Concrete Contractor in Sierra Madre, CA - Slabs That Drain Right on Foothill Lots
Masterwork Glendale Concrete Company pours driveways, patios, sidewalks, steps and retaining walls in Sierra Madre, CA. I come out myself to look at the slope, the water and the ground before we set a single form.
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- Free quotes on site.
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Sierra Madre sits right up against the mountains
Sierra Madre is a small foothill city tucked under the mountains between Pasadena and Arcadia, and on our jobs there it feels more like a quiet neighborhood than a suburb. Most of what we pour is for houses, a lot of them older, with long driveways, front steps that climb up from the street and backyards that rise toward the canyon. We also get the odd call from a shop or office in the small downtown.
That slope shapes almost every job here, because water and loose soil both head downhill, and a slab that isn't dug out to firm ground and pitched the right way ends up carrying both.
Concrete work we do on Sierra Madre properties
Concrete driveway building
On a steep foothill driveway, we dig out to firm ground and shape the slab so water runs to the street instead of toward your garage.
See the service Concrete driveway buildingConcrete patio construction
A backyard patio here usually has to handle water coming off the hill behind it, so we set the slope away from the house before we pour.
See the service Concrete patio constructionStamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives an older Sierra Madre house a patio or walk that looks like stone or brick, with the same packed base underneath as plain concrete.
See the service Stamped concrete servicesConcrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots often heave or sink where roots and runoff got under them, so we pull the broken sections and rebuild the base first.
See the service Concrete sidewalk buildingGarage floor concrete
When an older garage floor has cracked and settled, we break it out, find out why it moved, and pour a new slab that sits level.
See the service Garage floor concreteDecorative concrete
Colored or textured concrete suits the older cottages and craftsman houses here, so a new walk or patio fits the house instead of looking tacked on.
See the service Decorative concreteConcrete retaining walls
Sloped yards below the mountains often need a wall to hold back soil, and we build drainage in behind it so water doesn't push it over.
See the service Concrete retaining wallsConcrete floor installation
For a new room, studio or workshop, we pack the subgrade the slab sits on and set the floor level before the walls go up.
See the service Concrete floor installationConcrete pool decks
Around a backyard pool, we give the deck a broom finish, a light texture that grips wet feet, and a slope that sends splash water away.
See the service Concrete pool decksConcrete steps construction
Many Sierra Madre houses sit above the street, so cracked or uneven front steps are common, and we rebuild them with the same height on every step.
See the service Concrete steps constructionSlab foundation building
A slab foundation for an addition or guest house starts with digging to solid ground and packing it, because everything above depends on that slab staying put.
See the service Slab foundation buildingFoundation installation
On a sloped lot, a new foundation has to sit on firm ground at every corner, so I study the slope and soil before we form anything.
See the service Foundation installationConcrete parking lot building
For the small shops and offices in the city, we pour parking areas that drain to the right spot and hold up to cars every day.
See the service Concrete parking lot buildingConcrete footings
Footings carry walls, posts and additions, and on foothill ground we dig them down to firm soil so whatever sits on top doesn't slide or settle.
See the service Concrete footingsFoundation raising
When a house or slab here has settled and doors start sticking, I work out why it sank before we lift it, so we fix the cause too.
See the service Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
We cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing concrete, so a drain line, a new walk or a repair goes in without breaking out the whole slab.
See the service Concrete cutting
Get a free written estimate for your Sierra Madre 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 written estimate, free and with no obligation.
- team@glendaleconcretecompany.com
- Based in
- Glendale, CA 91205
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Working in Sierra Madre: permits, licenses and what to ask
Permits here go through the city's Building and Safety Division, and when a job needs one, we pull it and line up the inspections, so the start date waits until it's in hand. If I'm not sure whether your job needs a permit, I check with the division before we start instead of guessing. Sierra Madre also wants a City Business License from any contractor before a permit is pulled, including outfits based outside the city like us, so a fair question for anyone you're thinking of hiring is whether they hold that and a California contractor license. We're fully licensed and insured.
The streets matter to the job too. Plenty of driveways off the narrow, winding roads toward the canyon are steep or tight for a concrete truck, and when we can't back up close, we pump or wheel the concrete in, which adds labor. Beyond that, the price moves with the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete and dirt come out, how much base the ground needs, any drainage work and the finish you pick, while the schedule turns on the permit and the cure before you can use the slab. Your written estimate spells out what's included. We're a concrete contractor based in Glendale, CA, and we do the same work in East San Gabriel and the other cities around Glendale.
Sloped ground and older slabs keep us busy here
Water coming off the mountains is the big one. The canyon has sent floods and mudslides through town before, bad enough to bury city streets in silt, and even ordinary runoff works its way under a driveway or patio and softens the ground it sits on. Once that happens the slab sinks, tips toward the house or cracks across the middle, so on these lots I figure out where the water runs before anything else and build the slope and the base around it.
Older houses here usually come with older concrete, often poured without control joints, the grooves that give a slab a planned place to crack, or with tree roots grown in underneath. We break out what's failed, find out why it failed, and pour new with steel and joints where they belong.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Sierra Madre
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know who you'll talk to and what you'll have in hand along the way.
Call or send the form
Call (747) 372-8605 or send the form and tell us what's going on, whether it's a sinking walk, cracks or a new patio. We call back to set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I look at the slope, where the water runs and what's under the old concrete, and I ask a lot of questions, so it helps if you're home. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We prep, pour and finish
Once you say go, we handle any permits, then our crew digs out, packs the base and sets the forms and rebar, the steel that holds a slab together if it cracks. We pour and finish with me running the job.
We walk the job together
At the end we walk the finished work with you and go over how long to keep feet and cars off it while it cures. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Questions about concrete work in Sierra Madre
How do I find out if my concrete job needs a permit in Sierra Madre?
Ask the city before work starts, because its permit list covers alterations to a structure and names property line walls and fences, but it doesn't spell out driveways or patios. The city's applications page also lists separate encroachment and excavation, and grading and drainage permits, and I ask about those when a job reaches the street or reshapes a yard. There's no all-in-one permit here, so each trade gets its own, and we sort out which ones your job needs before we start.
Can I pull my own building permit in Sierra Madre as the homeowner?
Yes, the city issues these permits only to the property owner or to a state-licensed contractor. When you hire us, the permit is on us, as I mentioned above.
When does a contractor need a state license for concrete work in California?
The state's Contractors State License Board requires a license when the job needs a building permit, uses hired workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A small job only skips the license if it meets every one of these at once: no permit, no employee labor, no advertising as licensed and under $1,000. For most concrete work, that means you should see a license before you sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway or patio cost in Sierra Madre?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the lot, because on sloped Sierra Madre ground the biggest swing is usually the hidden work under the slab, the digging, packing and drainage, more than the finish on top. If the budget's tight, I'd rather cut the stamping or color than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it decides whether the slab stays put. The written estimate gives you the real figure.
How long does new concrete need to cure before I can drive on it?
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you both dates for your slab on pour day. Curing is the stretch when concrete slowly hardens and gains strength, and putting a car on it too early can crack a slab that would otherwise have been fine.
What causes concrete driveways and patios to crack or sink in Sierra Madre?
Most of the cracking and sinking we see here starts underneath, with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, runoff getting under the slab, or joints that were cut late or skipped. So we dig to firm ground, pack the base, slope the slab away from the house and cut the joints on time. Concrete still shrinks and can get hairline cracks, but the joints decide where, so you get a straight line you planned for instead of a crack across the middle.
Other service areas
Glendale, CA
Get your Sierra Madre concrete job looked at
The sooner I see a crack or a sinking corner, the easier it is to tell whether it's the base, the water or the joints, and the smaller the fix usually is.