Concrete Contractor in Pasadena, CA - New Slabs for Older Homes and Sloped Yards
Custom Duarte Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Duarte that pours driveways, patios, walkways, steps and garage floors for homeowners in Pasadena, CA, with careful prep on the ground underneath before any concrete goes down.
- Service area
- Pasadena, CA
- Call
- (626) 416-2143
Historic homes and sloped yards in Pasadena
Pasadena is a short drive west of us in Duarte, and a lot of its houses carry real history. The city has designated a long list of historic neighborhoods and individual historic sites, and on older blocks we often find driveways and walks that have been patched more times than anyone can count. Out west, the Arroyo Seco runs a canyon through the city, so some yards near it sit on a slope.
We do the same work next door in Sierra Madre and Arcadia, and as far as East Los Angeles. Here the job usually starts underneath, because a new pour over unpacked dirt or a yard that drains toward the house will crack just like the old one did.
Our services in Pasadena, CA
Older Pasadena driveways are often cracked and patched from years of cars. We dig out and pack the base, then pour new concrete with control joints, cut lines that give cracks a place to go.
Older Pasadena patios often settle or tilt toward the house, so water pools by the back door. We check where the water runs before we form anything and set the new patio to carry it away.
Front walks here are often lifted by tree roots or sunk where the dirt washed out underneath. We break out the bad sections, rebuild the base and pour a walk that sits flat again.
Many older houses here sit up off the street, with front steps that are chipped and uneven. We form and pour new steps with rebar, steel bars that tie the concrete together.
Next to an older Pasadena house, plain gray concrete can look like it belongs on a different street. Our decorative concrete work adds color and texture so a new walk or patio fits the house.
Sloped yards in Pasadena often rely on old walls that have started to tip or crack. We dig and pour a proper footing first, because a wall is only as steady as what it stands on.
Every service we offer
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
What happens when you call us about a Pasadena job
Call or send us a message
You call (626) 416-2143 or fill out the form, and I answer the phone myself. Tell me what the slab is doing and where in Pasadena you are, and we set a time for me to come out.
Come out and look closely
I walk the site, look at the old concrete, the slope and where the water runs, and ask a lot of questions. Then I write up an estimate for your job, and what I find under and around the old slab is most of what moves the price.
Check what the city needs
Before anything is scheduled, we find out whether your address falls under the city or the county and what the job needs from that office. We tell you what we found and who handles each piece, and that answer sets a good part of the calendar.
Prep, pour and walk through
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets forms, pours and finishes, and I'm on site to check the work. When it's done I walk it with you and tell you when it's safe to walk and drive on, since curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength, takes a while.
Pasadena concrete questions
Do I need a permit for a new concrete driveway in Pasadena?
Yes, if your house is in a residential zone. Pasadena requires a Zoning Permit, a check that the work meets the city's zoning rules, for driveways and other paving in residential zones, even when no building permit is needed. Building permits for most construction projects come from the same office, and applications and fees go to the city's Permit Center at 175 North Garfield Ave.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Pasadena?
Yes. The city requires a Zoning Permit for lower retaining walls, up to 4 feet high measured from the footing. If your wall needs to be taller, we find out what the city wants for it before we schedule anything.
Does a concrete contractor in Pasadena need a California state license?
Yes, for most jobs. The California Contractors State License Board licenses anyone doing work that needs a building permit, and the license also applies when employees do the work or when labor and materials total $1,000 or more. To pull a permit in Pasadena, a contractor also needs a current City of Pasadena business license and workers' compensation insurance, and city permit staff check the state license. We're fully licensed and insured.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Pasadena?
The price comes down to the size, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. A plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from getting slick, costs less than color or a pattern, and the city's permit fees add to the total. If the budget's tight, I'd trim the finish before the base, because the base is the part you can't fix later without a jackhammer.
What causes concrete driveways and patios in Pasadena to crack and sink?
Most cracking and sinking starts under the slab, with a subgrade, the dirt and base the concrete sits on, that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or with water running underneath. Control joints cut late or skipped, and pours in the midday heat, cause their share too. Concrete cracks, it's what concrete does, so we pack the base, set the drainage and cut joints on time so any crack lands where we planned it.
How do I know if a contractor's down payment is too high in California?
The state contractors board limits a home improvement down payment to $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Any other payments have to be listed in the contract and match work done or materials delivered. If someone wants more than that before work starts, that tells you something.
Get a written estimate for your Pasadena concrete job
Send the form and we get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out to your Pasadena property, look at the job and write up a free quote on site, and there's no obligation to go ahead. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
- Call
- (626) 416-2143
- Location
- Duarte, CA 91010
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Book your Pasadena concrete estimate
Call (626) 416-2143 or use the form, since a crack caught early usually means less concrete to tear out.