Concrete Contractor in Glendale, CA - Slabs for Older Homes and Hillside Lots
Cornerstone Sierra Madre Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Glendale, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walkways, steps, garage floors and retaining walls for Glendale homes, and we're based nearby in Sierra Madre.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Older homes and hillside lots across Glendale
Glendale has a lot of different streets in it. Down in the flats you'll find older houses on tight lots, often with a single driveway running back to a detached garage, and closer to the hills the streets climb and the driveways get steep. We get calls from both, mostly for driveways, patios, walks and steps that have cracked, sunk or started holding water.
We're based in Sierra Madre and do the same work next door in Burbank and Pasadena, and farther east in West Covina. On a Glendale job the house and the lot set the plan, because old concrete on a narrow lot often has to come out by hand or with small machines, and a sloped lot decides where the water runs.
Our services in Glendale, CA
- Concrete driveway building
Many Glendale driveways are narrow and have cracked or sunk after years of cars. We break out the old slab, dig to firm ground and pack a new base.
- Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages here often have thin, pitted floors that dust and crack. Our garage floor concrete work replaces them with a thicker slab set to drain toward the door.
- Concrete retaining walls
Hillside lots here often need a wall to hold a slope or level a yard. We pour reinforced walls with drainage behind them so water doesn't build up.
- Stamped concrete services
Older homes here often have brick or stone trim that plain gray concrete doesn't match. We stamp and color patios and walks so they sit right with the house.
- Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older Glendale houses often settle and pull away from the porch. We replace them with steps of even height set on solid footings.
- Concrete patio construction
Back yards on tight Glendale lots often have an old patio that tips toward the house and holds water. We set the new slab to fall away from your walls.
What Glendale's older homes and slopes ask of concrete
A lot of Glendale is older housing, with whole streets of Period Revival homes in Spanish Colonial, Tudor and French styles. When we break out the old driveways and walks on houses like these, we often find thin concrete sitting on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, which is why it sank and split. We dig down to firm ground and compact a new subgrade, the base the slab sits on, before anyone talks about the finish. That base is buried by the end of the first day and it's the first thing people want to cut from a budget, but I'd rather spend there than on a fancy surface, because a fence post set in soft dirt leans no matter how straight you set it.
Closer to the hills, driveways get steep and water runs downhill hard, so before we set any forms I look at where your water goes and slope the slab to carry it away from the house. On any Glendale job, the price mostly moves with the size, how much old concrete comes out and how much base the ground needs, and the schedule moves with whether the city needs a permit and with curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before it can take weight. I'll put your own figure in writing when I come out to look. Does that make sense?
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Glendale
Send the form or call (626) 828-0332, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Glendale property myself, look at the job and write the estimate, free and with no obligation.
Driveways, patios, steps and walls
Glendale concrete questions answered
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway in Glendale, CA?
Glendale's simple online permits don't name driveways or other concrete work, so the answer comes from the city's Development Services division, not a checklist. Those quick permits cover jobs like re-roofs, water heaters and HVAC swaps, and every city application now goes through the Glendale Permits Portal. Before we start, we look into what your job needs, and when a permit applies we handle the application as the licensed contractor and walk you through each step.
When does a concrete contractor need a state license in California?
A contractor needs a license from the Contractors State License Board whenever the job needs a building permit, uses any workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A bigger job can't be split into pieces under $1,000 to get around that rule, so be wary of anyone who offers to bill it that way. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm glad to go over it when I come out.
How do I check that a contractor can work in Glendale?
Ask for their state contractor license and for their standing with the City of Glendale, because the city has its own rule on top of the state's. A business located in Glendale needs the city's Business Registration Certificate whatever other licenses it holds, and a contractor based outside the city applies for Glendale's Contractor's License instead. A good contractor will tell you which one they carry without any fuss.
What building code applies to concrete work in Glendale?
Projects submitted to the city now fall under the current California building code plus Glendale's own changes, which together make up the Glendale Building and Safety Code. You don't need to read it yourself. When a permit applies, that's the standard we build your job to, and I'll explain any part of it that touches your slab or wall.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Glendale?
It comes down to size, tear-out, base work, access and finish, and I put your own figure in writing after I've seen the driveway. A steep driveway or a narrow side yard where a truck can't reach costs more, because the concrete has to be pumped or wheeled in and the old slab broken out by hand. Where you can save is the finish, since a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps feet and tires from slipping, costs less than stamped or colored concrete.
What causes new concrete to crack, and how do I keep it from happening?
Most cracks come from a base that wasn't packed, a pour in the midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top, or joints cut late or skipped. Control joints are the shallow cuts we make in the fresh slab, so that when concrete shrinks and cracks, as it does, the crack runs straight inside the cut instead of wandering across your driveway. We dig out and pack the base, pour early in the day and cut the joints on time, which is what gives a Glendale slab its best shot at aging well.