Concrete driveway building in Redondo Beach CA - a slab built on solid ground
Cracked, sinking or pooling driveway? We dig out the soft ground, pack the base and pour a slab that drains away from your house.
What does building a new concrete driveway involve?
Concrete driveway building in Redondo Beach starts below the surface. We take out the old slab and the soft ground under it, pack and slope a new base, then pour, finish and cure the concrete, so you end up with a driveway that sits flat and sends water to the street.
Most people call us when the old driveway has cracked through, dropped at one corner or holds a puddle after the sprinklers run. The price mostly turns on the size, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, the finish you pick and how much work the end at the street needs. The schedule turns on the tear-out, the city's sign-off for anything at the curb and the wait while the new concrete cures. When I come out, I walk the job, measure it and write down what's included, so you can set it next to any other bid and see whether the base work is really in there.
How we build a concrete driveway
We break out the old slab first, then dig out the topsoil and soft spots and pack the subgrade, the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, until it stops giving underfoot. Then we set the slope so water runs to the street and not toward your garage, set the forms and steel, and pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry too fast in the afternoon heat and go weak and dusty. We cut control joints, the grooves that tell the slab where to crack, before the concrete gets too hard, and start curing right away. The national ready-mix concrete group's guidance is to keep a new slab under a curing compound or damp burlap for at least 3 days. If the budget gets tight, I'll tell you to spend it on the base and not the finish, because nobody sees the base after day one but it's what decides whether the driveway stays put.
Driveway jobs often turn into a little more once we're set up. If you want the same groundwork out back, we handle concrete patio construction too, and if plain gray isn't what you had in mind, stamped concrete services give the slab a pattern and color on the same solid base.
Broom finish
A broom finish is a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes some grip when it's wet, and it suits most driveways. It also keeps more of the budget where it counts, in the base.
Stamped or colored finish
If the driveway is the first thing people see, a pattern or color can make it read like stone or brick. It costs more than a broom finish and sits on exactly the same base, so we don't trim the groundwork to pay for it.
Concrete driveway work at the street in Redondo Beach
Where your driveway meets the street, the city has a say. In Redondo Beach, the city's engineering office issues an Engineering Permit for driveway, sidewalk, curb and gutter work in the public right-of-way, the city's strip along the street, and the same permit covers storing materials or equipment out there and work on a curb or parkway drain. So before we touch the apron, the sloped piece that crosses the curb, we tell you what's needed, take care of the paperwork and check with the city before we start. For the part of the driveway that's fully on your lot, the city's Building & Safety Division handles permits and inspections, and that office makes the call, so we ask them rather than guess.
A lot of the driveways we replace here are older slabs on tight lots, with a short run from the garage to the street and not much room to move water. We take extra care with the slope on those, and we see the same tight lots on jobs in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
Concrete driveways and finishes
Why call us for a concrete driveway
Same person on estimate and pour
I come out to look at your driveway myself, and I work alongside our crew when we pour it. The base I describe at the estimate is the base you get.
Trained on city aprons and curbs
I learned concrete on a city public works crew, pouring sidewalks, curbs and driveway aprons, and started this business in Redondo Beach in 2023. The street end of your driveway is the kind of work I learned on.
Licensed for California driveway work
We're licensed and insured. The state licensing board requires a license on any job where labor and materials total $1,000 or more, so every driveway bid you take should come from a licensed contractor.
Before you call (424) 402-3940 or send us a request, jot down the driveway's rough size and whether it runs out to the street, and snap a few photos of what's there now so I know what I'm walking into.
(424) 402-3940Get a written estimate for your new driveway
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, and I walk the driveway, measure it and write down what's included.
Redondo Beach driveway questions
Will my new concrete driveway crack?
Probably, yes, because all concrete tends to crack and nobody can pour a slab that never does, so a bid promising a crack-free driveway is promising too much. The control joints we cut steer the cracks to lines we chose. Rebar, steel bars inside the slab, and wire mesh won't stop cracking, but set in the right spot they keep cracks narrower. Your satisfaction, guaranteed, and I'll show you where the joints go before we pour.
Do I need a city permit for driveway work at the street in Redondo Beach?
Yes, the apron, curb and sidewalk at the street sit in the public right-of-way, so that work needs the city's Engineering Permit, as covered above. We take care of the paperwork and check with the city before any work at the street starts.
How much can a contractor ask for up front on a California driveway job?
No more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less, because a home driveway counts as home improvement under state rules. After that, each payment has to be listed in the contract and match work already done or materials already delivered. That way you're paying as the job moves forward, not ahead of it.
What does a concrete driveway cost in Redondo Beach?
A two-car concrete driveway with a broom finish usually costs about $8,500 to $13,500 per job in Los Angeles County. A bigger driveway or a decorative finish will usually come in higher. Your written estimate shows what's in yours.
How do I compare concrete driveway bids in Redondo Beach?
Look at the groundwork first, because it happens before the pour and it's the easiest thing to leave off a bid. Each bid should cover taking out topsoil and soft spots, compacting the ground under the slab and sloping it to drain. Ask each contractor how they'll compact it, whether by rolling, vibrating or tamping.
What is the best way to keep a new driveway from holding water?
Slope is the main answer, with the slab set so water runs toward the street and away from your house. Where water has nowhere to go, porous concrete is something to ask about. A university extension guide from Nevada describes it as looking like regular concrete but letting water pass into a gravel layer below, and says it takes an experienced installer.
Talk to us about your driveway and street apron
We're open until 11 PM on weeknights and from 6 AM on weekends, so call (424) 402-3940 whenever it suits you.
