Concrete Contractor in West Covina, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Covina Concrete is a concrete contractor working in West Covina, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walkways and steps around the house, and take on foundations, retaining walls, cutting and small commercial lots too.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
West Covina homes, slopes and the slabs around them
The short answer: Covina Concrete pours the flatwork around West Covina homes, meaning the driveways, patios, walkways and steps you walk and park on, plus the footings, walls and foundations some jobs need. We're based next door in Covina, and West Covina is one of the cities around it where we work.
West Covina sits in the middle of the San Gabriel Valley, right beside Covina. It's mostly streets of single-family houses, with the shopping centers strung along the I-10, so most of what we pour here is around homes, with the odd walkway or small lot for a landlord or a shop owner.
The ground isn't the same across the city. On the flatter blocks, the usual job is an old driveway or patio that has cracked and dropped, which we break out before we dig down and repack the base. Where the city climbs into the San Jose Hills, the lots slope the way they do on the hillside jobs we see in Diamond Bar. On those lots, a patio or driveway often needs more digging, a short retaining wall or careful grading, so water runs off the slab instead of back toward the house.
Why West Covina driveways and patios sink and crack
Most of the sunken, cracked driveways we see failed underneath, not on top. The base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled along with the dirt, and water pooling against the house kept softening it. That base is hidden on pour day and it's the first thing people want to cut from a budget, but I'd rather put your money there than into a fancy finish, because a nice surface on a soft base cracks just the same.
Summer afternoons here get hot, and concrete poured in midday heat dries too fast on top and can turn weak and dusty a few years later. When it's hot out we pour early in the day and keep the surface damp while it cures, so the top stays hard.
Concrete services we offer West Covina homeowners
Concrete driveway building
For a driveway that has sunk, cracked or holds water, we tear it out, dig to firm ground and pack a new base before the pour.
Concrete patio construction
When a patio tips toward the house or has broken up, we pour a new one sloped away from your walls so rain runs into the yard.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walkway the look of stone or brick in one pour, and it's only worth doing over a base that will hold still.
Concrete sidewalk building
We replace walkways and side paths that have lifted or cracked into trip hazards, and set them to drain away from the house instead of toward it.
Garage floor concrete
We break out a cracked or sinking garage slab and repour it, with control joints, shallow cuts that give cracks a straight place to go.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone and cut borders suit a front walk or entry that people see from the street, as long as the work underneath gets done first.
Concrete retaining walls
On lots that climb toward the San Jose Hills, a concrete retaining wall holds a cut slope back so you can level a yard, patio or driveway.
Concrete floor installation
For a room addition, workshop or converted space, we pour an interior floor slab that's flat and level enough for the flooring that goes on top.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, we pour a deck with a textured surface for wet feet and a slope that sends splash water to drains instead of the house.
Concrete steps construction
Front and back steps that have pulled away from the house or crumbled at the edges get torn out and formed again with even rises.
Slab foundation building
We pour slab foundations for additions and garages, starting with the subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, because everything above depends on it.
Foundation installation
When a new building needs a full foundation, we dig, set the forms and rebar, the steel bars that hold concrete together, and pour to the plans.
Concrete parking lot building
For landlords and small business owners along the I-10 corridor, we pour lots and drive aisles thick enough for delivery trucks and steady daily traffic.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, block walls and new posts need footings, the buried concrete pads that carry the weight, dug deep enough to stay put when the ground moves.
Foundation raising
When part of a slab or foundation has dropped and left doors sticking or cracks in the walls, we look at lifting it back rather than tearing it out.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings for drain lines, trim a slab back for a planter or doorway, and cut out a bad section so only that part gets replaced.
Get a free written estimate for your West Covina concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to talk through the job and set a time for me to come see it in West Covina. The on-site estimate is free and in writing, and there's no obligation to go ahead with it.
Working in West Covina: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Building permits for private work inside West Covina come from the city's Building Division, so once I've confirmed your address is inside city limits, that's the office we work with. Its list of exempt work covers some walks, driveways and shorter retaining walls, which I go over in the questions below, and when a job does need a permit, that review is what moves the start date. The city also requires every business working here to hold a West Covina business license, so it's fair to ask any contractor, us included, about theirs. We're fully licensed and insured. The price turns mostly on the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out and how much the base needs, and the schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, which is the wait while new concrete hardens. Your written estimate spells out what's included for your job.
Along the I-10, the small lots and walkways behind the businesses have to take trucks and steady traffic, so they get a thicker slab and more steel than a backyard patio. On the residential streets, the work is mostly the driveways, patios and steps around the house, the same flatwork we do in Azusa and the other cities across the valley.
What happens after you call us about West Covina concrete
Here's how a job goes with us, from the first call to the final walk-through. I handle the estimate myself and I'm on site the day we pour.
- Step 01
Call or send the form
We talk through the job, what's there now, what you want and what's bothering you, like pooling water or a sunken corner. Then we set a time for me to come out.
- Step 02
I look and measure
I come out to look at the job and measure it, and it helps if you're home to walk it with me. You get a written estimate that lists what's included, so the base work and tear-out aren't left for later.
- Step 03
Permit first, then pour
If the job needs a permit, we take care of it before anything gets scheduled. A crew I've worked with for years forms, pours and finishes, and I'm there on pour day.
- Step 04
Walk the finished job
We walk the finished job with you before we call it done. While it cures, foot traffic goes on first and the car comes later, and I'll tell you the days for your slab.
Concrete questions from West Covina homeowners
Do I need a permit to replace my concrete driveway in West Covina?
The city's list of work that doesn't need a building permit includes driveways and walks that sit no more than 30 inches above grade, over no basement or story below, and outside any path that has to meet accessibility rules. Planning can still have a say, and plumbing or electrical work tied to the job can need its own permit, so I check your address and the job before anything is scheduled.
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in West Covina?
On the city's list, a retaining wall that holds back 4 feet or less, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, needs no building permit unless it carries extra weight above it, like a slope or a driveway, or holds back certain liquids. Walls on hillside lots often hold more than that or sit below a driveway, and when one needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspections.
How do I apply for a building permit in West Covina?
You apply through the city's One Stop Building Permit Center, or in person at the Building Counter, which takes applications Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. The division no longer accepts applications by email, and you can call it at (626) 939-8425 with questions. When we're doing the job, we pull the permit as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections, so you don't have to.
Does concrete work that doesn't need a building permit still need Planning approval in West Covina?
It can, because the city's Planning Division reviews some projects that need no building permit. In some cases Planning restricts where the work goes and how tall it is, and sets design requirements. Its public counter is in City Hall, Room 208, at (626) 939-8422, and it's worth checking with them before a wall or a new slab near the street.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in West Covina?
The cost comes down to the driveway's size and thickness, how much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away, and how much digging and packing the base needs. A sloped lot, a side yard the truck can't reach, or a stamped or colored finish adds to it, while a plain broom finish, a light brushed texture that keeps tires and shoes from slipping, keeps it down. I measure on site, and the written estimate lists what's included, so you can compare it line for line.
What causes concrete to crack, and will my new driveway crack like the old one?
Concrete usually cracks because the ground under it moved or because nothing gave it a place to crack, and while no one can stop every hairline crack, you can control where they go and keep the slab from breaking apart. We dig out and pack the base so it doesn't settle, cut control joints on time so cracks follow the lines, and put rebar in where the slab needs it.
Call for a West Covina concrete estimate
We pick up at (626) 412-8840 seven days a week, from 6 AM on weekdays and 7 AM on weekends until 11 PM, or you can send the estimate form whenever it suits you.