittier?
Your price comes from your driveway's size, how much old concrete comes out, the base work and the finish, so I give it to you only after I measure. A broom finish, the light texture dragged across the top so shoes and tires grip, is the lower-cost choice, while stamped patterns or color cost more, and a tight side yard where we can't get equipment in adds labor. You'll see all of it in the written estimate.
How long before I can drive on a new driveway in South Whittier?
You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps curing, slowly gaining strength, for a while after it looks hard. I'll tell you the days for your slab before we pour so you can plan where to park, and we leave it taped off until then. Driving on it early is one of the easiest ways to crack a brand new slab.
What is the best way to keep a new driveway from cracking like the old one?
The best way is to decide where it cracks and keep the slab from moving, since all concrete cracks a little and what ruins old slabs here is cracks that open up and drop. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, while the concrete is still fresh instead of late, and we set rebar, steel bars inside that hold the pieces together. Add the packed base and the slope I talked about above, and you get a crack in a joint you chose, not a broken, sunken slab.
Driveways, patios and steps
More cities we work in
We're based in Pico Rivera and work in the cities around it. Choose one here, or call (562) 271-1038 to ask about yours.