Concrete cutting in Pasadena CA - clean openings without breaking up the whole slab
Need a doorway in a concrete wall, a pipe through a floor or one bad section of driveway out? We cut it clean and straight.
What is concrete cutting, and when do you need it?
Concrete cutting in Pasadena, CA is how we make straight cuts and clean round holes in a driveway, patio, floor or wall that's already there, so you can add an opening, run a line through or replace one section without tearing out the rest.
Usually there's another job waiting on the cut, whether it's plumbing, a new doorway or fresh concrete going in, and if the cut makes room for a new concrete driveway, we can pour that too. The price moves with how thick the concrete is, whether there's steel in it, how many feet of cut or how many holes you need, and how easy it is to get a saw to the spot. The schedule mostly turns on whether the concrete needs a scan before we cut and on the permit question, and your written estimate gives you the price for your own job. We're based in Pasadena and work across the cities around it.
How do you know your concrete needs cutting?
Most people don't call about cutting because their concrete looks bad. They call because something has to get through it, under it or out of it. Here's what usually brings us out.
One section of driveway has sunk or heaved, and it can usually be cut out and replaced alone.
You're planning a new door or window in a concrete wall and need a clean, square opening.
A plumber found a leak or a bad drain line under your slab and needs a way in.
A new pipe or electrical line has to pass through a floor or wall, which usually means a drilled hole.
Roots have lifted part of a walk or patio, so that section usually has to be cut out.
You're widening a driveway or adding a patio, and the old edge needs a straight cut to meet it.
If a leak sits under the slab or another trade is waiting on the opening, call (626) 345-7318 now so the cut doesn't hold up the job.
What happens after you call about a cut in Pasadena?
Here's how a cutting job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end. I'm the one who looks at the job, and our crew does the cutting with me on site.
Tell us about the cut
Call or use the form, and we'll set up a time to see the job. It helps to tell us the surface, the size of each cut or hole and whether the work is indoors.
I measure and mark it out
I measure each cut, look for steel and anything buried, ask what's going through the opening and tell you which saw I'd use and why. You get a written estimate with your price, so you know the cost before anything gets cut.
We settle permits, then cut
Once you say go, we settle the permit question in writing, protect the floor or yard around the cut, and our crew makes it with me running the job. If new concrete goes back in, we prep the ground, form it, pour it and finish it.
We clean up and walk it
We clean up the work area, and I walk the job with you so you can see every cut before we leave. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Get a written estimate for your concrete cut
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for a free on-site estimate. I come out myself, and the written estimate is yours with no obligation.
- Call
- (626) 345-7318
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Saws, drills and what's inside your slab
We match the tool to the cut. A walk-behind flat saw handles driveways, walks and patio slabs, cutting straight down through the top. New door and window openings in a concrete wall get a wall saw, which rides a track bolted to the wall so the cut stays straight. Round holes for a pipe or conduit get a core drill, a hollow diamond bit that grinds a ring and pulls out a clean plug.
What's inside the concrete sets the pace. Thicker slabs take deeper passes, and rebar, the steel bars set in concrete to hold it together, slows the blade and wears it down faster. Around Pasadena we cut everything from thin garden walks to thick garage and foundation slabs, so I don't guess at what's in there before I pick a method.
When a broken section comes out, what goes back in matters more than the cut. The subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, decides whether the new piece settles, so we dig it out and pack it instead of raking the dirt level. If the budget gets tight, I'd give up a fancy finish before the base, since nobody sees the base until it fails, and that goes double when we tie a new concrete patio into an old slab.
Concrete cutting questions we hear in Pasadena
How much does concrete cutting cost in Pasadena?
Across the US, professional concrete cutting usually runs about $3 to $10 per linear foot of cut, and that's the going range, not our price. Reinforced or thicker concrete sits toward the high end because the blade has to work through more. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own cuts and holes.
Will cutting my driveway make the rest of the slab crack?
Not usually, when it's sawed on a line instead of broken out with a hammer, because the diamond blade grinds through without pounding on the concrete that stays. Whether the new section cracks later comes down to the base under it and the control joints, the grooves cut in so the slab cracks where we choose. Skipping either one is how a patch ends up cracking like the old slab did.
What is the best way to cut concrete indoors without a dust cloud?
Wet cutting is usually the best way, because water cools the blade and turns the cuttings into a slurry instead of dust. That slurry is runoff, so it has to be vacuumed up or contained, especially inside or near a storm drain, and certain Pasadena projects also fall under the city's stormwater pollution rules. Where water isn't practical, a smaller saw can cut dry with a vacuum, and California safety rules require a dust reduction system any time power tools cut, grind, core or drill concrete.
Who pulls the permit for concrete cutting in Pasadena?
Pasadena requires a building permit for most construction, and whoever pulls it applies through the city's Permit Center, which highly recommends hiring a licensed contractor. A contractor pulling that permit has to show a valid contractor license and a current City of Pasadena business license, and we're licensed and fully insured. 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. If you pull your own and then hire unlicensed workers, you'd have to carry workers' compensation insurance yourself.
Who issues the permit to cut the sidewalk in front of my Pasadena house?
If the sidewalk or curb is in the public right of way, as it usually is, the permit and the inspection go through the city's Public Works permitting division. That's a separate question from any permit for work on your own lot, so I'll point out at the estimate which part of the cut is yours and which isn't.
How do I know if my concrete needs to be scanned before it's cut?
If the cut goes through structural concrete, like a foundation wall or a post-tensioned slab, plan on a scan first, because that's how buried rebar, tensioned steel cables, conduit and pipes get found before a blade hits them. That's how we work too, so on structural concrete we have it scanned before any sawing starts. On a plain walk or patio slab, I'll tell you at the estimate whether I think it's worth it.
Concrete work that often follows a cut
Concrete driveway building
When the cut shows the old driveway failing underneath in several places, a new driveway built on a dug-out, packed base may make more sense than more patches.
Concrete patio construction
Cutting a straight edge on an old slab is often the first step toward a new patio that meets it cleanly and drains away from your house.
Book an estimate for your concrete cut
Call (626) 345-7318 or use the contact form before your other trades are scheduled, so the openings and holes are ready when they show up.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM