Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM(562) 358-3037
First Choice South Whittier ConcreteFirst Choice South Whittier Concrete

Concrete contractor in South Whittier, CA - slabs built on a packed base

First Choice South Whittier Concrete is a concrete contractor based in South Whittier, CA. We pour and replace driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors and foundations for homes here, with our own crew doing the work.

Get an estimate (562) 358-3037
A glossy exposed-aggregate concrete driveway leads from a garage toward a blue sedan and suburban homes.
A covered outdoor patio with light stone flooring, a brick fireplace and built-in stainless steel grill overlooks a fenced yard.

South Whittier, the way we see it on jobs

South Whittier is mostly single-family houses on quiet residential streets, and a lot of them are older homes still using the driveway, front walk and back patio they started with, or close to it. On our jobs here we see driveways cracked corner to corner, walks lifted by tree roots, patios that hold water against the back wall and garage slabs that have settled away from the door. The streets look a lot like the ones in Norwalk and West Whittier-Los Nietos, and the concrete trouble is much the same, so we bring the same crew and the same habits to all three.

Replacing old concrete means the old slab comes out first, and what's under it usually tells us what went wrong. That's why, on most jobs here, the real work is digging out the tired base and packing a new one before any concrete shows up.

What we build and fix in South Whittier

What a concrete job in South Whittier involves

South Whittier has no city hall of its own. It's unincorporated Los Angeles County land, so when a concrete job needs a building permit, it goes through LA County Public Works and its South Whittier District Office over in Norwalk, and the county's review and inspections then set part of the schedule. Before you hire anyone, look the contractor up with the Contractors State License Board, which licenses contractors across California, and know that a business based in the county's unincorporated areas may also need a County Business License, depending on the work it does.

When your job calls for a permit, we help you find the office that handles your address, help with the paperwork and plan the work around the inspections. The price turns on the size and thickness of the slab, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away, how much digging and base work the ground needs, how much rebar goes in, and the finish you pick, since a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps feet from slipping, costs less than stamped or colored work. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, the days a fresh slab needs to harden before it takes your weight and later your car's, which we'd rather wait out than rush. I come out myself to look at your job and write the estimate, and our crew works the same way in Whittier and Santa Fe Springs.

  • Most jobs here start with breaking out an old slab, and what we find under it tells us how much base work the new one needs.
  • We dig out and pack the base instead of raking the dirt level, because a slab poured on loose soil settles right along with it. If the budget gets tight, that's the last place I'd cut, since the base is buried on day one and no finish on top can make up for it.
  • Before we set forms, we check where water runs off the roof and the yard, so the new slab carries it away from the house instead of toward it.
  • We cut control joints soon after the pour, so if the slab cracks, it cracks along a line we picked instead of across the middle.
  • We start pours early instead of in midday heat, because a top that dries too fast ends up weak and dusty later.

Get a free on-site concrete estimate in South Whittier

Tell us what's going on with your driveway, patio, walk or slab, and send the form or call (562) 358-3037. We reply within one business day, and then I come out myself to look at the job and the ground around it and write your estimate. It's free, and there's no obligation.

(562) 358-3037

Questions South Whittier homeowners ask us

Do I need a permit for a new concrete driveway in South Whittier?

It may need one, and the county's list of permit-free work doesn't settle it, because that list names things like small drain-leak repairs and portable heaters, not driveways or patios. Even exempt work still has to meet zoning rules, so the safe move is to find the office for your address through the county's Public Works permits page and ask the Building and Safety office it shows. We go through that check with you before we plan the pour.

Can someone without a contractor license do a small concrete job in California?

Only on very small work, because the state's minor work limit is $1,000, and it used to be $500. That exemption only applies when the job needs no permit and the unlicensed person has no one working for them on it, so permit work isn't covered at all. We're licensed and insured.

How much can a contractor ask for up front on a home improvement job in California?

No more than $1,000, and less than that on a smaller job, under the state contractor board's rules for home improvement projects. Every other payment has to be listed in the contract and tied to work that's done or materials that have been delivered. If someone wants a big check before anything has happened, that's a good reason to keep looking.

Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?

Concrete can still crack, but most of the cracked driveways we tear out had a thin, raked base or joints cut late or never, and those are the two things we spend our time on. Rebar inside the slab helps hold the pieces together if a crack does form, and with joints cut on time, a crack usually runs along a line where you'd hardly notice it.

Service areas

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, call (562) 358-3037 and ask.

Have that cracked slab looked at

Water that gets into a crack keeps washing out the base underneath, so calling (562) 358-3037 or sending a note through our contact form now usually means less to fix later.

Get an estimate (562) 358-3037

If something about your driveway, patio or slab has you wondering, tell us about it and I'll explain what it really needs.

Tell us about your project
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