Concrete Contractor in Arcadia, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on Solid Ground

It may need one, and you shouldn't assume it doesn't, because Arcadia's list of work that needs no permit names things like painting, wood or iron fences up to six feet and small sheds, not driveways or patios. Arcadia's Building Services office issues permits for most construction in the city and takes questions at (626) 574-5416. Front yard paving also has to meet the city's zoning rules whether or not it needs a permit, and any work off your lot goes through the Engineering Division, so we check both for your address before we schedule.

Yes, every business working in Arcadia needs a city business license unless state or federal law exempts it, and contractors based outside the city carry it on the job and show it to police or city staff who ask. Under state law only a licensed contractor or the property owner can get the building permit, and a contractor applying shows a current license from the Contractors State License Board, the city business license and a workers' compensation certificate. We're fully licensed and insured.

No more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. The state licensing board says that covers all home improvement projects, so it applies to an Arcadia driveway or patio the same as anywhere else in the state. If someone wants more than that before work starts, that's a good reason to keep looking.

I can't give you an honest number until I've seen it, because the price comes down to the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. A broom finish, the light ridges dragged across the top for grip, costs less than stamped or colored work, and if the budget is tight I'd trim the finish before the base, because you can redo a surface later but fixing bad ground means a jackhammer. The estimate after my visit gives you the figure for your own driveway.

Longer than the pour itself, because concrete has to cure, which is the slow hardening that keeps going for days after the top looks dry, and you can walk on it well before you can park on it. I'll tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for the car before the crew leaves. The wait before pour day usually depends more on what the city needs for your address and how much old slab comes out than on the pour.

Usually it's a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, tree roots pushing up from below, or control joints that were cut late or skipped. A new slab will still crack a little, because concrete does that, but a packed base, joints cut on time and an early pour on hot days usually keep the cracks small and in the joints. If a big tree sits near the work, the city has its own application for removing a protected tree or working in its protected zone, so that goes on the list we check before scheduling.