Concrete driveway building in Pasadena CA - a slab that drains toward the street
Cracked, sunken or puddling driveway? We dig out, pack the base, set the slope and pour a new slab that drains away from your garage.
What does it take to build a concrete driveway in Pasadena?
Concrete driveway building in Pasadena, CA, means breaking out the old surface, digging out and packing a firm base, and pouring a new slab that slopes toward the street and away from your house and garage, so rain and sprinkler water run off instead of sitting on it. Most of the time you're without the driveway comes after the pour, while the slab cures.
Usually you're calling Built Right Pasadena Concrete because the old slab has cracked, sunk or started holding water, or because you're finally paving over dirt or gravel. The price moves with the size of the driveway, how thick it is, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away, how much grading it takes to get the slope right and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit question, the weather and the cure, and the written estimate I give you after I measure puts real numbers on yours. If you're also thinking about a concrete patio out back, it's easier to plan both at one visit.
How can you tell your driveway needs replacing?
Most driveways tell you something's wrong long before they fail. Here's what I look for when I walk a driveway, and what each sign usually says about what's going on underneath.
Cracks that keep widening, or one section sitting higher than the next, usually mean the base underneath has moved.
Puddles that sit after rain usually mean the slab lost its slope or never had one.
Water running toward your garage door means the driveway falls the wrong way and needs to be rebuilt.
Sunken corners or edges usually mean the dirt under them was never packed or has washed out.
A dusty, flaking or chipping top layer often comes from a weak surface left by a rushed or hot-weather pour.
Gravel, dirt or broken asphalt that keeps tracking into the house usually means it's time for a real slab.
If water is running toward your garage or chunks are breaking loose, call us at (626) 345-7318 rather than waiting, since those problems usually get worse, not better.
What happens when you call us about a new driveway?
We're based in Pasadena and work across the cities around it, and every driveway job runs the same way, from your first call to the walk-through on the finished slab.
Call or send the form
Call (626) 345-7318 or send us the contact form and tell us a little about the driveway. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out and look.
I measure and walk it
I measure, check where the water goes now, ask how you'll use the driveway and go over the slope, finish and joint layout with you before anything's decided. You get a written estimate that spells out what I'd do and what it costs, so you see what you're paying for before you commit.
We prep, form and pour
Once you say go, we settle the permit question and put in writing who's pulling it, then our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms to the slope and pours. I'm on site to run the job.
Finish, cure and final walk
We finish the surface, cut the joints and let the slab cure, then I walk the driveway with you so you can see the slope, finish and joints we agreed on. Before we leave, I go over when it's ready for your car.
Get a written estimate for your new driveway
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure and give you a free written estimate on site, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Call
- (626) 345-7318
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Base, joints and finish on a new driveway
The part of a driveway that matters most is the part you never see. We dig out the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, and pack it hard under a compacted base, because a slab poured over raked dirt settles along with it. Base work is buried by the end of day one, so it's the first thing people want to cut. I'd cut the fancy finish first, because a plain slab on a solid base outlasts a decorative one on soft ground.
Control joints are the straight grooves we cut across the slab, so when concrete shrinks and cracks, as concrete does, it cracks along a line we picked instead of across the middle. We cut them as soon as the slab can take it, because joints cut late or skipped leave cracks to wander. Timing the pour matters too, since a slab that sets too fast in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top.
Most driveways get a broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes some grip on a slope when it's wet. Exposed aggregate, color mixed in or dusted on, and stamped concrete are all options, but decorative finishes take a lot more care and experience to get right, so ask any contractor to show you past work in the finish you want. We settle the finish with you before the pour.
Concrete driveway questions from Pasadena homeowners
How thick should a concrete driveway be in Pasadena?
Four inches is the usual minimum for a driveway, and 5 inches is worth weighing. One concrete industry group figures the extra inch adds about 20% to the concrete cost but raises how much weight the slab can carry by nearly 50%. We'll talk through which makes sense for what you park when I come out.
How long does a new concrete driveway need to cure before I can drive on it?
Plan on at least a week before you drive on it. Curing is the hardening concrete keeps doing after it's finished, and a car's weight on a slab that's still gaining strength can damage it. Line up street parking or another spot for that first week.
How much does a concrete driveway cost near Pasadena?
A two-car concrete driveway of about 400 to 600 square feet usually runs about $2,500 to $7,500 installed in the Los Angeles area. That's a general guide for the region, not our price, and where yours lands depends on size, thickness, tearing out old concrete, grading and the finish. I'll give you a written figure for your driveway after I measure it.
Who handles driveway paving permits in Pasadena?
Two city offices handle them, the Planning Permit Center, which lists a zoning permit for paving, and Public Works, which handles permits for any work in the public right of way, the city's land along the street. If your house is on a hillside, the city lists single-family hillside properties among the projects that need a Low Impact Development plan, a set of controls to cut storm water pollution after construction, so ask early whether your driveway falls under it. We sort out who's pulling any permit before we start, put that in writing and handle the paperwork on the ones we pull.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack?
Concrete shrinks as it dries, so some cracking is normal, and the bad cracks usually trace back to a soft base, a missing slope or joints cut late or skipped. Random cracks generally aren't a structural problem and won't shorten the driveway's life, though they can be an eyesore. Wire mesh or rebar, the steel set inside the slab, helps hold cracks together if they form, with mesh suited to driveways 4 to 5 inches thick and rebar to 5 inches or more, but neither stops cracks outright. Ask where the control joints will go, and I'll show you on the layout.
What license does a concrete driveway contractor need in Pasadena?
A contractor building your driveway should hold a California contractor license, and Pasadena requires a city business license for any contractor or agent who pulls permits there. California's Contractors State License Board has a concrete classification for contractors who form, pour, place, finish and install pavement and flat concrete work, which is what a driveway is. The state lets an unlicensed person take on work only under $1,000, and only when the job needs no permit and they have no employees. We're licensed and fully insured.
Other concrete work that goes with a driveway
Concrete patio construction
When the backyard is bare dirt or a cracked old slab, a patio poured on a packed base with real drainage gives you a dry, level spot outside.
Stamped concrete services
If plain gray isn't the look you want, a stamped pattern can give the driveway or walk the texture of stone or brick on the same solid slab.
Call about your new driveway today
Call (626) 345-7318 or send the form with the rough size, the finish you're after and whether your house sits on a hillside, so I show up ready to talk about your driveway.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM