Concrete Contractor in East San Gabriel - Driveways and Patios That Drain Right
Monrovia Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Monrovia, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walks, garage floors, steps and slabs for homeowners and landlords in East San Gabriel, with the base, slope and joints settled before the pour.
East San Gabriel as we see it on the job
East San Gabriel is a mostly residential part of the San Gabriel Valley that runs right up against Arcadia and Temple City, and from the street it's hard to tell where one ends and the next begins. Most of what we see here is single-family houses with a driveway out front to the garage, a walk to the door and a patio out back.
A lot of that concrete has been down for decades, so most calls are about slabs that have settled, cracked or started holding water. Because of that, most jobs here start with a tear-out and a hard look at the ground underneath.
Permits, licenses and price on an East San Gabriel job
East San Gabriel isn't a city of its own. It's an unincorporated part of LA County, so the permit is the county's call. For unincorporated properties, LA County Public Works issues permits for new building, alterations, and repairs and replacements, and if your job needs one, we don't set a pour date until it's in hand. Before you hire anyone, make sure they hold a California contractor's license, and ask where their business is based, because the county's business license rules depend on where the business itself is located. We're fully licensed and insured, and we're based in Monrovia.
Most jobs here are replacements on single-family lots. That means breaking out the old slab and hauling it off before we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the new slab sits on. The price moves with the size, the tear-out, the base work and the finish, and on these residential streets it also depends on how close the concrete truck can get to the forms. The schedule depends on whether a permit's needed and on curing, the days new concrete needs to harden before it can take a car. We do the same work over in Azusa and Pasadena, and you get your own figure in a written estimate that lists what's included, removal and hauling too.
What we see on East San Gabriel houses
A good share of homes here are rentals, and a landlord between tenants usually wants the cracked walk or sunken patio fixed fast. I'd rather turn down a quick patch that won't last than sell it to you, so we quote the tear-out and a proper base. If you're adding a room or a garage, we handle slab foundation building for that too.
The other thing we see over and over is water. A lot of older driveways here have settled until they tip back toward the garage or the house, and the puddle that sits there after the sprinklers run works its way under the slab. Most bad concrete I've torn out failed because water sat where it shouldn't, so I check where your water runs and set the new slab to carry it away before anything gets poured. When the budget gets tight, people want to cut the base because nobody sees it on day one. I'd cut the fancy finish first, because a nice surface on a soft base cracks and sinks right along with the dirt.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate for your East San Gabriel home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time to look at your East San Gabriel job. I come out, measure and give you a written estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure to book.
(626) 879-0614How a concrete job goes when you call us in East San Gabriel
Call or send the form
Call (626) 879-0614 or fill out the form, and we'll set a time to look at the job. If you know where water puddles on the old slab, tell us when we talk.
I come out and measure
I come out myself, measure the area and ask how you'll use the concrete, whether that's two cars, a basketball hoop or a patio table. Move the cars out of the driveway so I can see the whole slab.
Review your written, itemized estimate
You get a written estimate that spells out what's in it, like removing and hauling the old slab. Take your time with it, and call me with any questions.
We check with the county
Once you say go, we check with the office that covers your address before we set a date. If the job needs a permit, we sort out who pulls it and have it in hand before work starts.
Prep, form, pour, then walk it
The crew I trained digs out, packs the base, sets the forms and pours, and I'm usually there on pour days. Before we pack up, I walk the finished job with you.
Driveways, patios and walks in concrete
Concrete questions from East San Gabriel homeowners
How do I find out which office handles permits for my East San Gabriel address?
Look up your street address or parcel number in the county's Service Locator, which shows which office issues permits there. If the county handles your area, it lists the local Building and Safety office, and if another office does, it gives that office's contact details. With city lines this close together, it's the quickest way to be sure.
Does replacing a concrete driveway need a permit in unincorporated LA County?
It can, so check before anything gets torn out. The county's permit list covers repairs and replacements as well as grading work, and work that's exempt still has to follow the code and the county's zoning rules.
When is the first inspection due after I get a permit in LA County?
LA County Public Works says to request the first inspection within 12 months of getting the permit. After that, follow-up inspections every 6 months keep the permit active. On a concrete job, we'd rather pour soon after the permit's in hand than let it sit.
Does a concrete contractor need a California license to work in East San Gabriel?
Yes, in most cases. The Contractors State License Board requires a license when a project needs a building permit, uses employees, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The only exemption it lists is a job that needs no permit, uses no employees and costs less than $1,000 in all, and splitting a bigger job into smaller pieces doesn't qualify. Ask anyone bidding your job for their license before you sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in East San Gabriel?
Your price depends on what your driveway needs, and you'll have it in writing after I've walked and measured it. Besides size and tear-out, the biggest factors are how thick the slab is and whether it gets rebar, the steel that holds the pieces together if it cracks. The finish matters too, whether that's a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives shoes and tires grip, or stamped or colored concrete. A permit, if your address needs one, and how close the truck can get add to it as well.
What causes concrete driveways and patios to crack and sink?
Most of it comes from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, water sitting where it shouldn't, and cracks that had no planned place to go. Concrete shrinks as it hardens and usually cracks somewhere. So we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the crack a straight line to follow, early enough that the slab doesn't pick its own spot.
Talk to us about your East San Gabriel slab
Call (626) 879-0614 or send the form and tell me how you use the space now, because that decides how thick we pour it and where the joints go.