Concrete Contractor in Alhambra, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
360 Los Angeles Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, garage floors and foundations for homes in Alhambra, CA, with the base dug out, packed and sloped before any concrete goes down.
Long side driveways and everyday concrete in Alhambra
Alhambra sits in the San Gabriel Valley just east of Los Angeles, where we're based, and it's mostly houses on regular lots with apartment buildings and busy commercial streets mixed in. Most of our calls here are for the concrete people use every day, like long driveways that run along the side of the house back to a garage, front walks, back patios and garage floors.
The work looks a lot like what we do in South Pasadena next door, and on a narrow side driveway, access shapes the job as much as the slab does. The old concrete often comes out in pieces we can carry, and the new mix goes in by pump or wheelbarrow when a truck can't get close.
Working in Alhambra, from the permit to the price
In Alhambra, building permits come from the city's Building Division, which covers most work on private property, and its published list names jobs like roofing, stucco, additions and pools rather than driveways or patios, so the division is who to call about your address. When a job does need a permit, the review comes before we break ground, so it usually sets the start date. Before you hire anyone, ask for two things, a California contractor's license and a City of Alhambra business license, which every contractor working here has to carry. We're fully licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections for you.
What moves the price here is mostly what's already in the ground, meaning how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig before we hit firm soil, and whether a truck can reach the pour. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, the days new concrete needs to gain strength before you put weight on it. I go over both when I come out, and you get the plan and the estimate in writing. We do the same work across the cities around us, including Monterey Park.
Concrete work we do in Alhambra
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Old slabs on soft dirt keep us busy here
A lot of the concrete we replace in Alhambra was poured over dirt that was raked flat and never packed, so by now it's cracked, sunk at the corners or tipped so rain pools against the garage or the house. Patching it just puts new concrete on the same soft ground. We tear it out, dig to firm soil, pack a new base and slope it so water runs to the street or a drain instead of toward your foundation. When the slab is part of a bigger project like a garage rebuild or a room addition, the footings come first, and that's foundation installation rather than flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks that sit on the ground.
Big yard trees are the other thing we see, with roots that lift a walk or the edge of a driveway. Before anyone cuts large roots or takes a tree out, check the city's tree rules, which cover protected trees and what has to be replaced, and I'll plan the new slab around the tree that stays.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Alhambra
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out to your Alhambra property myself, look at the job and give you a free estimate on site, with no obligation to go ahead.
How a concrete job goes when you call us in Alhambra
Call or send the form
Reach us at (213) 329-1820 or through the form, and tell us what's going on with the slab you have now. A couple of phone photos of the cracks or low spots help me come prepared.
I come out and look
I come to your property to check the ground, see where the water runs and ask how you'll use the concrete. If you can, move the cars so I can see the whole slab.
Get the plan in writing
You get the plan and the estimate in writing, with what comes out, how deep we dig and what finish goes on top. Take your time with it and ask anything twice if you need to.
We handle the permit steps
If the job needs a permit, we sort it out with the city before work starts and handle the inspections. For projects that need plan check, the city's review of the plans, an undated city overview puts that review at about 2 to 4 weeks.
We pour, finish and walk it
The crew I lead forms, pours and finishes the job, and then we walk it with you. We go over how long to stay off it and how to care for it from there.
Driveways, patios and walks
Alhambra concrete questions we hear
Who can pull a building permit for concrete work in Alhambra?
Only a properly licensed contractor, or someone state law exempts, can pull a permit in Alhambra for work the code regulates. If you pull it yourself as an owner-builder, you're the responsible party of record, and the city's owner-builder form notes that a licensed contractor holding the permit may protect you from financial risk. When your job needs a permit, we handle the application and inspections for you.
Can an unlicensed handyman pour a small concrete slab in Alhambra?
Only if the whole job is under $1,000, needs no permit and the person hires no workers, according to the state licensing board, which raised that limit from $500. If either of the other two conditions fails, the job needs a licensed contractor even when it costs less than $1,000. A slab poured with a hired helper already fails that test.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Alhambra?
It comes down to size, what has to come out first and how much base work the ground needs, so I give you a number after I've seen the site. Hauling off an old driveway, digging out soft dirt, a thicker slab with rebar, the steel that holds it together if it cracks, and a stamped or decorative finish all raise it. A narrow side driveway a truck can't reach adds labor too.
How do I keep a new driveway from cracking like the old one?
Start underneath, because most of the cracked and sunken slabs we tear out sat on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. We dig to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pack the base, slope it away from the house and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack. Concrete still cracks a little, but it should crack where we chose.
How do I know if storm water rules apply to my new slab in Alhambra?
The city answers that with a form it uses before issuing building or grading permits, which shows whether your project has to meet Low Impact Development criteria or submit a storm water plan. A new driveway or patio adds hard surface that rain runs off, so it's worth knowing early. When your job needs a permit, we take care of that as part of the application.
What is a Contractor's Report, and why does Alhambra require one?
It's a report the general contractor or owner-builder files with the city's Finance Department to show that every subcontractor on the job holds an Alhambra business license while they work. The check takes about two weeks, and the city won't give the permit its final sign-off until it clears. If subcontractors are on your job, that report should go in early rather than at the end.
Call us about your Alhambra driveway or patio
Call (213) 329-1820 or send the form, since one look usually tells me if a cracked slab needs patching or a new base.