Concrete contractor in West Covina - driveways, patios and walls on firm ground
Liberty Glendora Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Glendora, and we pour driveways, patios, garage floors, steps and retaining walls for homes in West Covina, from the flat neighborhoods to the hillside lots.
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Services in West Covina, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here often settle and crack where water soaked the ground. We dig out the base, pack it firm and slope the new slab to drain.
Garage floor concrete
Attached garages on older West Covina houses often have cracked, oil-stained floors that have sunk at the door. We replace the garage floor over a properly packed base.
Concrete retaining walls
Lots on the San Jose Hills slopes often need a wall to hold back a cut bank. We build concrete walls on footings with drainage behind them.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here get used most of the year, so a cracked or tilting patio gets in the way. We pour new patios that slope away from the house.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks here often crack and lift where splash water gets underneath. We replace them with a textured surface that grips wet feet and drains toward the yard.
Concrete steps construction
Sloped front yards here often mean entry steps, and old ones crack or settle out of level. We rebuild steps with even step heights on a firm base.
West Covina, CA properties and local conditions
A lot of the houses in West Covina have been standing for many years, and the concrete around them shows it: driveways broken into sections, patios tipping toward the back door and walks lifted by tree roots. In most cases the cracks are only the sign. The real trouble is underneath, in the subgrade, the ground a slab rests on, which was often raked flat rather than dug out and packed, or has been softened by years of sprinkler and downspout water. When I look at a job here I check where the water runs before I look at the cracks, because a new slab poured on the same soft ground will settle the same way.
Summers here run hot, and heat changes how we pour. Concrete placed in the middle of a hot day dries on top too fast and can turn weak and dusty later, so in the warm months we start early and keep the new slab damp while it cures, the waiting time that lets it gain strength before you use it.
Permits, licenses and what sets the price in West Covina
Building permits in West Covina come from the city's Building Division, which issues them for all private work in the city. Whether your job needs one depends on its size, its height and where it sits on the lot, so I'll tell you at the estimate if I expect one, and if it does, we handle the application and the inspections and build the city's review into the schedule. The city also requires any business working in West Covina to hold a city business license, and that's a fair thing to ask any contractor about before you sign.
What moves the price here is mostly the ground and the access: how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging and packing the base needs, whether a sloped lot calls for a wall or steps, and the finish you choose. Ready-mix trucks reach most streets easily off Interstate 10, but a narrow side yard or a steep hillside driveway can mean a pump or extra hand work, and that shows up in the written estimate, which lists what's included. The schedule turns on the permit if there is one, on the weather and on the curing time before you can walk or drive on the new work. We come over from Glendora for these jobs and do the same work in Baldwin Park and El Monte to the west, so most of what I see on West Covina lots is familiar to me.
Your West Covina project, estimated on site and in writing
Send the form or call (626) 513-4658, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your West Covina home. I'll walk the job with you and leave a free written estimate, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
(626) 513-4658How a West Covina concrete job goes from your call to the finished slab
Call or send the form
Call (626) 513-4658 or send the form with a few lines about the job, and we'll set a time for me to come out to your house. Photos of the cracks or the slope help me come prepared, though they aren't required.
Walk the job with me
I look at the ground, the drainage and how a truck will reach the pour, and I answer your questions while we're standing at the job. You get a written estimate that lists what's included, so you know what you're paying for before you decide anything.
Permit, prep and the pour
If you'd like to go ahead, we take care of any permit with the city, and then our crew digs out and packs the base, sets the forms and pours, with me on site. When the city's review is part of the job, the start date follows its approval.
Walk the finished work together
When the work is done, we walk it with you and go over how to care for it, including how long to keep feet and cars off while it cures. We clean up and haul away the old concrete before we leave.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway in West Covina?
The city's list of work that needs no building permit includes walks and driveways that sit no more than 30 inches above grade, over no basement or room below and outside any accessible route, the path kept clear for people with disabilities. Plumbing or electrical work tied to the job, such as a new drain line, can still need its own permit. I'll check your driveway against those limits at the estimate and tell you whether I expect a permit.
How tall can a retaining wall be in West Covina without a building permit?
Under the city's list, a retaining wall that holds back no more than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, needs no building permit unless it carries extra load above it or holds back liquid. Extra load usually means a slope, a driveway or a building close behind the wall, which is common on the hillside lots here, so I measure that carefully before I write the estimate. A taller or loaded wall goes through the Building Division, and we handle that application.
Does concrete work without a building permit still need Planning approval in West Covina?
It can, because the city says a project that needs no Building Division permit may still need approval from its Planning Division. In some cases Planning restricts where something goes and how tall it is, and sets design requirements. Its public counter is at City Hall, and the phone is (626) 939-8422.
How do I apply for a building permit in West Covina?
You apply through the city's One Stop Building Permit Center, which is where residents now submit projects and plan checks, since the Building Division no longer takes applications by email. You can also apply in person at the Building Counter at City Hall, Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. When one of our jobs needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections for you.
What affects the cost of a new concrete driveway in West Covina?
The size of the slab and how much old concrete has to come out set most of the price, and after that it's the base work and the finish. When a budget is tight, the base is often the first thing people want to trim because nobody sees it once the slab is down, but I'd rather you choose a plainer finish, such as a broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip, than save on the ground, because the base decides whether the driveway stays flat. I'm glad to talk those choices through with you at the estimate.
How do I keep a new concrete patio in West Covina from cracking like the old one?
The best defense is a dug-out and packed base, water directed away from the slab, and control joints, the grooves we cut on purpose so the concrete cracks along a straight line instead of across the middle. Concrete shrinks as it dries, so I can't honestly tell you a slab will never crack, but cutting those joints on time, adding rebar, the steel inside that holds the pieces together, and letting the slab cure properly go a long way toward keeping any cracks small and in the places we chose.
About West Covina, CA
West Covina sits in the middle of the San Gabriel Valley, mostly neighborhoods of single-family houses, with a busy commercial stretch along Interstate 10 where Plaza West Covina and Eastland Center draw shoppers from across the valley. Most of our calls here come from homeowners, along with some owners of small shops and rental properties who need a parking area or a walk replaced before it becomes a trip hazard. The city runs right up against Covina to the north and east, and the houses and driveways on either side of that line are much alike.
On the south side the streets climb into the San Jose Hills around Galster Wilderness Park, so lots slope, driveways run steep and yards often need walls and steps. Down on the flats the ground is easier to work, but older slabs there have usually had years of water under them, so on either kind of lot the job starts with the ground.
Explore the services
Glendora, CA
Plan your West Covina concrete project
We take calls into the evening and on weekends, so you can reach us after your own workday at (626) 513-4658 or through the form.