Concrete contractor in Long Beach, CA - driveways and patios that drain right
H&J Gardena Concrete Contractors is a concrete contractor based in Gardena, and we build driveways, patios and walks in Long Beach that drain away from your house, plus steps, walls and foundations.
Concrete work for Long Beach homes
Long Beach is a big city, and our jobs there run from older houses on tight lots to small apartment buildings and shops along busy streets. We're based in Gardena and work the cities around it, from Carson across to Downey, and the broken driveways and sunken walks we see here look a lot like the ones there.
Before we pour, the city has a say. Its Development Permit Center issues permits for building work on private property, most work on a house needs a permit and inspections, and permits go only to a contractor with a California contractor's license and an active Long Beach business license, so ask anyone you're weighing about both. Your price mostly turns on how much old concrete comes out, how much base the ground needs, the size and thickness of the slab and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before you walk or drive on it. When I come out, I walk your job, measure it and put the work in writing. Most of what we tear out here failed from the ground up, sitting on loose fill or poured flat so it held water, which is why our work starts with the dirt.
Concrete work we do in Long Beach
Concrete driveway building
A lot of Long Beach driveways are narrow runs beside the house, so we dig out the old base, pack fresh base and slope it toward the street.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are often small, so a patio has to work hard. We set it a step below the door and slope it away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
On an older Long Beach house, stamped concrete can give a patio or front walk the look of brick or stone without the loose pavers.
Concrete sidewalk building
When tree roots have lifted the walk to your door or a section has sunk, we break out the bad pieces and pour them back level.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages here often have thin, cracked floors. We pour a new slab with a slight slope to the door so water runs out instead of pooling.
Decorative concrete
Colored concrete and exposed aggregate, a finish where the stones show, can dress up a small front yard, and the base gets the same work as plain gray.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps down to a driveway or a neighbor's lot, a wall has to drain from behind, so we build in the drainage before backfilling.
Concrete floor installation
For a room addition, a shop or a converted garage, we pour an interior floor flat and smooth so tile, wood or epoxy goes down without trouble.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks take bare feet, splashing and sun, so we give them a finish with grip and slope them to drain away from the pool.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here often crack or pull away from the porch, so we form new ones with even step heights nobody trips on.
Slab foundation building
For a backyard unit or a new garage, we dig out, set the rebar, the steel that holds the slab together, and pour once the inspection's done.
Foundation installation
Older Long Beach houses often get additions, and each needs a foundation dug and poured to the plans so the new walls sit on solid ground.
Concrete parking lot building
Small apartment buildings and shops here often have tight lots, so we slope the slab to drain and plan the pour around the cars that still need parking.
Concrete footings
Patio covers, block walls and backyard units start with footings, the concrete under the load, and we dig them to the depth the plans and inspector call for.
Foundation raising
If a corner of your house has dropped and doors stick, we look at why before we lift, because raising it without fixing the cause just buys time.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut old slabs to widen a driveway or run a drain line, so the concrete you keep stays whole instead of cracking under a jackhammer.
What concrete problems should Long Beach homeowners watch for?
Most of what we replace here failed underneath first, and a slab usually shows it on top well before it breaks apart, so these are worth a walk-around.
- Cracks that keep getting wider
- A slab that tilts toward the house
- Water pooling after it rains
- Sections sunk below the next one
- Chipping or a dusty, flaking top
- Gaps opening along the foundation
If you see one of these, call or send the form and I'll come out, look at what's likely causing it and tell you plainly what it needs.
Fix the old slab or pour a new one?
On a Long Beach driveway or patio, it usually comes down to what's under the concrete, because a repair holds only when the ground did, and fresh concrete over a moving base moves too.
A repair is enough
If the slab is still level and the cracks are thin and not growing, we can usually cut out a bad section or patch the surface. That costs less and keeps your driveway or patio in use while the rest of it is sound.
Time for new concrete
If big sections have sunk, the slab tips toward your house or cracks keep coming back, the base under it has usually failed. Then we break it out, dig and pack new ground, and pour fresh concrete so you're not patching the same spot every year.
What Long Beach rain and ground ask of concrete
I look at your job myself and work alongside our crew, and I'll tell you at the estimate what your slab needs underneath, even if you'd rather not hear it.
Slopes that shed storm water
Some parts of Long Beach can flood in a major storm, so we check where water runs and slope your slab away.
Base first, finish second
If money's tight, cut the finish, not the base, because the subgrade, the ground under the slab, is what keeps it from sinking.
Cracks land in the joints
We cut control joints, grooves that give the slab a place to crack, early enough that cracks follow them instead of wandering.
Permits pulled before we pour
We check with the city for your address, and if the job needs a permit we pull it and book inspections first.
State licensed, fully insured
A job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials needs a state-licensed contractor, and we're fully licensed and insured.
Call about your Long Beach concrete job
Call (424) 528-1322 any day between 6 AM and 11 PM and tell us what you're seeing, so I show up knowing what to look for.
Nearby cities, or call about yours
We work across the cities around Gardena, so pick yours below, and if you don't see it, call (424) 528-1322 and ask.