First Choice South Whittier Concrete is a concrete contractor working in West Covina, pouring driveways, patios, walks, steps and retaining walls for homes on the flat tract streets and the sloped lots near the hills.
West Covina sits in the San Gabriel Valley, and most of the jobs we get here are at homes. The lower streets are blocks of older single-story tract houses, and the lots start to tilt as you head up toward the San Jose Hills. It's a short drive up from South Whittier, and a lot of the calls sound like the ones we get in Whittier, a driveway patched one too many times, a patio that's sunk away from the back door or a walk lifted by a tree root.
Those two kinds of lots ask different things of flatwork, our word for driveways, patios and walks. On the flat streets, a lot of the old concrete we break out was poured over dirt that was raked smooth instead of dug out and packed, so the new job starts underneath. On the slopes, it starts with where the water goes and what's holding the hill.
Most driveways we replace here are older and patched, so we break out the old slab, dig out and pack the base and pour fresh.
Explore serviceWant a back patio that drains instead of pooling? We set the slab to fall away from the house, then pick a finish for how you'll use it.
Explore serviceStamped concrete presses a stone, brick or wood pattern into the fresh slab. The pattern is only as good as the base under it, so that comes first.
Explore serviceWalks lifted by tree roots or sunk at the joints are common on older lots here. We replace the bad sections, regrade the path and cut new joints.
Explore serviceA garage floor takes a car's weight and oil drips, so we check the base, slope it toward the door and finish it for easy sweeping.
Explore serviceColor, exposed stone and saw-cut patterns give a plain slab some character. We talk through how each one wears and cleans before you pick.
Explore serviceOn sloped lots toward the hills, a retaining wall holds the ground back so you get flat yard to use. The footing and drainage behind it do the real work.
Explore serviceFor a workshop, room addition or storage building, we pour an interior floor over a packed base with a moisture barrier, finished as smooth as the use needs.
Explore serviceA pool deck needs a surface that grips wet feet and a slope that sheds water away from the pool and the house, so we plan both together.
Explore serviceFront steps on older houses here often settle or chip at the edges. We rebuild them with even rises and steel inside, so every step feels the same.
Explore serviceA slab foundation carries an addition or garage, so we pack the subgrade, the ground it sits on, and tie in rebar, the steel that holds it together.
Explore serviceWe form and pour the foundation your plans call for, set to your lot's grade and ready for inspection before framing starts.
Explore serviceSmall property owners with apartment or shop lots call us for concrete paving that takes daily traffic. Base depth, drainage and joint layout set the plan.
Explore serviceFootings are the buried concrete under walls, posts and patio covers. We size them for the load above, since an undersized footing lets things settle.
Explore serviceIf a slab or a corner of the house has sunk, we find the cause first, usually water or soft ground, then lift and support it.
Explore serviceNeed a doorway, a trench for a drain line or a cracked section taken out cleanly? We saw-cut concrete so the slab around the cut stays intact.
Explore servicePermits for private work here come from the Building Section of the city's Building Division, and when a job needs one, or needs Planning approval, that review has to clear before we pour, so it sets the start date. The city also requires every business working in West Covina to get a city business license within fifteen days of starting work there, and it's fair to ask any contractor, us included, about it. We're licensed and insured, and when a job calls for a permit, we help you find which office handles your address, help with the paperwork and plan the work around the inspections.
We get to West Covina on the 10, the same drive that brings us through El Monte, so getting our crew here is easy. Your price mostly comes down to what's under and around the slab: how much old concrete we haul away, how deep we dig for the base, how thick the slab is and whether it gets rebar, the steel that keeps cracks from opening up. The slope, how close a truck can get and the finish move it too, from a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, up to stamped. The schedule turns on any city review, the weather and curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before it takes weight, and when I come out to write the estimate, I'll tell you when you can walk on it and when you can park on it.
Tell us about the driveway, patio, walk or wall you're thinking about, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, free and with no obligation, and if you go ahead, our own crew does the work. You can also call (562) 358-3037.
(562) 358-3037The city's list of work that can go without a building permit includes walks and driveways no more than 30 inches above the ground, not over a basement or a room below and not part of an accessible route. Work tied to the job can still need its own permit, such as replacing a drainpipe under the slab, which the city counts as new plumbing work. I check your job against the city's list before we set a pour date.
On the city's list, a retaining wall that holds back no more than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, can go without a building permit unless it carries extra weight on the ground behind it or holds back certain liquids. A wall outside those limits goes through the Building Division, so we plan the footing and the schedule with that in mind.
You apply through the city's One Stop Building Permit Center, or in person at the Building Counter Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, and the city no longer takes applications by email. For questions, the Building Division is at (626) 939-8425. If your job needs one, bring it up at the estimate and we'll sort it out together.
Yes, a project that skips the building permit can still need approval from the city's Planning Division. In some cases Planning limits where it goes, how tall it is and how it has to look. Its public counter is at City Hall Room 208, (626) 939-8422, and it's worth a call before a new wall or a wider driveway.
We're a concrete contractor based in South Whittier, CA, and we work across the cities around it, including the ones listed here. If you don't see your city, call and ask.
Our phone hours run until 9 PM every day of the week, so you can call (562) 358-3037 after work, or send the contact form whenever it suits you.
If you've got a cracked driveway or a sinking patio in West Covina, I'm glad to come look at it and explain what it really needs.
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