Puddles by the pool, a slick finish or cracks in the old deck? We plan drainage, grip and joints so it's comfortable barefoot.
A concrete pool deck in South Whittier is the flat concrete around your pool, and because it stays wet and gets walked barefoot, we plan where the water drains, how the finish grips and where the joints go before anything is poured.
Most calls start with something you can see. Water sits in the same low spot after every swim, the deck is slick when it's wet or too hot to stand on by afternoon, or cracks are running across it and opening up. Usually that goes back to how the deck was first built, with water left to find its own way, a base that was only raked level and settled with the dirt, or joints cut late or skipped so the cracks went where nobody chose.
The price mostly moves with the size and shape of the deck, whether the old concrete comes out or can be resurfaced, the finish you pick and how many drains it needs. The schedule turns on the tear-out, whether the county wants a permit for your address, and the wait while the new concrete cures before it takes foot traffic. I lay all of that out in the estimate, with your options and what each one means for cost and upkeep.
Here's how it goes from your first call to walking on the finished deck, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
I look at where the water goes now, what shape the old concrete is in and how we'll get into the backyard. I've run this business since 2013, and before that I patched slabs and steps at rentals for a property management company.
I walk you through the finishes, resurfacing versus a new pour, and what each choice means for cost and upkeep down the road. Then I write it up so you know what you're paying for and why.
If you hire us, our own crew does the work, and I check in along the way. We're licensed and insured. When it's done, we walk the finished deck together. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
I start every pool deck by asking where the water ends up. It has to run away from the house and toward the deck drains the way they're designed, without washing dirty runoff into the pool, and that one answer shapes the whole layout. Next we look at what's there now, because if your old deck is still sound, resurfacing may make more sense than tearing it out. Then we pick a finish that grips wet bare feet without getting too hot in the sun. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather trim the surface than the base, because the base is hidden on day one but a finish can be redone later, while a slab that settles on a weak base is a much bigger job to fix.
A pool deck usually ties into other work in the yard. If the back door sits higher than the deck or the yard steps down to the pool, we can build concrete steps in the same plan so the levels and the water line up. Putting up a pool house or an equipment shed? We also do slab foundations and prep that base the same way.
Most concrete trouble starts under the slab or in the days right after the pour, so that's where we put our care.
If the old deck is coming out, we break it up and haul it off, then dig down to firm ground. We pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, until it's solid, because loose dirt settles and takes the concrete with it.
We set the forms so the surface falls away from the house and toward the drains as planned, and add rebar, steel bars that help hold the slab together, where the design calls for it. The deck and the pool shell can move differently, so at the pool edge we follow the pool designer's joint details instead of tying it all together.
We time the pour to stay out of the midday heat, because concrete that dries too fast in the sun can end up with a weak, dusty top. Then we put on the finish you picked, such as a broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives wet feet something to grip.
We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a place to crack where we chose, on time and laid out around curves, drains and corners, because odd narrow panels crack more easily. Then the slab cures, the waiting period while it gains strength, and we tell you when it's ready to walk on.
Send the form or call (562) 358-3037, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at your deck and where the water goes, and write up a free estimate with no obligation. It helps to have the rough deck size, a few photos of your current deck and your address handy.
(562) 358-3037For bare feet, you want a finish with real texture for grip and a color that isn't very dark, since very dark finishes can get uncomfortable in the sun. Broom, textured, exposed aggregate, coatings, overlays and decorative finishes all grip and heat up differently, so the choice comes down to grip, color and heat. We go through those trade-offs at the estimate.
Often it can, if the deck underneath is still sound. One coating company says an existing deck can be resurfaced instead of torn out and repoured, which it calls less costly and less messy, with cracks and other damage repaired first. I'll look at whether yours is solid enough to be worth it, and tell you plainly if a new pour is the better spend.
California's Contractors State License Board licenses home improvement contractors, and the state counts building or replacing swimming pools, terraces and patios as home improvement. That makes it fair to ask anyone who bids on your deck about their license before you sign anything.
A concrete pool deck in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $6.50 to $13 per square foot installed. Where yours lands depends mostly on the size and shape, whether the old deck comes out or gets resurfaced, the finish and how many drains go in. That range is what the work runs around here, not a quote, and your estimate puts your own options side by side.
Ask about a permit before we pour, because the county's permit list doesn't settle it for pool decks. LA County Public Works handles permits to build, remodel or tear down structures, and its list names grading, pool and spa permits but not pool decks. If your house is in unincorporated LA County, the county issues your permit, and outside its area another office may handle it. The county suggests asking your local office what your project needs, and the nearby one is the South Whittier District Office in Norwalk at (562) 946-1390. 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're based in South Whittier and work across the cities around it, including Whittier, Norwalk, Downey, Santa Fe Springs and West Whittier-Los Nietos. Around here we see a lot of backyard pools behind older houses, and many of the decks we're called to are worn, cracked or slick rather than new builds. If you don't see your city listed, call and ask.
The sooner I see it, the sooner you'll know whether it needs a new surface or new concrete, so call First Choice South Whittier Concrete at (562) 358-3037 or send the form.
If you're not sure whether your pool deck needs new concrete or just a new surface, call and I'll talk it through with you.
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