Concrete Contractor in West Covina, CA - Driveways, Patios and Walls Built to Drain
Standard Pico Rivera Concrete is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walkways and retaining walls for homes in West Covina, CA. I measure each job myself, and our own crew digs out, packs the base and finishes the slab.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Concrete work across West Covina
West Covina sits east of us in the San Gabriel Valley, past El Monte, and it's one of the cities we drive out to from our base in Pico Rivera, the same way we head down to Fullerton. Most of the calls we get here come from single-family streets, where the driveways, patios and front walks are often the original slabs and show decades of cracking and settling. The city turns commercial along the 10 freeway, with big shopping centers and smaller business lots that need paving of their own.
The ground isn't the same everywhere. Much of the city is flat valley floor, but the south side climbs into the San Jose Hills, where yards slope and driveways rise to the garage. On a flat lot the job is mostly about the base and where the water goes, and on a sloped one it's cutting the ground level, holding the dirt back and keeping the slab from creeping downhill.
What we pour in West Covina
Concrete driveway building
Many West Covina driveways are the original pour, lifted by tree roots or cracked across the middle. We break it out, haul it off and pour fresh.
Concrete patio construction
Backyard patios here usually meet the house, and one that tips the wrong way sends water at the foundation. We slope each patio away from the walls.
Concrete pool decks
Plenty of West Covina backyards have a pool, and the deck takes splashing and bare feet. We build concrete pool decks that shed water away and grip underfoot.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards here often need a wall holding soil back. We set retaining walls on a footing with drainage behind, so water can't build up and push.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here chip and pull away from the porch. We rebuild them with rebar, steel bars inside that keep them in one piece.
Concrete parking lot building
Business lots in West Covina carry delivery trucks and all-day parking. We pour them thicker than a driveway, with control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go.
What West Covina yards and slabs need
Most of the old slabs I look at in West Covina failed from underneath, not on top. When a lot of these driveways and patios went in, the subgrade, the dirt and rock a slab sits on, was often raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled over the years and pulled the concrete down with it. We dig down to firm ground, bring in base rock and pack it hard before a form goes up. Nobody sees that work once the concrete is down, and it's the part I care about most, because it decides whether the new slab settles like the old one.
Summer heat is the other thing we plan around, because a slab poured in a hot valley afternoon dries on top too fast and turns weak and dusty later, so our pours start early in the day. The schedule turns on the weather, any check we make with the city and the cure, the wait while the concrete gains strength before you walk or park on it. The price turns on the size of the job, how much old concrete comes out, what the ground needs and the finish you pick, and the written estimate I leave you lists what's included.
A written estimate for your West Covina concrete job
Call (562) 271-1038 or send the form, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out to your West Covina property, look at the job, measure and write you a free estimate that lists what's included, with no obligation. We're licensed and fully insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
West Covina concrete questions
Here are straight answers about permits, cost and cracking on West Covina jobs. If your question isn't here, call or send the form and I'll answer it for your property.
Do I need a building permit to replace my driveway in West Covina?
The city's list of work that needs no building permit includes walks and driveways, as long as they sit no more than 30 inches above the ground, have no basement or story below them and aren't part of an accessible route, the path that has to meet disabled-access rules. That only covers the building permit, because the city's Planning Division can still need to approve a project, sometimes limiting where it goes, how tall it is or how it looks, and plumbing or electrical work tied to the job, like a new drain line, can need its own permit. When I'm not sure what your address needs, I check with the city before we start.
Does a retaining wall in West Covina need a permit?
The city's list lets a retaining wall go without a building permit when it holds back no more than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless it carries extra weight from above, like a slope or a driveway, or holds back certain liquids. The footing counts toward that height, so I measure from where it'll sit, not from the dirt you see. On hillside lots a wall often has a slope or driveway above it, which takes it off that list.
How do I apply for a building permit in West Covina?
You apply through the city's One Stop Building Permit Center, because the Building Division no longer takes applications by email. You can also apply in person at the Building Counter at City Hall, 1444 West Garvey Avenue South, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, or call the division at (626) 939-8425 with questions. On our jobs you usually won't have to do any of it, since we pull the permit when your job needs one and deal with the city for you.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in West Covina?
I can't give a fair number until I've seen it, because West Covina driveways vary a lot in size, slope and how much old concrete has to come out. On a sloped lot, cutting the base level and holding back the dirt beside it adds work a flat lot doesn't need, and a tight side yard the truck can't reach means more hand work. If the budget's tight, I'll steer you toward a plain broom finish, a lightly brushed texture that grips underfoot, before I'd thin out the base, because a nice finish won't save a slab that settles.
What is the best way to keep a new concrete driveway from cracking in West Covina?
Start with a packed base, cut the control joints on time and keep traffic off until the slab has cured, because those decide most of where and whether it cracks. Concrete shrinks as it hardens, so we cut the joints soon after the pour, before it can crack wherever it likes, on top of the early-morning pours I mentioned above. I won't tell you a slab will never crack, but done this way, the cracks that show up usually stay in the joints where you won't notice them.
Does a contractor need a business license to work in West Covina?
Yes, the city requires every business operating in West Covina, from a corporation to a one-person outfit, to get a city business license within fifteen days of starting business there. The city's Finance Department handles business licensing, and that license is separate from a building permit, which covers the job itself rather than the company doing it.
Examples of concrete work
Other cities we work in
Pick a city from the list, or call or send the form about your address, because the cities with their own page aren't the only ones we work in.