Concrete contractor in Burbank, CA - driveways and patios that drain right
Monrovia Concrete is a concrete contractor that pours driveways, patios, walks and garage floors in Burbank and builds retaining walls for sloped yards near the Verdugos. I come out to look at your job myself, and my crew does the work.
Burbank as we see it from the driveway
From the street, Burbank feels a lot like Glendale next door, with block after block of older single-family houses and most of the shops and offices kept to the main roads and the Airport District.
Part of the city climbs into the hills, where the trail out of Stough Canyon heads up toward Verdugo Peak, and the streets get steeper the closer you get. On the flat blocks, the call is usually an old driveway or patio that's cracked, sunk or holding water, and the fix is tearing it out and pouring one that drains away from the house. Up the slopes, the ground itself is the job, because a yard that wants to slide or shed water downhill has to be held back and drained before any slab goes on it.
Working in Burbank: who we check with and what moves the price
Burbank runs its own city government, so the office we check with for a job here is the City of Burbank. We do that before we set a date, because what the city needs usually decides the start more than our calendar does. On the state side, concrete work like this calls for a contractor licensed by the Contractors State License Board. We're fully licensed and insured, so ask us, or anyone else you're thinking of hiring, for the state license before you sign.
The price mostly moves with the size of the slab, whether there's old concrete to break out and haul away, how much digging and packing the base needs, how far we have to carry concrete from the truck, and the finish you pick. A long, narrow driveway back to a detached garage takes more hand work than one that opens straight to the street. The schedule turns on the city check and on curing, the days new concrete needs to harden before you use it. My written estimate lists what's included, like removal and hauling, so you can see what you're paying for, and it's the same way we work in Duarte and Pasadena.
What older houses and hillside lots here do to concrete
A lot of the concrete we tear out around older Burbank houses failed from the bottom. It was poured on dirt that got raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settled with the dirt, and plenty of it tips toward the house, so rain sits against the foundation instead of running off. We dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab actually sits on, pack a real base on top of it, and set the slope away from your house before a form goes in. That work is buried on day one and it's the first thing people want to cut, but it's what decides whether the slab stays flat.
On the slopes, water and gravity work on everything. If your yard is pushing on a walk or a patio, a concrete retaining wall with drainage behind it usually has to come first, and I'd rather tell you that than pour a slab that slides.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Burbank concrete
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your place in Burbank. I'll measure, ask how you'll use the concrete and hand you a written estimate, and there's no pressure to book.
(626) 879-0614How a Burbank concrete job goes, start to finish
Call or send a message
Call (626) 879-0614 or use the form and tell us what you're seeing, like cracks, sinking or water pooling. We'll set a time for me to come look.
I come out and measure
I walk the job myself, measure it and ask how you'll use the concrete, whether that's parking a truck or setting out a patio table. It helps if you know where the water goes when it rains.
Get a written estimate
You get the estimate in writing, with what's included spelled out, like tearing out the old slab and hauling it off. That way you can compare it line by line with anyone else's.
We check, prep and form
Once you say go, we check with the city for your address, then dig out, pack the base and set the forms. If cars or planters are in the way, we'll tell you what to move and when.
Pour, finish and walk it
My crew pours and finishes the concrete, and I'm usually there on pour days. Before we pack up, I walk the new concrete with you and go over when it's ready to use.
Finished concrete, up close
Burbank concrete questions we hear
Do I need a licensed contractor for a concrete driveway in Burbank?
Almost always, yes. The state board requires a license for any job that needs a building permit, uses any extra workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and that rule covers work in Burbank. We're licensed, and it's fair to ask any contractor you're weighing for their state license.
Can someone do a small concrete repair in Burbank without a contractor license?
Only if the job fits every part of the state's small-job exemption, which means no building permit, no employee labor, and a total under $1,000 for labor, materials and everything else, across one contract or several. That limit used to be $500, so older advice you find may be off. A bigger job also can't be split into smaller pieces to get under it.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Burbank?
Your price comes down to size, tear-out, base work, access and finish, and I'll put it in writing at a free estimate at your house. If the budget's tight, keep the base and simplify the finish. A plain broom finish, the brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip, costs less than stamped, and a good base matters more than any finish on top.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You'll be off it longer with the car than on foot, because concrete keeps hardening for days as it cures and a car's weight too soon can crack it. We tell you the day it's safe to walk on and the day it's safe to park on, and we plan the tear-out so you're not without a driveway longer than the cure needs.
What causes concrete driveways to crack and sink in Burbank?
On older Burbank driveways it's usually the ground and the water under the slab, not the concrete itself. Loose dirt settles, water washes the base out, and without control joints, the grooves we cut so the slab cracks along a line we picked, it cracks wherever it wants. We pack the base, cut joints on time, add rebar, steel that holds the pieces together, where the job calls for it, and we pour early rather than in midday heat, which leaves a weak, dusty top.
Does Burbank have its own building rules for concrete work?
Yes, Burbank has its own local building standards on file with the state's Building Standards Commission. Building standards are the code rules for how things get built, so what applies at your address can differ from the city next door. That's why our check with the city comes before we set a date.
Call about your Burbank concrete job
Call (626) 879-0614 or send the form, and if you snap a few photos of the cracks, the low spots or the slope, I'll show up already knowing what to look at.