Concrete contractor in Gardena, CA - driveways and slabs built on a packed base
Premium Carson Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Carson that pours driveways, patios, steps, garage floors, slabs and footings in Gardena, from breaking out the old concrete to forming, pouring and finishing the new.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Gardena's homes, lots and the concrete around them
Gardena is mostly single-family homes on modest lots, with apartments, shops and light industry along the main streets. A lot of the houses are older, with a driveway running past the house to a garage in back, a front walk to the porch and a patio out behind, so a typical call here is to replace one of those slabs or to pour a new one for an added garage, room or back unit. It's the same work we do next door in Torrance and down the road in Long Beach.
Older lots usually mean older concrete, often thinner than we'd pour today and set on ground nobody packed, so on most Gardena jobs we plan to break out, haul off and rebuild the base before the new pour.
Concrete services for Gardena homes and businesses
Most Gardena driveways we replace are older slabs that cracked or sank. We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and broom the top so tires grip.
Backyard patios here usually fit between a garage, a fence and the back door, so we set the slope to carry water away from the house.
Stamped concrete gives a Gardena front walk or patio the look of stone or brick, and it lasts only as long as the base under it.
We replace front walks and side paths that have lifted or split into trip edges, pouring them in sections so cracks tend to land on a joint.
Garages behind older Gardena homes often have cracked, sunken floors, so we pour a new slab that sheds water toward the door and carries a car's weight.
Color, scoring or exposed stone on the top lets a plain entry or patio match the house, with the joint lines worked into the pattern.
Where a yard steps down or a driveway cuts in, a poured wall holds the soil back, and its footing and drainage keep it standing straight.
For shops, warehouses and additions around Gardena's commercial streets, we pour interior floors set to the level and thickness the use calls for, so equipment sits true.
Pool decks behind Gardena homes need to drain away from the water, so we slope them carefully and use a textured top for grip when wet.
Front steps on older Gardena homes often have chipped edges and uneven heights, and we form new ones with even rises so nobody catches a toe.
For an addition, back unit or new garage on a Gardena lot, we pour the slab over a packed base with rebar, steel that holds cracks tight.
Builders and property owners call us for foundations under new homes and additions in Gardena, and we form and pour them to the approved plans.
Small commercial and apartment lots along Gardena's busier streets take daily car traffic, so we build them thicker over a packed base with joints planned around striping.
Footings carry the weight of walls, posts and additions down to firm ground, so we dig them to the size the plans call for before any concrete arrives.
When part of an older Gardena house or slab has dropped, raising it back toward level can save a full tear-out, and we tell you if it can't.
We saw-cut trenches, door openings and clean edges where part of a driveway comes out, so the concrete you keep doesn't crack from a jackhammer.
Get a free written estimate for your Gardena concrete job
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I usually come out, measure and give you a free written estimate showing what's included. There's 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
Working in Gardena: permits, licenses and what sets the price
In Gardena, the city's Building Services issues permits for most construction, from new building to repairs and alterations, so when your job needs one, the city's review decides how soon we can start, not our crew calendar. The city also requires a business license from every contractor who works in Gardena, even one based outside it, so ask anyone you're weighing for that and for a state contractor's license, which the questions below cover. When a permit is needed, we take care of the application and the inspections with the city.
We're a concrete contractor based in Carson, CA, so Gardena is a short run for our trucks, and we line up crews and pours here the same way we do in Lawndale next door. What moves your price is the size and thickness of the slab, whether old concrete has to come out first, how much base work the ground needs, how close the truck can get and the finish you pick, and the schedule turns mostly on any permit and on the cure before you can use the slab. Your written estimate spells out what's included, so you can see what each part covers.
Concrete on Gardena properties: what usually wears out
Many of the driveways and walks we look at in Gardena have been down a long time, and most that cracked or sank did it for the same reason. The subgrade, the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled and took the concrete with it. We dig down to firm ground, pack the base in layers and check where the water runs before we form anything, because a slab that falls toward the house sends water straight to your foundation.
An earlier city general plan reports a state-mapped active fault zone in the northeast part of Gardena, near El Segundo Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. If your lot is in that corner and you're planning a foundation, footings or a slab for a new structure, I ask the city what applies to your address before we price the work.
How a Gardena concrete job runs from call to pour
Here's the order we work in, from your first call to the day the new concrete is ready to use, so you know what comes next.
Call or send the form
Call (424) 528-1319 or send the form with your address and what you have in mind, and we'll set a time for me to come out. You don't need drawings or measurements to get started.
I visit, measure and answer
I usually come out myself to look over the site, measure and hear what you want, and it helps if you're home so we can walk the spot together. Your written estimate lists what's included, so you see what the money covers before you decide anything.
We schedule and handle permits
Once you say yes, we set the schedule and file any permit the job needs, and the city says its typical over-the-counter permits usually come back in about three business days. Before the crew shows up, I walk you through pour day and the care after it.
Crew forms, pours and finishes
Our crew lead and crew dig out, pack the base, form, pour and finish, while I keep the schedule so each step happens in its order. We clean up before we leave and tell you when the slab is ready for feet and when it's ready for cars.
Questions about concrete work in Gardena
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway in Gardena?
The city lists open walkways and driveways among the most common exceptions to its building permit, but work on the public sidewalk, an alley or the street needs a separate permit from the city's Public Works department. I confirm what your exact job needs with the city before we schedule, because starting permit-required work without the permit quadruples the fees.
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Gardena?
Under the city's code, a retaining wall no more than 3 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, is exempt unless it holds back an added load, such as a driveway or building above it, or holds back certain stored liquids. Because the footing counts, a wall that looks short above the ground can still be over the limit, so I check the height and what sits behind it on the first visit.
How do I check a concrete contractor's license in California before hiring?
Ask for the contractor's state license and check it with the state contractor board, which requires a license for any job that needs a building permit, uses employees, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A job can be exempt only when no permit is needed, no employees are used and the whole cost is under $1,000. We're licensed and fully insured, and you're welcome to check us before you sign.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Gardena?
The biggest parts of the price are removing the old slab, the base work, the concrete and the finish, and your written estimate breaks those out so you can see each one. If the budget needs trimming, cut the finish, like a plain broom texture instead of stamped, and not the base, because the base is buried on day one and it's what decides whether the slab settles. Rebar, the steel inside the slab that holds cracks tight, is another line I'd keep.
What causes concrete driveways to crack, and will a new one crack too?
Concrete shrinks a little as it hardens, so some cracking is normal, and the job is to choose where it happens with control joints, grooves cut into the slab so it cracks along them instead of across the middle. The cracks that ruin a driveway usually come from joints cut late or skipped, a base that settled, or a top finished in midday heat that turns weak and dusty, so we pack the base, cut joints on time and plan pours around the heat.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength while it cures, the slow hardening after the pour, and a car needs far more of that strength than your feet do. I give you both dates when we go over pour day, and cars and anything heavy should stay off until the date I gave you.
Carson, CA
Tell us about your Gardena concrete project
Call or send the form before you settle on a date, because the base work, any permit and the cure all have to fit around when you need the driveway or patio back.