First Choice South Whittier Concrete is a concrete contractor based in South Whittier that pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations for Norwalk homeowners and small property owners, starting with the ground under the slab.
Norwalk is close to home for us, and most of what we're called out for here is flatwork, the driveways, front walks and back patios that lie flat on the ground. A lot of the houses are single-story homes on flat lots, and many still have the concrete that's been carrying cars, tree roots and sprinkler water for decades. We hear from homeowners and from small property owners with rentals, the same mix we see in Whittier.
On older lots like these, the trouble is usually under the slab, not on top of it, so most of our jobs here start with tearing out the old concrete and rebuilding what it sits on.
We plan a driveway around the cars it carries and where the water runs, setting the thickness and slope at the estimate so the slab drains toward the street.
Explore serviceFor a back patio, we pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and slope the surface so rain runs away from your house, not toward it.
Explore serviceStamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, and we lay out the pattern so the joints fall inside its lines.
Explore serviceWhen a front walk has lifted at the seams from roots or settling, we break out the bad sections, rework the base and pour new ones level.
Explore serviceA garage floor has to carry a car and handle oil and water, so we pour it for the load and pitch it gently toward the door.
Explore serviceWant something better looking than plain gray? Color, exposed stone and custom borders are all options, and we help you pick one that holds up underfoot.
Explore serviceWhere a yard drops off at a fence or driveway edge, a poured retaining wall holds the soil back, and we plan its footing and drainage first.
Explore serviceFor an addition or workshop, we pour interior floors flat and level, adding rebar, steel bars that help hold the slab together, where the plans call for it.
Explore servicePool decks stay wet underfoot, so we give them a broom finish, a light dragged texture for grip, and slope them so water drains off.
Explore serviceFront steps that have pulled away from the porch or gone uneven are easy to trip on, so we rebuild them with even steps and a solid footing.
Explore serviceA slab foundation is a building's floor and base in one pour, so we check the grading, packed base and steel before the truck shows up.
Explore serviceAdding a room, a garage or a backyard unit? We dig and pour the foundation to the plans and set the schedule around any inspections the job needs.
Explore serviceSmall property owners call us for parking areas behind rentals and shops, planned for car weight, turning tires and where the water drains off.
Explore serviceFootings are the buried concrete that carries a wall, post or patio cover, so we dig them down to firm soil before anything goes on top.
Explore serviceIf one corner of the house has dropped and doors have started sticking, we figure out why it settled first, then raise and support that section.
Explore serviceNeed a doorway, a trench for a pipe or a cracked section taken out cleanly? We saw-cut concrete so the rest of the slab stays intact.
Explore serviceBefore you sign with anyone for concrete in Norwalk, ask for their state license and look it up with the Contractors State License Board, the state office that licenses and regulates contractors in California. We're licensed and insured, I come out myself to look at the job, and our own crew does the work. When a job calls for a permit, we help you find which office handles your address, help with the paperwork and plan the pour around the inspections, which can push the start date back a bit. The price mostly moves with how much old concrete comes out, how much digging and packing the ground needs, how hard the spot is to reach and the finish you pick, while the schedule turns on the tear-out, the base, any inspections and the curing wait. The estimate I write on site shows your own figure for all of it.
We work in Norwalk the same way we do in Downey and Santa Fe Springs, and the question I hear most is where to save money if the budget gets tight. My answer is the finish, not the base, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it decides whether the slab stays flat, and a plain finish over solid ground will outlast a fancy one over loose dirt.
Tell us about the driveway, patio or slab you're dealing with, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the ground and the drainage, and write the estimate, free and with no obligation.
(562) 358-3037Yes, in most cases. California requires a current state license for anyone who contracts for work that needs a building permit, uses employees or workers, or takes on a contract worth $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. You're welcome to ask for our license details when I come out for the estimate.
Only if the job meets every condition of the state's minor work exemption: no building permit needed, no employees, no advertising as a licensed contractor, and less than $1,000 in labor, materials and all other costs together. That limit used to be $500 and is now $1,000. If any one of those conditions doesn't hold, the person needs a license.
Any concrete can crack, but a new slab shouldn't fail the way old driveways usually do, since those cracks mostly come from a base that settled, water running underneath or joints cut late or not at all. We dig out and pack the base, send water away from the house and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a chosen place to crack, while the concrete is still fresh. A fine crack inside a joint is doing its job, while a slab that sinks or splits across the middle usually traces back to what's under it.
Type your address into the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether the property lies in a mapped earthquake hazard zone and tells you if the state hasn't evaluated that area yet. The state maps things like liquefaction, where waterlogged soil gives way in a quake, and earthquake landslides. If you're planning a foundation or retaining wall, you're welcome to pull it up and show me at the estimate.
We're based in South Whittier and work across the cities around it, including the ones listed here. If you don't see your city, give us a call and ask.
A crack that lets water under the slab keeps softening the ground below it, so call (562) 358-3037 or use the form and I'll come take a look before it spreads.
If you've got a question about your driveway, patio or slab in Norwalk, send it over and I'll walk you through it.
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