Concrete Driveway Building in West Covina CA - a slab that drains and stays flat
Old driveway cracked, sinking or holding puddles? We dig it out, pack the base and pour a new one laid out to fit your yard.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What does building a new concrete driveway in West Covina involve?
Concrete driveway building in West Covina means breaking out the old driveway, digging down to firm ground, packing a base and pouring a new reinforced slab that sheds water away from your house. After the pour you stay off it while it cures, which is the wait while concrete hardens and gains strength, and I'll tell you up front when you can walk on it and when you can park on it.
Most calls start with an old driveway that's cracked, sunk at one corner or holding a puddle by the garage, and the fix is usually a new slab from the dirt up, not another patch. The price turns on the size, whether the old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much digging and base the ground needs, whether the apron at the street gets wider and the finish you pick, while the schedule turns mostly on city sign-off, the weather and the curing wait. I'll look at all of that at your place and put your numbers in a written estimate. We're based in West Covina and work in many of the cities around it.
How do you know your driveway needs replacing?
Cracks that keep growing
Hairline cracks are normal in concrete, but cracks that widen, branch out or have one edge higher than the other usually mean the ground under the slab has moved. Every rain sends more water in through them, so the job only gets bigger the longer it waits.
A section sinking or tipping
When one piece drops below the next, the base under it was usually raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settled with the dirt. That lip catches toes and bumpers, and it tends to keep sinking.
Puddles that sit after rain
Water that sits on the driveway or runs toward the garage means the slab was poured with the wrong fall or has sunk in the middle. Left alone, it keeps soaking the base and sending water toward your house.
How we build a concrete driveway
I start every driveway the same way, by laying out how much of your front yard the driveway can take and how the apron, the sloped piece that meets the street, will tie in. Then we break out the old slab, dig down to firm subgrade, which is just the ground the slab sits on, and pack the base in layers so it won't settle later with the dirt underneath. We set and check the forms, lay in rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it does crack, and slope the surface so water runs off toward the street instead of toward your garage. The pour and the curing get planned before the truck ever shows up, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight line to crack along instead of wherever it pleases, then give it a broom finish, the light texture that keeps tires and shoes from slipping. If the budget gets tight, my old foreman would tell you the base is the last place to save, because nobody sees it on day one but everybody sees it once the slab starts to tip, so I'd rather we pick a plainer finish and keep the prep.
Plenty of driveway jobs grow a little once we're standing in the yard. If you've wanted a slab out back too, we can plan concrete patio construction on the same visit, and if you'd like the driveway, or just a border along it, to look like stone or brick, our stamped concrete services press a pattern into the surface while it's still wet.
Get a free driveway estimate at your property
We'll reply within one business day to set up a visit, and the estimate at your property is free with no obligation. If you know the driveway's rough size and whether the apron needs widening, add it to the form.
- Based in
- West Covina, CA 91790
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about a new driveway
Here's how a driveway job runs from your first call to the day you park on it, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
You call or send the form
You call (626) 412-8532 or send the contact form, and we get back to you to set a time to come out. Have a rough idea of how you use the driveway, since it shapes the layout.
I come out and measure
I look at the yard, the slope and the street, and ask how you'll use the driveway, whether that's one car or a work truck and a trailer. You get a written estimate that spells out the tear-out, base, size and finish, so you can see where the money goes before you decide.
We sort permits and forms
Once you say go, we handle any permit the job needs, then set the forms and check them before anything gets poured. If the city has to inspect first, we time the pour around it.
We pour, finish and explain care
We pour, cut the joints, finish the surface and let it cure. Then I walk you through how to care for it and when it's ready for your car.
Why West Covina homeowners call A&D West Covina Concrete Construction for driveways
The owner measures and pours
I come out to write your estimate myself, and I work the job alongside our crew when we pour. The person who told you how the base would go in is the one standing there checking it.
Taught by a strict foreman
I learned under an old-school foreman who made me tear out forms until they were dead straight, and I started this business in 2023 after years on his crew. That's why we spend the time on layout and prep before any concrete shows up.
Licensed and insured for permit work
In California, someone without a license can only take a job under $1,000 if it needs no permit and they hire no one, so a driveway with a permit and a crew calls for a licensed contractor. We're fully licensed and insured.
On a driveway the part that counts ends up under the concrete, so let's get it right before the truck comes. Ask for your estimate and I'll come take a look.
Driveway permits, prep and pouring in West Covina
The city's Building Section issues permits for private work in West Covina, and if your driveway needs one, we handle the paperwork, line up the inspections with the city and keep you in the loop. When the job reaches the apron and falls under the city's engineering permit, an inspector checks our forms before we pour and again when we're done, with at least 24 hours notice for each. We also call Dig Alert two working days before we dig so buried lines get marked, which is why the first days on your calendar can look quiet while the paperwork catches up.
A lot of the driveways we break out around here are older slabs poured thin or on raked dirt, with cracks running wherever they liked. We see the same thing on jobs in Covina and Baldwin Park, so we dig them out and start over on a packed base.
Questions about concrete driveways in West Covina
What does a concrete driveway cost in the Los Angeles area?
A concrete driveway in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $7 to $12 per square foot installed. That's the going rate in the area, not our price, and where your driveway lands comes from the written estimate after I've measured.
How much of my front yard can a driveway cover in West Covina?
Your paving has to leave at least half the front yard in landscaping, because the city's driveway standards say a minimum of fifty percent stays in live plants or approved artificial or alternative landscaping. That's why I start the layout there, so a new or wider driveway fits the rule before we dig.
Do I need a permit to build a concrete driveway in West Covina?
Plan on city paperwork, because the city's driveway handout lists a zoning clearance and adds an encroachment permit if the driveway apron is being widened. As I mentioned above, we take care of that for you.
Does hot weather affect a concrete driveway pour?
Yes, high heat and low humidity hit fresh concrete harder as the wind picks up, and while that can happen any month, it's mostly a summer problem. If you're planning a summer pour, ask any crew how they'll handle heat and wind, and know that one admixture maker warns against adding water to cool the mix or make it easier to work, since that can cost strength and durability. I plan our pour times with that in mind.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack or flake?
Poor curing is a common cause, since one concrete supplier's guide says improper curing can lead to shrinkage cracking, scaling, flaking and other surface flaws. Ask every contractor you talk to how they'll cure your driveway, and I'll walk you through how we plan ours.
How long should I wait to seal a new concrete driveway?
Wait at least 28 days, because that same supplier's guide says to seal only after the concrete has cured that long. It also says to reseal regularly, since sealers wear down with traffic and weather.
Related concrete work that pairs with a driveway
Concrete patio construction
A patio gives you a level spot out back for a table and grill, and pouring it on the same plan as the driveway keeps the look matched.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a stone, brick or slate pattern into the surface, a good fit for a driveway border or front walk that should look dressed up.
Service areas for our driveway work
A&D West Covina Concrete Construction is based in West Covina, California, and the 12 cities listed here, from El Monte to Azusa, each have their own page. We work in many other cities nearby too, so reach out even if yours isn't on the list.
Get your new driveway on the calendar
Calling now lets us sort out the permit and the inspection notice before your pour date, so the waiting happens on paper instead of in your driveway.
West Covina, CA