First Choice South Whittier Concrete pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations for homes in West Whittier-Los Nietos, and we start each one by digging out and packing the ground the slab will sit on.
Most houses in West Whittier-Los Nietos are lived in by the people who own them, and a good share are rentals. So we hear from homeowners ready to replace a driveway they've stared at for years, and from small landlords who need a walk or a set of steps made safe for tenants. I spent years patching slabs at rentals before I started this business in 2013, and I saw what a cheap patch costs an owner a couple of years later. We're a concrete contractor based in South Whittier, and we work here the same way we do in Whittier.
On the driveways and patios we're called to here, the old slab was usually poured on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, which is why it's cracked, sunk or tipped toward the house. That's why most jobs start with tearing out and rebuilding the subgrade, the packed layer the slab sits on, before we talk about the finish.
We break out the old driveway, dig and pack the base, and pour a new slab with control joints, grooves that give cracks a straight place to go.
Explore serviceWant a back patio that drains? We slope it away from the house, then add a broom finish, a light brushed texture that keeps concrete from getting slick.
Explore serviceStamped concrete presses a stone or brick pattern into the fresh slab, so we settle color and pattern before pour day, then build the base like any driveway.
Explore serviceFor a front walk that's lifted or broken, we replace the bad sections, match the height of what stays and slope it so rain runs off.
Explore serviceA garage floor takes a car's weight every day, so we pour it over a packed base with rebar, steel inside the slab that holds cracks tight.
Explore serviceDecorative concrete means color, scored patterns and borders on walks and patios, and we plan it around your house so the finish suits what's already there.
Explore serviceWhen a yard steps down or soil leans on a fence, a retaining wall holds it back, and the footing and drainage behind it matter most.
Explore serviceWe pour interior and shop floors flat and level, with the base packed and a vapor barrier where the room calls for one, to keep ground moisture down.
Explore serviceAround a pool you want a deck that drains away from the water and isn't slick underfoot, so we plan slope and texture before color.
Explore serviceSteps that trip people usually have uneven heights, so we form each one the same and set the whole run on a solid footing.
Explore serviceA slab foundation is the floor and footing poured as one for an addition, garage or shed, and the ground prep under it carries the job.
Explore serviceFor a new addition or outbuilding, we dig, form and pour the foundation to the plans, and we schedule around the inspections the job needs.
Explore serviceSmall property owners call us for lots and wide aprons that take steady traffic, so we plan a thicker slab, a deeper base and planned drainage.
Explore serviceFootings are the concrete pads and strips under walls, posts and patio covers, and their size comes from what they carry and the job's plans.
Explore serviceIf a floor has dropped or a slab has sunk at one corner, foundation raising brings it back up, but first we find out why the ground moved.
Explore serviceWe saw-cut concrete for new openings, plumbing trenches and clean edges where old meets new, so the break is straight and the rest stays sound.
Explore serviceWest Whittier-Los Nietos isn't its own city, so permits here come from LA County Public Works, the County office that issues them for unincorporated land. When a job needs one, the permit and its inspections become part of the schedule, so we plan around them instead of guessing. Before you hire anyone, check their state contractor license, which I cover in the questions below. The County's business license only covers a set list of activities, so a concrete company may not carry one, and the state license is the one that tells you more. When your job calls for a permit, I help you confirm the office for your address, work through the paperwork with you and plan our days around the inspections.
The price mostly comes down to what's under and around the slab. That means the size and thickness, how much old concrete we haul out, how much digging and base the ground needs, whether the truck can reach or we wheel it in, and the finish you pick, since stamped or colored work costs more than a plain broom finish. The schedule turns on the permit if there is one, the weather, and curing, the days fresh concrete needs to harden before you walk or drive on it. I come out, look at your job and write the estimate myself, the same way we do for neighbors in Santa Fe Springs and Pico Rivera.
Tell us about the slab you want replaced or built, and we reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the concrete and the ground around it, and write the estimate, which is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. If you go ahead, our own crew does the work.
(562) 358-3037The County's permit list names repairs, replacements, alterations and grading work, but it doesn't name driveways or patios outright, so check with the County office I mentioned above before the pour. I look at that with you at the estimate, and if your job needs a permit, I help with the paperwork.
The state contractors board requires a license when a project needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. That cost counts across every contract on the project, so splitting a job into smaller pieces doesn't get around it. We're licensed and insured.
The first inspection is requested within 12 months of the permit being issued, and follow-up inspections come every 6 months to keep the permit active. That means a permit can't sit in a drawer, so we plan the pour around those visits instead of letting it wait.
Concrete shrinks as it cures and can still crack, so we work to decide where instead of leaving it to chance. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give a crack a straight, planned line to follow, and add rebar to hold any crack tight, all on top of the packed base I described above.
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.
We answer the phone seven days a week, from 6 AM on weekdays and 7 AM on weekends until 9 PM, so you can call (562) 358-3037 before or after work or send the form.
If you've got a cracked slab or a patio you've been planning, tell me about it and I'll explain what it really needs.
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