Concrete Contractor in Lawndale, CA - Driveways and Walks Built From the Base Up
Redondo Beach Concrete Company pours driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for homeowners and property owners in Lawndale, CA. We dig out and pack the base first, then pour, finish and cut the joints where cracks should go.
Small lots, long driveways and older slabs
Lawndale is a small, tightly built city between Hawthorne, Redondo Beach and Torrance, and most of what we pour here goes in beside and behind older single-story houses. Lots run narrow, so the driveway often runs along the side of the house to a garage in back, and plenty of properties have a second unit or a few apartments sharing the same strip of concrete. Along the boulevards it's small shops and apartment buildings, so we get calls from property owners as often as from homeowners.
That layout shapes the job. With the house on one side and a fence on the other, there's little room for a truck, so getting the old slab out and the new concrete in at the back of the lot is often half the work.
Working in Lawndale, from the permit to the pour
Building permits in Lawndale come from the city's Building & Safety Department, and whether your job needs one is their call, so I check with them before we set a pour date and the schedule waits on their answer. Before you hire anyone, you can look up their license with the Contractors State License Board and ask whether they hold a Lawndale business license, which the city's Finance Department handles at (310) 973-3200. We're licensed and insured, and if your job needs a permit we tell you up front and take care of the paperwork with the city. Price moves with the size of the job, the tear-out and how much base work the ground needs, the schedule turns on the permit and the wait while the concrete cures, and the written estimate gives you the figure for yours.
Driveway aprons and sidewalk sit in the public right-of-way, and that work goes through the city's Public Works Department at (310) 973-3260 instead of Building & Safety. I learned concrete on a city public works crew pouring sidewalks, curbs and aprons, so the spot where your driveway meets the street is work I know well. Hawthorne Boulevard and the side streets off it stay busy, so we time the trucks around traffic and parked cars, the same planning we do on jobs in Lomita.
Concrete work we do in Lawndale
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Older slabs and tight lots set the work
A lot of the driveways and front walks here are as old as the houses, and when we break them out we usually find a thin slab on loose dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. That's why they've sunk, tipped toward the house or cracked in places nobody chose. We dig down to firm ground, rebuild and compact the subgrade, the layer the slab rests on, and add rebar, the steel that holds the pieces together if the slab cracks, where it has to carry weight. Front concrete steps that have pulled away from the house usually have the same trouble underneath.
Flat, narrow lots give water nowhere obvious to go, so we check where it runs before we set forms and slope the slab away from the house. Hot afternoons dry the top too fast and leave it weak and dusty later, so we pour early in the day.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Lawndale
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your place in Lawndale myself, walk the job, measure it and write down what's included. The estimate is free, and you're under no obligation.
What happens when you call us about a job in Lawndale
Call or send the form
Call (424) 402-3940 or send the form with a line about the job, and add a few photos if you have them. We set a time for me to come out.
I walk the job myself
I look at the old slab, measure and ask how you'll use the concrete, whether that's parking a work truck or setting a table. It helps if the cars are moved and you can tell me where water stands after a rain.
Get the estimate in writing
You get a written estimate that spells out the prep, the finish and the control joints, the cuts that decide where the slab cracks. That way you see what's under the price, not just the total.
Line up permits and utility marks
Before we start, we sort out any permit with the city and get underground utility lines marked so nobody digs into one. If a permit is needed, the start date waits on it.
Dig, pour, finish, clean up
Our crew digs out, packs the base, pours, finishes and cuts the joints, and I work right alongside them. Lawndale allows construction Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no work on Sundays or city holidays, so we plan the pour inside those hours and leave the site clean.
Driveways, patios and steps
Concrete questions from Lawndale homeowners
Do I need a permit to pour a new concrete driveway in Lawndale?
Usually, since the city's permit list includes a Flatwork Permit for front yard hardscape, and the city lists that permit at $75. A backyard patio isn't spelled out on that list, so we ask the city before we start instead of guessing. Permit questions for private property go to (310) 973-3230, and the city's permit list shows what it covers.
How much of a down payment can a contractor ask for in California?
On a home improvement job, a contractor can't take a down payment over $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. The state licensing board sets that limit for all home improvement projects, so it applies to a driveway or patio the same as any other job.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Lawndale?
I price each driveway after measuring it, because the tear-out, the base work and the finish change the cost more than the size alone. A broom finish, a light brushed texture for grip, costs less than stamped concrete, and a long driveway down a narrow side yard costs more to break out and pour than one right off the street. If the budget has to give, cut the finish, not the base, because nobody sees the base once it's poured but it decides how the slab holds up.
Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one did?
It can crack, because all concrete shrinks as it dries, but the control joints give those cracks a place to go in a straight line. A packed base and a slab that sheds water keep the pieces level, so a hairline in a joint is what to expect, not a slab that sinks or tips. I'll show you where the joints go before we pour.
How long does a new driveway need to cure before I can drive on it?
You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, since curing, the slow hardening that gives the slab its strength, keeps going for days after the pour. The weather and the mix shift the timing, so I tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for the car. Plan on parking on the street for that stretch, because driving on fresh concrete early is how it gets marked and cracked.
How do I fix one cracked section of my driveway in Lawndale?
If the rest of the slab is sound, we can saw out the broken section along its joints with concrete cutting, fix the base under it and pour a new panel. If the cracks run across the whole slab or it has sunk, patching only moves the problem, and I'll tell you that straight. New concrete usually won't match the old color exactly, which matters more out front than along the side yard.
Call or send the form for your Lawndale estimate
One visit gets you a written plan for the base, joints and finish that you can hold up against any other bid.