Concrete contractor in Whittier, CA - slabs built for slopes and tight yards
Classic Whittier Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Whittier, CA. We pour driveways, patios, steps, walls and foundations here, including the tight yards, slopes and old slabs people call tricky.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Whittier properties as we see them on the job
Whittier is where we're based, and most of our calls here come from homeowners, with some from owners and managers of business property. Most calls are about cracked or sinking driveways, patios that pool water and slabs that have to fit into a tight spot. Some streets are flat and some climb toward the hills, and plenty of yards are close-set, with a narrow side path as the only way back for a wheelbarrow. We do the same work in the cities nearby, including Hacienda Heights and Pico Rivera.
Because so many lots here slope or sit close together, the job usually starts with access and water. Where the truck can park, how we get concrete to the back and where rain will go once the new slab is down decide the forms and the slope before we think about the finish.
Concrete services for Whittier homes and businesses
Concrete driveway building
When an old driveway has sunk at the street or sends water toward the garage, we dig out the soft base and pour one that drains away.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are often small or sloped, so we set a patio's height and slope before the pour to keep rain moving away from the back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick in one pour, and it can sit well beside an older house's brick trim.
Concrete sidewalk building
We replace walks that have lifted into trip edges and cut grooves called control joints, so any new crack runs in a line we chose.
Garage floor concrete
When an older garage floor is cracked, flaking or pooling water, we break it out, rebuild the base and pour a floor that drains toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and custom finishes let a front walk or patio match the house, and we talk through how each finish wears in our hot, dry summers.
Concrete retaining walls
On sloped lots, a retaining wall holds back soil to give you usable flat yard, with drainage behind it so trapped water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
For a workshop, room addition or commercial space, we pour an interior floor flat and level, with the base packed firm so it stays that way under load.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here sit in full sun, so we give them a textured finish for bare feet and slope them so splash water drains off.
Concrete steps construction
When front steps crack or pull from the porch, we pour new ones with each step the same height, which matters on the steeper lots here.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage or addition, we dig, form and pour the slab it sits on, with steel rebar inside to hold it together if the ground moves.
Foundation installation
When a new structure needs a raised foundation rather than a slab, we lay it out, dig the trenches and pour it square to the plans.
Concrete parking lot building
For the business properties we work on, we pour lots and drive aisles thick enough for daily traffic and sloped so rain reaches the drains instead of standing.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, block walls and decks rest on footings, buried concrete that carries the weight, and we dig and pour them so the posts stay put.
Foundation raising
When part of an older slab or foundation has dropped, we find out why first, usually water or a soft base, before we lift and level it.
Concrete cutting
When only one section of a slab is broken, we saw-cut it out cleanly instead of tearing out the whole thing, which helps in tight yards.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Whittier
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the job and write up your estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure and no obligation.
- Based in
- Whittier, CA 90602
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Permits, licenses and price on Whittier jobs
Inside the city of Whittier, building permits come from the city's Building & Safety Division. South Whittier and West Whittier-Los Nietos are unincorporated county communities, so permits there come from LA County Public Works instead. When a job needs a permit, the review has to finish before we can pour, so it sets the start date more than our calendar does. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor license and their Whittier business license, which the city requires of everyone doing business here, even from outside the city, and the city checks the state license when it issues one.
When your job needs a permit, we apply for it and we're there for the inspections, and we're licensed and insured. Price here mostly follows how much old concrete has to come out, how deep we dig for a firm base, whether the truck can reach the pour or we wheel concrete down a narrow side yard, and the finish you choose. The weather and any permit review set the schedule, and the on-site estimate gives you the figure for your own job.
Why Whittier driveways and patios crack and sink
Most of the trouble we see on Whittier properties starts under the slab. A base that was only raked flat settles with the dirt, and on a lot that tips toward the house, runoff soaks the ground right where the slab needs support, so it sinks, cracks and sends water back at your foundation. We dig down to firm ground, pack the subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, and set the slope before we talk finishes. If the budget is tight, that's the last place I'd cut, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the slab holds up.
Summer heat is the other thing we plan around. Concrete poured in the midday sun dries at the top too fast and can end up weak and dusty, so we pour early in the morning and keep the fresh slab damp while it hardens.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Whittier
From your first call to the final walk-through, here's who you'll deal with and what you'll need to do at each step.
Call or send us a message
Call (562) 358-3032 or use the form, and tell us roughly what you want done. We set a time for me to come out to your house.
I come out and look
I walk the job with you, ask what the slab is for and where the water goes now, and check whether the city or the county covers your address. Then I write up an estimate that shows the price and what drives it, so you can see where the money goes before you decide.
We handle permits and scheduling
When a city job needs a permit, the project goes past planning staff before its drawings get plan review, so that time comes ahead of the pour. Once it's cleared, we pick a pour day around the weather.
We pour and walk it
Our own crew forms, pours and finishes while I'm on site, and you don't need to be home as long as we can reach the work. When it's done, we walk the job with you and go over when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for a car.
Questions about concrete work in Whittier
Do I need a permit for concrete work in Whittier?
You need a city permit for work that builds, alters, repairs or removes a building, so a new foundation, an addition's slab or foundation raising usually falls under it. For a driveway, patio or walk, we ask the city's building division before we plan the job.
When does a contractor need a California state license?
Under the California Contractors State License Board's rules, a contractor needs a state license when the project needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or has contracts totaling $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Ask for the license number before you sign.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a cracked concrete driveway in Whittier?
Repairing a section is usually cheaper up front, but it only pays off when the base under it is still firm. If the driveway has sunk or water is getting under it, a patch just sits on the same problem, so I'll tell you at the estimate whether cutting out one section or a full replacement makes more sense.
How long do I have to stay off a new concrete driveway?
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because it keeps curing, slowly gaining strength, for days after the pour and a car weighs far more than you do. We give you both dates for your slab when we finish, since heat and thickness change them.
What causes concrete driveways in Whittier to crack?
Most cracking we see comes from a base that settled, water running under the slab, or joints cut too late to do their job. Some fine cracking is normal in any slab, which is why we cut the control joints on time so cracks land in those lines rather than across the middle.
What is the best way to stop water pooling on my patio?
The best way is to build the slope in when the patio is formed, so water runs away from the house to a spot that can take it. On a sloped Whittier yard, that often means sorting out where the hill's runoff goes first, and on an old flat patio it usually means replacing the slab, because slope is hard to add once concrete has set.
Set up your Whittier concrete estimate
Tell us when you call where the water goes after a rain, and I'll come to the visit with the right questions already in mind.