Concrete driveway building
When your driveway has sunk at the apron or split across the middle, we break it out, dig and pack a new base, and pour a slab sized for cars.
Concrete Contractor in Downey, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Caliber East Los Angeles Concrete builds and replaces driveways, patios, walks, steps and slab foundations for homes and buildings in Downey, CA. I come out myself to look at the job, and our own crew does the pour.
Caliber East Los Angeles Concrete pours driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors and foundations in Downey, CA. We also break out and replace old slabs that have cracked, sunk or started holding water. I come out, look at the job and write the quote myself, and our own crew does the work.
Concrete work we do on Downey homes
Most of the Downey jobs we see start with a driveway or a patio that's settled. One corner drops, a crack runs across the middle, and water pools against the garage after it rains. That usually goes back to the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, because it was raked flat instead of dug out and packed. We fix the base before we fix the surface.
We also get calls for slab foundations and footings under additions, retaining walls along a sloped side yard, and parking areas for apartment owners. Foundation work gets built the way the plans call for it, with the steel and thickness the plans show. We do the same work next door in Pico Rivera and Norwalk, so the lots around here are familiar ground for our crew.
- Based in
- East Los Angeles, CA 90022
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Concrete services for Downey properties
Concrete patio construction
If your backyard patio floods or tilts toward the house, we set the new slab so rain runs away from your walls and out toward the yard.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a stone or brick pattern into a patio or walk, and it still needs the same packed base underneath to stay flat.
Concrete sidewalk building
A front walk with lifted, uneven sections is easy to trip on. We replace the bad panels and cut joints so the new walk has a planned place to crack.
Garage floor concrete
When a garage floor is chipping, dusty or cracked through, we pour a new slab that holds the car and drains toward the door instead of the back wall.
Decorative concrete
Decorative concrete covers color, exposed aggregate and borders, a good fit when you want a front entry or patio that looks finished without laying pavers.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped side yard or a cut next to the driveway, a reinforced concrete wall holds the dirt back so it stops washing onto your slab.
Concrete floor installation
For a room addition, workshop or converted space, we pour an interior floor slab that's level and ready for whatever flooring goes on top of it.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck needs a surface with grip for wet feet and a slope that sends splash water away from both the pool and the house.
Concrete steps construction
Cracked or crumbling front steps are a safety problem. We form and pour new steps with even rises so nobody catches a toe on the way inside.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or accessory building, we build the slab foundation the way the plans call for it, with the base, steel and thickness they show.
Foundation installation
When a new structure needs a full foundation, we dig, form and pour it to the plans and have each stage ready when the inspector comes out.
Concrete parking lot building
Owners of apartment buildings and small lots call us when the parking area is breaking up. We grade it for drainage and pour slabs built for daily traffic.
Concrete footings
Footings are the concrete under a wall, post or porch that carries its weight into the ground. We dig them to the size and depth the plans call for.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation has dropped, raising it can bring it back up. I'll tell you on the walk-through whether raising or replacing makes more sense.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut concrete to remove a damaged section, open a slab for a plumbing repair or widen a driveway, leaving clean edges the new pour can meet.
Get a free written quote for your Downey concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Downey property, walk the job, measure it and give you a written quote that spells out what's included. The estimate is free, and there's no obligation to hire us.
(213) 338-1030Working in Downey: permits, licenses and price
Downey handles its own permits through the city's Building and Safety Division, which also checks plans and does the inspections, and permits are issued at the Building counter in Downey City Hall. That review and those inspections set the calendar on a permitted job, so the pour date comes after the city's side is lined up. Odd cases go to that division too.
Any contractor pulling a permit in Downey needs a current City of Downey business license, and that includes outfits like ours with offices outside the city. It can be paid when the permit is issued, so ask whoever you hire about it. We check with the right office for your address before we set a date, and when your job needs a permit, we take care of it and the inspections.
On price, the size and thickness of the slab come first. Then it's whether an old slab has to be broken out and hauled off, how much soft dirt has to come out before we can build a solid base, and the finish you pick. Steel and tight access add to it. My written quote spells out what's included, and it works the same way in El Monte and the cities around it.
Why Downey homeowners call us for concrete
I worked concrete every summer through school, hauling forms and finishing next to guys who'd done it for decades, and I started this business in 2013. I still do the estimates myself, and our crew lead runs the work on site with our own crew. We're best known for flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks that sit right on the ground, and for keeping it flat.
The base is the part nobody sees once it's poured, and it's the first thing a low bid cuts. We dig out the soft dirt, pack the base, set the forms so water runs away from your house, and keep the pour out of the midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top. I'd rather lose a job by quoting that right than win it by skipping steps.
We're a concrete contractor based in East Los Angeles, CA, fully licensed and insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. If your Downey driveway, patio or foundation job is ready for a look, call (213) 338-1030 or fill out the form above.
Downey houses and rules that shape a concrete job
A few things about Downey change how we plan a job here, from the kind of houses on most streets to the city's rules on low walls and how long a permit stays good.
Mostly single-family houses
The city's own records from 1997 showed 60 percent of Downey's homes were single-family houses, with the other 40 percent apartments and condos. That's an older count, but it matches the calls we get. Most Downey jobs are driveways, walks, patios and garage floors on a house lot, with parking areas and walkways for apartment owners mixed in.
Low walls still need approval
In Downey, a block wall or fence 42 inches tall or lower needs no building permit, but it still needs approval from the city's Planning side and possibly Engineering. A taller one needs a building permit on top of that approval. If your job includes a low block wall along the driveway, we find out which approvals apply before we set forms.
The code the city builds to
Downey works from the current California Building Code along with its own local changes to the state codes. That matters most on foundations, footings and slabs under a building, because those are the rules the plans and the inspections follow. We build foundation work to the plans, and the plans have to match what the city uses.
A permit has a shelf life
A Downey permit becomes invalid if work doesn't start within 12 months of when it's issued, or if work that started sits abandoned for 180 days. So we line up the permit with a real pour date instead of letting it sit. If your plans change after the permit is out, tell us early so it doesn't lapse.
Downey concrete questions we hear most
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Downey?
It comes down to the size of the slab, its thickness and how much base work your lot needs, so I give you a number only after I've measured. Breaking out an old driveway, steel in the slab and a stamped or colored finish all add to it. The estimate is free, and the written quote lists what's included.
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway in Downey?
Most likely yes. In the city's words, generally any new construction, additions, alterations or repairs need a permit, and hardscapes, the driveways, patios and walks around a house, are named on its list. The city's building permit information page is the place to start, and we confirm it for your address before we set a date.
Can I pull a building permit for my own house in Downey?
Yes, if you live in the single-family house the permit covers, because Downey issues permits to California licensed contractors and to owner-builders living in the home. Duplexes, townhomes, condos, apartments and commercial jobs are different, and those permits go only to California licensed contractors. If you'd rather not handle it, that's part of our job.
Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?
Concrete can still crack, so the job is to give it a planned place to do it. Control joints are the grooves we cut so a crack runs along a straight line instead of across the middle, and rebar, steel bars set inside the slab, holds the pieces together. Most bad cracks we tear out started with a base that was raked flat, not packed.
How long until I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You'll walk on it well before you can park on it, because concrete keeps getting stronger long after it looks dry. That wait is curing, and driving on a slab too soon is how fresh edges break. I'll tell you the walking and driving dates for your slab on the walk-through, since they turn on its thickness and the weather.
How do I get my house ready for a concrete crew?
Move cars, bins and anything stored along the side yard out of the work area, and tell us where your sprinkler lines and any buried pipes run. We need a clear path for equipment and, on pour day, for the truck. Keep kids and pets off the fresh slab, because a paw print sets for good.
Tell us about your Downey concrete job
We pick up the phone at (213) 338-1030 seven days a week from 7 AM to 11 PM, so you can call after work or send the form tonight and describe the slab before I come out.