Concrete Contractor in Compton, CA - Driveways and Slabs Set on a Packed Base
Premium Carson Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Carson. We pour driveways, patios, steps, garage floors, slabs and footings for homeowners and property owners in Compton, CA, and we dig out and pack the base first.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Compton driveways and slabs we see on our jobs
Compton is a short drive from Carson, where we're based, so our crews do the same work here that we do at home. Most of our calls come from single-family houses on flat lots. They usually have a driveway running down the side to a garage in back, a front walk, a few steps up to the porch and a patio out back. We also get calls from property owners nearby in West Rancho Dominguez with old slabs and lots to replace.
A lot of the concrete on these properties has been down a long time, and much of it was poured over dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. That's why so many slabs here have dropped at one corner or cracked across the middle. It's also why a job here usually starts with breaking out the old slab and digging down to firm ground before we set any forms.
Concrete services for Compton homes and lots
When the old driveway along the side of the house has sunk or split, we break it out, dig down, pack a new base and pour it fresh.
A backyard patio here usually sits close to the house, so we slope the slab away from your walls to keep rainwater off the foundation.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick. The pattern is pressed in while the concrete is still soft, over the same packed base.
Front walks lifted by tree roots or broken into trip edges are common on older Compton blocks, and we replace the sections that have moved.
Detached garages at the back of the lot often have thin, cracked floors. We pour a new slab thick enough for a car and a workbench.
Colored concrete, exposed aggregate and scored patterns let a driveway or patio match the house in one continuous surface, and we finish them on site.
Where a yard steps down at the back fence or beside a driveway, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil in place and keeps it off the slab.
For a shop, a room addition or a converted space, we pour an interior concrete floor that's level, flat and ready for whatever covering goes on top.
Around a backyard pool, we pour the deck with a textured surface so wet feet get grip, and a slope that sheds splash water off the deck.
Front steps on many houses here have cracked treads or have pulled away from the porch. We rebuild them with steel inside and even rises.
For a new garage, back house or addition, we pour the slab foundation on dug-out, packed ground with steel set where the plans call for it.
When an addition or new building needs a full foundation, we form and pour the footings and walls to the plans, in the order the inspections come.
Small commercial lots and apartment parking along Compton's busier streets take truck traffic, so we pour them thicker, with steel and joints placed for the load.
Block walls, carports and patio covers need solid footings under them, and we dig and pour those footings to the depth and size the plans call for.
When part of a house or slab has settled, foundation raising lifts it back toward level. I'll tell you after looking at it whether it's worth doing.
We saw-cut openings for new doors and trenches for pipes. We also cut clean edges where a damaged section of driveway or walk comes out and the rest stays.
Your free written estimate for concrete work in Compton
We reply within one business day. I come out, look the site over and measure, and then you get a free written estimate that shows what's included, with no obligation and no pressure to book.
(424) 528-1319- Based in
- Carson, CA 90745
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What we handle on Compton jobs before the pour
In Compton, permits come from the city's Building and Safety department. It covers new construction, alterations, repairs and improvements to existing structures, and it decides whether your job needs a permit. The process here is in person only, with no online submittals or payments, so when a permit is needed we put the counter visit on the schedule well ahead of pour day. Every permit application also has to come from someone with a current City of Compton business license. That license and a state contractor's license are the two things worth asking any contractor about. We're licensed and fully insured, and when a job needs a permit we handle the application and the inspections.
On the residential blocks here, driveways open onto short aprons with cars parked along the street, so before pour day we plan where the concrete truck will sit and how the concrete gets to the back of the lot. The price turns on the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how deep we dig for the base, how close the truck can get and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before you use it. We work the same way in Long Beach and Gardena, and your written estimate gives your own figure line by line.
What wears out concrete on Compton properties
Most lots here are flat, so water off the roof and the lawn has nowhere obvious to go. Over the years it soaks under driveways and patios, softens the dirt below and lets the slab drop. On older properties we also see slabs that tip toward the house, so rain runs against the wall, and front walks pushed up by tree roots. Before we pour, we check where the water runs and slope the new slab to carry it away from the house, because a slab that drains the wrong way starts the same problem over again.
The state geological survey has mapped zones for liquefaction, where loose, wet ground can go soft in an earthquake, and for surface fault rupture. Those zones cross parts of Compton, and building on a lot inside one may mean the ground has to be investigated during permitting. That matters most for new foundations, slabs and footings, so ask the city about your own lot, and we'll build to whatever the permit calls for.
What to expect when you hire us in Compton
Here's how a Compton job runs, in the order we do it, from your first call to the day you can use the new concrete.
Call or send a request
Call (424) 528-1319 or send the form with what you have in mind. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I look over the site
I measure, check the old slab, the ground and where the water runs, ask what you want and answer what I can on the spot, so it helps if you're home. Afterward you get a written estimate that lists what's included, so you can see where the money goes before you decide.
We set the schedule and permits
Once you say yes, we set the order of the work and handle any permit, which in Compton is done in person at City Hall. City Hall is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Fridays, so we plan around that, and before the crew shows up I walk you through pour day and the care after it.
Our crew forms and pours
Our crew lead and crew dig out, pack the base, form, pour and finish. They also cut the control joints, the grooves that give the slab a place to crack in a straight line, while I keep the schedule, and before they leave they clean up and tell you how long to stay off it on foot and by car while it cures.
Questions about concrete work in Compton
How do I get a concrete permit in Compton, and can I apply online?
Plan on applying in person, because Compton handles permits at the counter and takes payment there. The few jobs that can be submitted online are things like like-for-like window replacement, water heater swaps and re-roofs, and that list doesn't name driveways, slabs or footings. When your job needs a permit, we take care of the counter trips for you.
Does my concrete contractor need a City of Compton business license?
Yes. The city requires everyone doing business inside city limits to hold a City of Compton business license, whether it's a company or one person, and the license has to be renewed every year. Every permit application also needs a current one, so a contractor without it can't apply for your permit. Ask to see it before you sign.
When does a concrete contractor need a California contractor's license?
Under the state licensing board's rule, a contractor needs a license whenever the job needs a building permit, uses employees, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials together. A job is exempt only when there's no permit, no employees and the total is under $1,000. A crew pouring a driveway or patio counts as employee labor, so the exemption rarely fits this work.
What causes concrete driveways in Compton to crack and sink?
Most sinking comes from the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, being raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the dirt settles and the concrete goes with it. Water running under the slab, tree roots, and control joints cut late or skipped all add cracks in places nobody chose. No slab is crack-proof, so we dig to firm ground, pack the base, add rebar where the job calls for it, the steel that holds cracked pieces together, and cut the joints on time so any cracks stay in straight lines.
What's the best time of year to pour concrete in Compton?
You can pour here most of the year, because the weather is mild and dry. The nearest weather record, for Long Beach, shows about 12 inches of rain a year over roughly 35 days and an average of 74°F in August, the warmest month. The bigger risk is the time of day, since a slab poured in midday summer heat can dry too fast on top and end up weak and dusty, so we start pours early and move a pour rather than put concrete down in the rain.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Compton?
Your price comes from the site visit, because what's under the old slab and how much of it has to come out move the cost more than size alone. Stamped and decorative finishes cost more than a broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you pick the simpler finish than cut back on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the slab sinks.
Carson, CA
Ask about your Compton concrete project
Call (424) 528-1319 or send the form with the size of the area and what's there now, and I'll come out knowing what to check, including which permit steps your job may need.