Concrete Contractor in Baldwin Park, CA - New Driveways and Patios on a Solid Base
Covina Concrete builds and replaces driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slab foundations in Baldwin Park, CA. We're based in Covina, and we handle the whole job, from tearing out the old slab to the final walk-through with you.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Concrete work in Baldwin Park, from driveways to foundations
The short answer: Covina Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Covina, CA, and we pour driveways, patios, sidewalks, garage floors, foundations and small commercial lots in Baldwin Park. I've done concrete full time since 2013, and I come out to each Baldwin Park job myself to look at it and write the estimate.
Most of our calls in Baldwin Park come from homeowners in single-family houses that have been there a long time, with a driveway, a front walk and a back patio that have been there just as long. Landlords call us about rentals that need a safe walkway, and small business owners call about a lot or an entry out front. We see a lot of the same houses and the same problems in West Covina and El Monte, so the work here is familiar.
Lots here tend to be tight, so a new slab usually has to fit against a garage, a fence line or the neighbor's driveway without crowding any of them. That makes the tear-out and the layout as important as the pour, and it's where most of my planning goes.
Settled slabs and pooling water on older Baldwin Park lots
Most of the tired concrete we tear out in Baldwin Park failed from the bottom up. The subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, was raked level and never dug out and packed, so it settled over the years and the concrete went down with it, cracking across the middle and dropping at the edges. We dig down to firm ground, bring in base rock and pack it in layers before any forms go up. When a budget gets tight, the base is what people want to trim because nobody sees it on day one, and I'd rather you skip a fancy finish than pay for a nice-looking slab that sinks.
Water is the other half. A patio that falls toward the house, or a driveway that holds a puddle by the garage, keeps soaking the ground underneath and softens the base. Before we set forms, I check where the water runs now and where it needs to go, and we slope the new slab away from the house.
Concrete work we do on Baldwin Park properties
Concrete driveway building
When the old driveway has cracked across, dropped at the garage or holds a puddle after the sprinklers run, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour new.
Concrete patio construction
For a backyard that's mostly dirt or a patio slab that tips toward the back door, we pour a new patio sloped so water runs out to the yard.
Stamped concrete services
If you want a patio or walkway that looks like stone or brick without the loose pieces, stamped concrete gives you the pattern on one solid slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
When the walk to your front door has heaved over tree roots or broken into a trip hazard, we replace it with a flat, even path.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor that's pitted, oil-soaked or cracked through can be cut out and repoured, which helps if you're turning the garage into a workshop or storage.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and patterned borders dress up an entry or a front walk, and we only suggest them once the base underneath is right.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps down toward a neighbor's lot or a planter bed is pushing on a fence, a poured retaining wall holds the soil in place.
Concrete floor installation
For a new room, a shop building or a shed that needs a solid floor, we pour an interior slab that's flat and ready for the finish flooring.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck has to shed splash water and give bare feet some grip, so we slope it away from the water and texture the surface.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that rock, crumble at the edges or change height from one step to the next get torn out and rebuilt with even, solid treads.
Slab foundation building
When you're adding a back house, a room or a garage, a slab foundation gives it a flat, level base poured to the plans for the building.
Foundation installation
For new construction or a building that needs a new footing system, we form and pour the foundation that carries the walls and the weight above them.
Concrete parking lot building
Small business owners and landlords call us when a lot has cracked, broken up or holds water, and we repour it with the joints and slope planned in.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, block walls and posts need a footing, a buried pad of concrete that spreads the load, sized and set before anything goes on top.
Foundation raising
If a corner of the house or slab has settled and doors start sticking, we look at what's under it and lift it back toward level.
Concrete cutting
When you need a doorway in a concrete wall, a trench for a plumber or a damaged section removed cleanly, we saw-cut it instead of breaking it apart.
Get a free written estimate for your Baldwin Park concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to talk through your Baldwin Park job. Then I come out, look it over and measure, and you get a free written estimate listing what's included, with no obligation to go ahead.
Working in Baldwin Park: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Inside city limits, building permits come from Baldwin Park's Building and Safety Division, which also runs plan checks and inspects job sites. An older city notice gives electrical, plumbing, mechanical, reroofing and water heater jobs as its examples, not concrete, so that list doesn't settle whether your slab needs a permit, and the division is the place to ask. When a job does need one, we pull it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections, after first checking whether your address is under the city or the county, because that decides which office we deal with. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor license and their Baldwin Park business license, since an outside contractor working in the city has to take out a city license on top of the state one.
Price moves mostly with things you won't see once it's done, like how much old concrete comes out, how deep the base goes, whether the slab gets rebar, the steel inside that holds it together if it cracks, and how close the concrete truck can get to the pour. The schedule waits on the permit first when there is one, then on the forms and on curing, the stretch of days a slab needs to harden before you use it, and your written estimate spells out what's included for your job. We set up here the same way we do in Glendora, planning where the truck parks so it isn't blocking your street or your neighbor's driveway any longer than the pour takes.
How a Baldwin Park job goes once you call us
Here's how a Baldwin Park job goes from your first call to the finished slab. It's the same few steps for a front walk or a foundation, and you'll know who's doing what at each one.
- Step 01
Call or send the form
You call (626) 412-8840 or send the form, and we talk through what you want torn out, poured or fixed. Then we set a time for me to come out to the property.
- Step 02
I come out and measure
I look at the old concrete, check where the water runs and measure everything myself, and it helps if you're home to show me what's bothering you. You get a written estimate that lists what's included, so you can go through it line by line before you decide.
- Step 03
Permit first, then pour day
If the job needs a permit, we take care of it before anything goes on the calendar. On pour day, a crew I've worked with for years forms, pours and finishes the concrete, and I'm on site for the pour.
- Step 04
We walk the job together
Once the forms are off and the site is cleaned up, we walk the finished work with you before we call it done. Anything you want to ask about, we look at together right there.
Baldwin Park concrete questions we hear most
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Baldwin Park?
Your price comes from a written estimate after I measure, since the size of the driveway and what has to come out first set most of it. A plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and a simple shape costs less than one with curves and steps. Wider driveways, extra parking pads and decorative borders add up, so it's worth deciding which ones you really want before I price it.
Do I need plans to pour a foundation for an ADU in Baldwin Park?
Plan on it, because an older city notice lists ADUs, home additions and new residential developments among the jobs that need plans submitted, not just a permit. That puts a plan check ahead of the foundation, so the slab for your back house gets poured to approved plans and the city inspects the site along the way. We build that into the schedule so the pour doesn't get ahead of the approvals.
When does a concrete contractor need a CSLB license in California?
A contractor needs a license from the Contractors State License Board when the project needs a building permit, uses hired workers, or adds up to $1,000 or more in labor and materials across its contracts. The exemption for small jobs used to end at $500 and now ends at $1,000, it only applies when there's no permit and no employees, and a bigger job can't be split into small contracts to slip under it. We're fully licensed and insured, and you should ask anyone you're comparing to show you their license.
How do I check if my Baldwin Park property is in an earthquake hazard zone?
Look up your address on the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether a property sits in a mapped zone for fault rupture, liquefaction or earthquake-triggered landslides. Liquefaction is when the ground briefly turns to something like quicksand, and the map also tells you when the state hasn't evaluated an area yet. It's worth a look before a foundation or an addition, so mention what it shows when I come out.
What is the best way to keep a new concrete patio from cracking?
You can't stop concrete from cracking at all, but you can decide where it cracks, with control joints, straight grooves cut into the slab so a crack follows the groove instead of running across the middle. We cut them on time, because a joint cut late is one the slab has already ignored. We also pour early in the day when we can, since a surface that dries too fast turns weak and dusty later.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You'll walk on a new driveway well before you drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for days after the pour and a car puts far more weight on it than a person does. On pour day I tell you when your slab is ready for feet and when it's ready for a car, based on the mix and the conditions that day. If losing the driveway is a problem, say so at the estimate and we'll talk about doing it in sections.
Call about your Baldwin Park concrete job
We're available until 11 PM every day of the week, so call (626) 412-8840 after work or send the form whenever it suits you.