Concrete Contractor in Whittier, CA - Solid slabs for older homes and hillside lots

First Choice South Whittier Concrete is a concrete contractor based in South Whittier, and we pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations for homes and small rental properties across Whittier, from the flat streets to the hillside lots.

Get an estimate (562) 358-3037

Stamped concrete patio beneath a timber pergola beside a brick house, with a flagstone pattern and sunlit border.

Close view of gray decorative stamped concrete laid in varied rectangular patterns, with a textured stone-like surface.

Whittier as we see it from the driveway

Whittier is an older city, and you can see it in the concrete. On a lot of streets the driveway, the front walk and the steps went in with the house, and by now they've cracked, dropped at the garage or been pushed up by roots from trees that were small when the slab was poured. Our calls here come from homeowners and small rental owners, and the work looks a lot like what we do next door in Pico Rivera and Santa Fe Springs.

The ground shapes the job as much as the house does. Up toward the hills the lots slope, so where the rain runs decides how we pitch a driveway or a patio, and on the flatter blocks an old slab is often sitting on loose dirt that was never packed, which is usually why it sank.

What we pour and repair in Whittier

Concrete driveway building
We tear out the sunken driveway, pack a new base on firm ground, and set the slope so rainwater runs toward the street, not your garage.
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Concrete patio construction
We pour backyard patios pitched slightly away from the house, so rain runs off instead of pooling at your back door, and size them to your yard.
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Stamped concrete services
Stamping presses a stone or brick pattern into wet concrete. On hot Whittier afternoons, the top sets fast, so we time the pour for a clean print.
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Concrete sidewalk building
If a walk has heaved or cracked into a trip hazard, we cut out those sections, fix the base and pour new panels that sit flush.
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Garage floor concrete
A garage floor carries a car's weight every day, so we plan its thickness and its rebar, the steel that keeps a crack from opening up, around that load.
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Decorative concrete
Decorative concrete covers color, exposed stone and special finishes. We go over samples with you first, because color and texture are hard to change once the slab cures.
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Concrete retaining walls
On hillside lots, a retaining wall holds back soil. We size the footing and plan drainage behind it, because trapped water is what pushes walls over.
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Concrete floor installation
Indoor floors for an addition or a shop need a flat, smooth finish. We level and pack the base first, since any dip there shows up under flooring.
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Concrete pool decks
Around a pool you want footing that isn't slippery when wet. We plan a textured finish and slope the deck so splash water drains away from the pool.
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Concrete steps construction
Older front steps often sag or crumble at the edges. We form new ones with even risers on a footing, so every step lands where your foot expects.
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Slab foundation building
A slab foundation is a building's floor and footing poured as one. Everything above rests on it, so the ground prep gets most of our time.
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Foundation installation
Adding a room or a garage? We dig, form and pour the foundation it stands on, with rebar laid out the way the drawings call for.
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Concrete parking lot building
Small property owners call us about cracked lots behind apartments and shops. We plan the thickness for daily traffic and slope it so water reaches the drains.
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Concrete footings
Footings are the concrete pads and strips under walls, posts and patio covers. We dig them to firm soil and set the steel before any concrete goes in.
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Foundation raising
If floors slope or doors stick because part of the foundation has dropped, we look at why it settled first, then plan how to lift and support it.
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Concrete cutting
Need an opening for a drain line, a doorway or a wider driveway? We saw-cut along a straight line so the concrete that stays has a clean edge.
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Permits, licenses and planning a Whittier job

In the city of Whittier, building permits come from the city's Building & Safety Division. When a project needs one, the city's planning staff look at it first, then the drawings go to plan review, and once the permit is issued, city inspectors come out as needed to check that the work matches what was approved, so on a permitted job the start date follows the city's steps and the pour waits on the inspection. Across the line in South Whittier and West Whittier-Los Nietos, which are unincorporated county communities, LA County Public Works issues the permit instead. Ask any contractor about two licenses, a California contractor's license from the state board and a Whittier business license, which the city requires of anyone doing business here, even a contractor based outside the city like us.

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. The price moves mostly with the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how much digging and base work the ground needs, whether the truck can reach the forms or we wheel the concrete in, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit steps, the weather and curing, the days a new slab needs to harden before you walk or drive on it. I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, so your number comes from your own property.

Many older driveways here sit on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so we remove it and build a firm base, because a new slab on the old dirt settles the same way.
On sloped lots toward the hills, I check where the water runs before we set forms, so the finished slab drains away from the house and the garage.
Roots from older trees lift a lot of walks and driveways here, so we look at what's growing near the slab and plan the edges around it.
Summer afternoons run hot, so we pour early in the day, since concrete that dries too fast in the heat ends up with a weak, dusty top.
On a permitted job we keep the forms and rebar open until the inspector has seen them, because once the concrete covers the steel, nobody can check it.

Get a free on-site estimate for your Whittier concrete

Send a few lines about what you're seeing, a cracked driveway, a patio that holds water or steps pulling away from the house, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to look at it and write your estimate on site, free and with no obligation. If you decide to go ahead, our own crew does the work.

(562) 358-3037

Whittier concrete questions we hear

Do I need a permit for concrete work in Whittier?

You do for work on a building, such as a new foundation or footings for an addition, because the city requires a permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair or remove a building. The rule doesn't name driveways, patios or walks, so before we plan one of those, we ask Building & Safety whether your job needs one.

When does a contractor need a state license in California?

Anyone who builds or alters a structure needs a California contractor's license when the project requires a building permit, uses any additional workers, or has labor and materials on its contracts totaling $1,000 or more. Any one of those is enough, so it's fair to ask any contractor for their state license number before you sign, and the city checks that number when a contractor applies for a Whittier business license. We're licensed and insured.

Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?

Concrete shrinks as it dries, so a hairline crack is normal, but the cracks that ruin a driveway usually come from a soft base, water running under the slab or joints cut too late. We dig out and pack the base, slope the slab so water runs off, and cut control joints, straight grooves that give the slab a place to crack where you won't notice it. Then we keep traffic off it while it cures, because a slab driven on too soon can crack early.

Service areas

We're based in South Whittier and pour concrete across the cities around it, including the ones listed here. If your city isn't on the list, call and ask.

Our hours run from 6 AM to 9 PM on weekdays and 7 AM to 9 PM on weekends, so you can call (562) 358-3037 or use the form before or after your own workday.