Concrete Contractor in East Los Angeles - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
San Gabriel Concrete is a concrete contractor based in San Gabriel, CA, working in East Los Angeles. We pour driveways, patios, walks and steps for homeowners and landlords, and we dig out and pack the base first.
Get an estimate for your East LA concrete
I'll walk the slab with you, check where water runs and measure what comes out.
Request an estimateEast Los Angeles: tight lots and older slabs
East LA is busy and close-built. Whittier Boulevard on the south end is the commercial strip most people know, and around it are blocks of houses on narrow lots, many with a driveway running down one side, a front walk, a few steps up to the porch and a small patio out back. Plenty of these homes are rentals, so a good share of our calls here come from landlords and property managers who want the work done quick and the street left clean.
Space shapes most of our jobs here, the same as next door in Monterey Park. With the house on one side and a fence or the neighbor's wall on the other, there's often no room for a machine, so we plan how the old slab comes out and how the new concrete gets in before the first day.
Working in East LA, where the county issues permits
East Los Angeles isn't its own city. It's unincorporated county land, so your permit comes from LA County Public Works through its East Los Angeles Building and Safety Office, and when you apply, the office tells you whether the job needs a plan check, a review of the drawings, before it can go ahead. Before you hire anyone, look them up with the Contractors State License Board, because the state wants a license on any job that needs a permit, brings in other workers or runs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and the contractor has to hold it before bidding. The county has its own business license too, but that one is for businesses located in unincorporated areas whose work is on the county's list.
We're licensed and insured, and before work starts I settle with you who handles the permit and what the county needs from us. The price moves with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out and how hard the spot is to reach, and narrow streets lined with parked cars mean we plan where the truck stops well before the pour. The schedule turns on the permit and then on the curing time before you can use the slab, and the on-site estimate is where you get your own figure. It's the same crew and the same way of working we bring to Pasadena and the other cities around San Gabriel.
Services in East Los Angeles, CA
Concrete driveway building
Side driveways on tight lots carry cars every day, and old ones often sink near the street. We break out the old slab, pack a new base and pour.
Concrete patio construction
Small backyards here get used hard, so a patio has to drain away from the house. We set the slope and cut control joints, the grooves that steer cracks.
Concrete steps construction
Porch steps on older houses chip at the edges and pull away from the house. We pour new ones with rebar, the steel that holds them together.
Concrete sidewalk building
Cracked, uneven front walks trip people, and landlords hear about it first. We replace the broken sections and match the new walk to the steps and driveway.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps down toward the street or the neighbor's lot, the dirt pushes on whatever holds it back. We build concrete walls on proper footings to hold it.
Decorative concrete
On a small front yard close to the street, the concrete is most of what people see. Our decorative concrete adds color or pattern over a properly packed base.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in East LA
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your place in East Los Angeles myself, look at the job and talk it through with you. The estimate is free, and there's no pressure to book.
- Phone
- (626) 816-3530
- Location
- San Gabriel, CA 91776
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- Credentials
- Fully licensed and insured.
What East LA owners can count on
We're based in San Gabriel, CA, and offer 16 concrete services across 12 service areas, East Los Angeles among them. Every job starts with a free on-site estimate.
- Based in
- CA
- San Gabriel
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 12
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a concrete patio or retaining wall in East Los Angeles?
Plan on it, because LA County Public Works puts patios and retaining walls on its permit list, along with grading work. A plain driveway replacement isn't named on that list, so ask the East LA office rather than assume either way. We settle with you before work starts who handles it.
When is the first inspection due on an LA County building permit?
You have to request the first inspection within 12 months of getting the permit, and after that, inspections every 6 months keep it active. Most concrete jobs move well inside those limits, but a project that stalls can let the permit lapse.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in East Los Angeles?
Your number comes from the on-site estimate, and the biggest choice in it is where the money goes. A plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, over a well-packed base usually outlasts a fancy surface poured on dirt that was only raked level. The base is the part you can't see on day one, and it's the last thing I'd cut.
How much can a contractor ask for up front in California?
Under the state licensing board's rules, the down payment on a home improvement job can't be more than $1,000, and on a smaller contract the cap is lower than that. Later payments are spelled out in the contract and tied to work done or materials delivered.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
Usually you can walk on it after a day or two and drive a car on it after about a week, because concrete needs that curing time, the slow hardening, before it takes weight. I'll tell you the day for your slab before we pour, so landlords can give tenants a heads-up on parking.
What causes an old concrete driveway to crack and sink?
Most cracking and sinking starts under the slab, with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the dirt settles and the concrete follows it down. Water running toward the house, a pour in midday heat and joints cut late or skipped make it worse. Some fine cracking happens in any slab, which is why we cut joints so the cracks land in the grooves and not across the middle.
Book your East Los Angeles concrete estimate
We answer seven days a week, 7 AM to 11 PM, so call (626) 816-3530 when it suits you.