Concrete contractor in La Crescenta-Montrose - driveways and walls built for sloped lots
Masterwork Glendale Concrete Company is a concrete contractor building driveways, patios, steps, retaining walls and foundations in La Crescenta-Montrose, and we work out the slope, the water and the ground under each one before we pour.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We respond within 1 business day.
La Crescenta-Montrose homes and the ground under them
Most of what I get called out for in La Crescenta-Montrose is the concrete around a house. That means the driveway that climbs up from the street, the patio out back, the steps to the front door and the walls holding up a terraced yard. It's mostly homes here, set close together on lots that tip one way or another, and plenty of them have concrete that's been down a long time. By the time someone calls, a driveway has usually settled and cracked, a patio is holding water, or an old wall has started to lean.
The valley is shared, with the City of Glendale on the south and west and unincorporated La Crescenta on the east, where Los Angeles County provides city services like road maintenance. On either side, the slope sets the job, because when a lot falls away, the base, the drainage and whatever holds back the soil matter more than what's on top.
Concrete work we do on La Crescenta-Montrose properties
Concrete driveway building
A sloped driveway has to shed water and give tires grip, so we dig out, pack the base and pitch it away from the house.
See the service Concrete driveway buildingConcrete patio construction
On a back yard that falls toward the house, a patio can turn into a pond, so we check where the water goes before we set forms.
See the service Concrete patio constructionStamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, and we plan the cut lines so cracks fall where the pattern hides them.
See the service Stamped concrete servicesConcrete sidewalk building
Walks along a sloped front yard get tripped on once a panel lifts or sinks, so we replace the bad sections on a packed base.
See the service Concrete sidewalk buildingGarage floor concrete
Older garage floors are often cracked or sunk at one corner, so we find out why, usually soft fill or water, before we break out and pour new.
See the service Garage floor concreteDecorative concrete
Colored or stained concrete can dress up an entry or a front walk on a house with some character, and it still needs a solid base underneath.
See the service Decorative concreteConcrete retaining walls
On these sloped lots a retaining wall does real work holding back soil, so we size the footing and give water a way out behind it.
See the service Concrete retaining wallsConcrete floor installation
For a workshop, studio or room addition that needs a concrete floor, we pack and level the subgrade, the ground the floor rests on, before we pour.
See the service Concrete floor installationConcrete pool decks
On a terraced back yard, a pool deck has to drain away from both the pool and the house, with a textured finish so wet feet can grip.
See the service Concrete pool decksConcrete steps construction
Houses set above the street often have a run of front steps, and when they crack or pull away we rebuild them with even risers and steel inside.
See the service Concrete steps constructionSlab foundation building
For a new garage, back house or addition on a sloped lot, a slab foundation starts with cutting the pad level and packing the ground firm.
See the service Slab foundation buildingFoundation installation
When an addition or rebuild needs a full foundation, we dig, form and pour it to the plans and work with the inspector as it goes.
See the service Foundation installationConcrete parking lot building
For a small business or apartment building, we pour parking areas built for daily traffic and pitched so water heads for the drains.
See the service Concrete parking lot buildingConcrete footings
Footings carry the weight of a wall, a porch or a post, and on a slope we dig them down to firm ground instead of trusting loose fill.
See the service Concrete footingsFoundation raising
If a corner of the house has settled and doors have started sticking, I want to know why the ground moved before we lift anything.
See the service Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
We saw-cut old slabs to take out a bad section, open a trench or cut control joints, the grooves that give a slab a place to crack.
See the service Concrete cutting
Get a free estimate for your La Crescenta-Montrose concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the site and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation.
- team@glendaleconcretecompany.com
- Based in
- Glendale, CA 91205
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
County permits and licenses in La Crescenta-Montrose
La Crescenta-Montrose is unincorporated, so for houses here the permit comes from Los Angeles County Public Works, not a city hall. If your address falls on the Glendale side instead, another office may handle it, and either way the permit and its inspections decide when we can start. If I'm not sure whether a job needs one, I check with the county before we start. Before you hire anyone, look up their state contractor's license, and if the business is located in the unincorporated county, ask about the County Business License the county requires for the activities on its list.
We're a concrete contractor based in Glendale, CA, and the sloped yards, steep driveways and older walls here are a lot like what we work on in Altadena and La Cañada Flintridge. What moves the price here is mostly the ground, meaning how much soft soil comes out, how much base goes back in, how steep the lot is, whether it needs a wall or a drain, and how close the truck can get. The schedule turns on the permit and on the wait for the concrete to cure before you use it, and your written estimate spells out what's included.
Slopes, water and old walls on these lots
On a sloped lot, water and soil both want to go downhill, and the concrete is usually where you see it first. It shows up as a patio that pools, a driveway with a sunken edge, or a walk that's lifted where water got under it. A slab that falls toward the house sends water at the foundation every time it runs, so before we form anything we work out where the water goes and give it somewhere better to go.
A lot of the concrete here has been down for decades, and old retaining walls and steps are where it shows most, leaning, cracked or shedding chips. I'd rather figure out what pushed it, water trapped behind a wall or a footing that was too shallow, than pour a fresh face over the same problem.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in La Crescenta-Montrose
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the last walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
Call or send a request
Call (747) 372-8605 or send the form with a few lines about what you're seeing, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Photos help, but you don't need measurements.
I walk the site with you
I look at the slab, the slope and where the water runs, ask a lot of questions and give you a written estimate that spells out what's included. It helps if you're home, so you can show me where it puddles or cracks.
We pull permits and prep
Once you say go, we take care of any permit the job needs and line up the inspections, then dig out the soft soil, pack the base and set the forms. You won't see that prep once the concrete is down, so that's where I spend the most care.
We pour, finish and walk it
Our own crew pours and finishes with me running the job, and then we walk it with you at the end. I'll tell you how long to stay off it while it cures, which is the wait that lets concrete gain strength before it takes feet or tires.
Questions about concrete work in La Crescenta-Montrose
How do I find out which office issues permits for my address in La Crescenta?
Put your street address or parcel number into the county's Service Locator, which LA County Public Works sends applicants to first, and it shows which office gives permits for that spot. That matters here because of the split between Glendale and unincorporated county land. If you'd rather not sort it out yourself, we check before we start.
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway in La Crescenta-Montrose?
It may need one, so check before any concrete comes out. The county's permit list covers repairs and replacements as well as new work, alterations and grading, and a driveway on a slope can involve grading. When a job needs a permit we pull it and line up the inspections, and if it isn't clear, we ask the county first.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in La Crescenta-Montrose?
Not every retaining wall needs one, because the county's exempt-work list includes walls that hold back no more than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, as long as they don't carry extra weight above them, which the code calls a surcharge, or hold back Class I, II or III-A liquids. Exempt work still has to meet the code, and a wall outside those limits goes through the county's permit process. On a terraced lot a wall often has a slope or a driveway above it, so I look at that before we talk about whether it's exempt.
How do I check if a concrete contractor is licensed in California?
Look the contractor up with the Contractors State License Board, because California requires a current, valid license for anyone who contracts work on a project that needs a building permit, or work worth $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials. The same goes for anyone using employees on the job. We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to look us up before I come out.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in La Crescenta-Montrose?
The price comes from what your site needs, so I give you a figure after I've seen it, in a written estimate that spells out what's included. On sloped lots the big movers are how much soft soil comes out, how much base goes back in, whether the slope needs a wall or a drain, how tight the access is and the finish you pick. If something has to give, I'd cut the fancy finish before the base, because a stamped surface on a poorly packed base cracks and sinks just the same, and nobody can get back under it once it's poured.
What causes concrete driveways to crack and sink on sloped lots?
Usually it's what's under the slab, a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settles with the dirt and the slab cracks as it drops. Control joints, the grooves cut into fresh concrete to give it a planned place to crack, only help if they're cut on time, and a pour in the midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top that chips later. Before we tear out an old driveway I look at which of those happened, so we're fixing the cause and not just the surface.
Other service areas
Glendale, CA
Get your La Crescenta-Montrose concrete job started
A settling slab or a leaning wall is usually a smaller fix when you catch it early, so call (747) 372-8605 or send the form and I'll come take a look.