Concrete contractor in East Los Angeles - driveways and patios built from the base up
Built Right Pasadena Concrete pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for homes in East Los Angeles, and handles foundations, lots and cutting for property owners. We dig out and pack the base before any concrete goes down.
East Los Angeles homes and the concrete around them
East Los Angeles is a dense part of LA County, mostly older houses set close together on blocks that run back from Whittier Boulevard and the other busy streets. Driveways here tend to be narrow and short, running down the side of the house, and they carry the family car, a work truck and everyone's foot traffic. The calls we get here are usually about a driveway that keeps cracking, a front walk that has heaved, or a back slab that holds water after a hose-down.
We come in from Pasadena and do the same kind of work in El Monte and South Pasadena, where we see many of the same older driveways. On small lots like these, the job turns on what's under the old slab, and nobody knows that until it's broken out.
East Los Angeles lots, driveways and what's under them
Most of what fails on concrete here starts under or around the slab, not on top. This is what I look for when I walk a property in East Los Angeles.
Many lots here are small, with the driveway squeezed along the side of the house, so we plan truck access and tear-out before pour day.
Older driveways here have often sunk at one end or split across the middle, and we find out why before we pour a new one.
When a slab falls toward the house, water pools against the wall, so we check where water runs before we set forms.
Patched and repatched concrete is common on older properties, and patches over a failing base usually crack again in the same spot.
Each of these changes the price and the schedule, so I come out myself, look at your base, drainage and access, and put it in the written estimate.
Working in East Los Angeles from our Pasadena base
We're based in Pasadena and work across the cities around it, East Los Angeles among them. We also work in Glendale and Arcadia. The cities below have their own page, but they aren't the only places we go.
Concrete services for East Los Angeles homes
Concrete driveway building
For narrow side driveways that have sunk or cracked, we break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour one that drains away from the house.
Concrete patio construction
A small backyard works harder with a flat, solid patio, and we set its slope so rinse water and rain run toward the yard, not the back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a stone or tile pattern into a patio or walk while it's still soft, and it goes on the same packed base as plain work.
Concrete sidewalk building
When a front walk has heaved into a trip edge, we replace it level and cut control joints, grooves that give cracks a straight place to go.
Garage floor concrete
Older garages here often have a cracked, sunken floor, and we tear it out and pour a new slab that sits flat and sheds water toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and borders can dress up a front yard that faces the street, and we keep the look simple enough to stay clean and wear well.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard drops toward a neighbor's lot, a retaining wall holds the soil back, with drainage behind it so water doesn't build up and push.
Concrete floor installation
For a back room, workshop or storage space, we pour an interior concrete floor over a packed base so it stays flat under furniture and foot traffic.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, we pour a deck that slopes away from the water, with a broom finish, a light dragged texture that gives wet feet grip.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here are often chipped or pulling away from the porch, and we form new ones with even risers so nobody misjudges a step.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, shed or addition on a small lot, we build the slab foundation on dug-out, packed ground, with rebar, the steel that holds it together.
Foundation installation
When a property owner is adding a structure, we lay out and pour the foundation it stands on, after the permit question is settled in writing.
Concrete parking lot building
Small commercial lots off the busy streets here take cars all day, so we build a heavier base and slope the lot to its drains.
Concrete footings
Footings are the concrete under a wall, post or porch, and we dig them to the depth the plans call for so what sits on top stays put.
Foundation raising
If a corner of the house has dropped and doors stick, we raise the foundation back toward level, once I've checked that's the right fix.
Concrete cutting
Cutting a clean line through an old slab lets us replace just the broken section, or open a trench for new lines, without tearing out the rest.
Get a free written estimate for your East Los Angeles job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your East Los Angeles property myself, look over the job and write the estimate out for you, free and with no obligation.
- Call
- (626) 345-7318
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
What you get when we pour in East Los Angeles
We're licensed and fully insured. Beyond that, here's what you can check for yourself when we take on a concrete job in East Los Angeles.
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to look at your job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site running the crew when the work happens, so the person who walked your driveway is the one checking the base.
Years running pours before 2020
Before I started this business in 2020, I spent years as the right-hand person to another concrete contractor, laying out forms, setting grade and running pours for someone who expected it done right.
The base gets the budget first
If money's tight, the base is the last thing I'll cut, because a finish can be redone later, but fixing the base means tearing out the slab. Call (626) 345-7318 and I'll come look at yours.
Concrete questions from East Los Angeles homeowners
What does a concrete driveway cost in East Los Angeles?
The cost comes down to the slab's size and thickness, how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away, and how much base work the ground needs once it's open. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and a narrow side driveway can add hand work where equipment won't fit. I come out, measure, and put your figure in a written estimate so you can see what it's made of.
Who issues permits for concrete work in East Los Angeles?
LA County Public Works issues permits in East Los Angeles, because it's unincorporated County land with no city government of its own, and the department runs an East Los Angeles Building and Safety Office at 4801 E. 3rd St. The County's permit list names patios, retaining walls and grading work, and when you apply, the office tells you whether your plans need a plan check and what it takes to get them approved. When a job needs a permit, we settle who's pulling it before we start, put that in writing, and handle the paperwork on the ones we pull.
How long do I have to get the first inspection on an LA County permit?
You need to request the first inspection within 12 months of getting the permit. After that, follow-up inspections every 6 months keep the permit active, so a job that stalls can leave it lapsed. On a permit we pull, we line the inspections up with the work.
Does a concrete contractor in East Los Angeles need a California license?
Almost always, because California's Contractors State License Board requires a license when a project needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The contractor has to hold that license before bidding on your job, not just before starting it. We're licensed and fully insured, and you can ask me about it at the estimate.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack and sink?
Most sinking starts underneath, when a slab was poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, kept settling. Cracks wander when control joints were cut late or skipped, and water running toward the house keeps softening the ground. We dig out and pack the base, check where the water goes and cut joints on time, so the cracks that do show up follow lines we picked.
How long does a concrete driveway replacement take before I can drive on it?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because curing, the slow hardening after the pour, keeps adding strength, and a car's weight is the last thing it's ready for. The days without your driveway start before the pour, with tear-out, base work and any inspection, and what we find under the old slab can add to that. I'll go over the timing for your job at the estimate.
Call about your East Los Angeles slab
A crack caught early can sometimes be cut out and replaced as a section, so call (626) 345-7318 or send the estimate form before it spreads.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM