Concrete patio construction in Los Angeles CA - a slab that drains away from the house
Bare dirt, a cracked slab or water pooling by the back door? We build a patio that sheds water and holds up to daily use.
What goes into building a concrete patio in Los Angeles?
Concrete patio construction in Los Angeles means building a backyard slab from the ground up. We dig out and pack the soil, set the slope, then form, pour and finish the concrete so you get a flat outdoor floor that sends rain away from your house.
Most calls start with bare dirt out back, an old slab that's cracked and sinking, or water pooling by the back door after a rain. The price mostly comes down to the size, the finish, how much digging and grading the yard needs and whether an old patio has to be broken out and hauled off, and a steep yard can add a retaining wall to the job. The schedule turns on the weather, how easy it is to get into your backyard and the wait the new concrete needs before you use it. The estimate at your house gives you the figure for your own yard.
How our concrete patio construction works
We start with the slope, because I settle which way the water runs while we're still planning, and fixing it after the pour is hard and costly. Then we dig out the soft dirt and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, instead of just raking it level, since a slab on loose dirt settles right along with it. We set the forms, pour and finish the top, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack instead of a random one. On hot days we keep extra water out of the mix and start curing as soon as we finish, keeping the new slab damp so it gains strength. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it underneath than on a fancier finish, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the patio stays flat.
A patio rarely stands alone. If you want a pattern or a stone look on top, our stamped concrete services go on the same slab, and a concrete sidewalk from the driveway or side gate ties it to the rest of the yard. If a pergola or patio roof is in your plans, tell me before we pour, because the posts need footings of their own.
New patio on bare ground
This suits a yard with dirt, lawn or gravel where the patio will go, since we can grade it exactly where the water should run. It's usually the simplest job because there's nothing to break out first.
Replacing a cracked or sinking slab
This suits an old patio that's tipped, broken up or holding water, because patching a slab on a failed base rarely lasts. We break it out, haul it away and fix what's underneath before we pour new.
Adding on to a sound patio
This suits a patio that's still flat and solid but too small, so you add room without starting over. We match the old slope and leave a joint where old meets new, because the two pieces move a little differently.
Concrete patio construction in Los Angeles yards
Ground in Los Angeles changes a lot from one yard to the next, from clay-heavy fill in many flatland neighborhoods to rocky decomposed granite, a crumbly broken-down rock, on the hillsides, and each one needs its own prep. Clay holds water and moves with it, so the digging and packing get more attention there, while a hillside job is more about cutting a level pad and keeping runoff headed downhill. On flat lots where water already sits after a rain, a French drain, a buried pipe in gravel that carries water off, or some real slope work may be needed before any concrete goes in. I'd rather tell you that at the estimate than find out after the pour.
Denser neighborhoods often have narrow side yards and shared fences that can keep equipment out when an old patio has to come out, so we plan the tear-out and hauling around your access before the job starts. We run into the same tight lots on jobs in East Los Angeles and Huntington Park. If your patio needs a permit, we figure out which office covers your address and handle the application and inspections for you.
Patio slabs and finishes
Why call us for patio construction
The owner bids and leads it
I come out to look at your yard and give the estimate myself, and I lead the crew that pours it. What we talked through at your house is what gets built, with no handoff in between.
In business since 2013
I learned concrete from my dad, hauling and mixing before I ever finished a slab, and I started this business in 2013, so we've been at it 13 years. Flatwork, the patios, driveways, walks and floors you use every day, is what we're best known for.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, and California's contractor board describes concrete work as forming, pouring, placing and finishing flat concrete, which is the whole of a patio job. Ask any patio contractor to show you both before you sign, since it's your property they'll be working on.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise, and keeping it starts before the pour, when I walk you through the slope, the joints and the cracks most slabs show in time. You know what you're getting before we start, not after.
On a patio, the ground underneath matters more than anything on top, so tell us about your yard or call (213) 329-1820 and we'll set a time to take a look.
(213) 329-1820Get a patio estimate for your backyard
We reply within one business day to set a time to see your yard. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, so you can take the number and think it over.
Patio questions from Los Angeles homeowners
How much does a concrete patio cost in Los Angeles?
A residential concrete patio in Los Angeles usually costs about $7 to $13 per square foot installed. That's the area's going rate, not our price, and your yard's slope, soil, access and finish decide where yours lands. The estimate at your house gives you the number for your own patio.
Will a new concrete patio crack in the Los Angeles heat?
Some cracking is likely, because a national concrete guide says some cracks are normal on every slab, even with good design and proper work. Hot weather makes cracks more likely both before and after concrete hardens, and one concrete products maker warns never to add water to cool the mix or ease the work, since it can cost strength and durability. The joints and hot-day steps above are there so cracks mostly follow lines we chose.
What is the best finish for a concrete patio?
Broom and smooth trowel finishes give a plain, subtle texture, while stamped and stenciled designs add a pattern and a more personal look. A broom finish, fine lines dragged across the wet surface, gives shoes and bare feet some grip, which helps around a hose or a pool. If you want a decorative finish, hire a crew that does that work often.
How much can a contractor ask for up front on a California patio job?
No more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, under the down payment cap the state contractor board sets for home improvement work. Payments after that should be listed in the contract and tied to work completed or materials delivered.
How do I make sure a new concrete patio is cured properly?
Ask the crew how they'll cure it before the pour, because one concrete trade group advises starting the cure right after the concrete is placed. That group's methods are a sprayed-on curing compound, seven days of continuous soaking, a wet burlap or plastic cover, or curing paper.
What causes water to pool against the house after a patio goes in?
Usually a slab that sits flat or tips toward the house, since national building guidance says patio slabs within 10 feet of the foundation should slope down and away from it. Water that runs back toward the wall soaks the ground right where you least want it. If your old patio does this, point it out at the estimate so we plan the new slope around it.
Plan your patio and the walkway leading to it
Call (213) 329-1820 with your rough patio size, a few yard photos and any pergola plans, and the first visit covers more.
