Concrete Contractor in San Fernando, CA - Solid Slabs on Older, Tight Lots
Custom Simi Valley Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Simi Valley, CA. We pour driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slabs for homes in San Fernando, including old concrete that has to be cut out and reworked.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
San Fernando homes and the concrete around them
San Fernando is a compact city, and most of our calls here come from homeowners with older houses on tight lots. Often the driveway runs along the side of the house to a garage, and the yard doesn't leave much room to work. A lot of the concrete I look at has been down a long time. It's been patched, it's cracked or lifted, and sometimes it's been poured over more than once. The work feels closer to the older streets we see in Burbank than to the newer neighborhoods in Oak Park.
That shapes the job before we pour anything. On a narrow lot we may be breaking out old concrete and hauling it off by hand. We also have to plan how the truck reaches the forms, where the water goes once the new slab is in, and how the slab meets a house that has settled over the years.
Concrete services we offer in San Fernando
Older San Fernando driveways usually crack and sink because the base was never packed, so we dig out, pack a fresh base and pour a new slab.
Small back yards here leave little room to waste, so we lay out a patio that fits the space and slopes water away from the house.
Stamped concrete gives a front walk or patio a stone or brick look, which suits older houses when a plain gray slab would look out of place.
Walkways lifted by tree roots or settled into a trip edge are common on older lots, and we replace the bad sections and fix the base under them.
Older garage floors here are often cracked, stained or sloped wrong, and we break them out and pour a new floor that drains toward the door.
Colored, exposed-aggregate or patterned finishes help new concrete sit well beside an older house, and we'll talk through which ones hold up in Valley sun.
Where a yard drops toward a neighbor's lot or the street, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil back and gives you flat ground to use.
Room additions and converted garages on San Fernando lots need a level interior floor, and we pour one on a packed base, ready for finishes.
A pool deck has to meet the pool's edge just right and shed water away from the pool and house, which is the kind of fitting we like.
Front steps on older houses here often crumble at the edges or pull away from the porch, and we form and pour new ones to a steady rise.
For an addition or a backyard unit on a San Fernando lot, we prepare the ground and pour a slab foundation for the structure to sit on.
When a garage rebuild or an addition needs a new foundation, we dig, form and pour it so the framing on top starts square and level.
Small commercial lots and apartment parking along the city's busier streets take daily traffic, and we pour concrete thick enough and jointed to carry it.
Patio covers, block walls and posts need solid footings under them, and on older lots we check what's buried before we start digging.
When part of an older house has settled and the floors or door frames show it, we look for the cause first and then raise the foundation.
Old slabs here often need a section cut out for a drain, a wider driveway or a repair, and we saw clean edges so new concrete meets old.
Get a free on-site estimate for concrete work in San Fernando
Send the form or call, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look the site over and give you a free written estimate, with no pressure and no obligation.
(805) 261-5009- Based in
- Simi Valley, CA 93065
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Working in San Fernando: permits, licenses and the price
When a concrete job in San Fernando needs a permit, it comes from the city's Building and Safety Division. The division reviews plans against the city's building, health and safety codes and inspects the work once it's permitted. That review and those inspections set part of the schedule, so I'd rather know early whether your job needs one. We can pull it as your contractor, or help you if you'd rather pull it yourself. Before you hire anyone here, ask to see two things: a California contractor's license from the state licensing board and a San Fernando business license. The city requires that business license even from contractors based outside the city, like us. We're licensed and insured.
What moves the price here is mostly the lot. Breaking out old concrete and hauling it off a narrow driveway by hand takes longer than on an open site. Price also goes up with a base that has to be dug out and packed again, extra steel, a slope that needs forming, or a stamped or colored finish in place of a plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps a slab from getting slick. The schedule turns on any permit review, the weather and how long the concrete has to cure before you use it, and your written estimate spells out what's in the price for your job. San Fernando is an easy drive from where we're based in Simi Valley, the same as Santa Clarita, and we plan early starts so the trucks get in before the streets fill up and the afternoon heat sets in.
Why San Fernando driveways and slabs wear out
A lot of the concrete we look at here has been down for many years, and much of it was poured on a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. It settled with the dirt underneath and cracked wherever it wanted. Tree roots lift walks and driveway edges, and patches poured over the years add layers that all have to come out. We break out what's failed and dig down to firm ground. Then we pack a new subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, and set rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it does crack.
On close-set lots, water from the roof and the next yard over often ends up on the driveway or against the house, and an old slab that tips toward the foundation keeps sending it there. Before we set forms, I check where the water runs, and we slope the new slab to carry it away from the house.
How a concrete job in San Fernando runs, start to finish
Here's how it goes from your first call to the day you can use the new concrete, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call us or send details
Call (805) 261-5009 or use the form to tell us what's going on with your driveway, patio or slab, and we'll call back to set a time for me to come out. A photo or two helps me show up with the right questions.
I walk the site with you
I measure, check the base and where the water runs, and ask a lot of questions. Then you get a written estimate that shows what's in the price, so nothing about the cost is a guess when you decide.
We handle permits and prep
Once you say go, we sort out any permit with you, and because the city says it can't guarantee a permit is issued right away, we set the start date after that's settled. Then the crew digs out, packs the base and sets the forms and steel.
We pour, cure and finish
Our crew lead runs the work day to day, and I stop by to check the base, the forms and the joints, the steps that decide how the slab holds up. When it's done we tell you when it's safe to walk on and when it's safe to drive on, because the concrete keeps gaining strength while it cures.
Questions about concrete work in San Fernando
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in San Fernando?
It depends on the size of your driveway, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs, so I give you a number after I've seen it. On tight San Fernando lots, hand hauling, slope and a stamped or colored finish add to the cost. The base is the last place I'd cut, because a nice surface on a bad base tends to crack anyway.
How long does a new driveway take before I can drive on it in San Fernando?
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because the slab needs time to cure, the stretch when it hardens and gains strength. We pour early in the day here so the Valley heat doesn't dry the top too fast and leave it weak and dusty. We'll tell you the wait for your slab and the weather before we start.
What causes concrete driveways in San Fernando to crack and sink?
Usually it's the base. The ground was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled with the dirt under it and broke. Water running under the slab, tree roots and joints cut late or skipped make it worse, and on older lots it's often all of them at once.
Will my new driveway in San Fernando crack like the old one?
Concrete can still crack, but a well-built slab cracks where we choose, along control joints, the grooves we cut so it breaks in a straight line instead of across the middle. With a packed base, steel in the slab and joints cut on time, those cracks tend to stay small and the slab stays level, which is usually where the old one failed.
When does a concrete contractor in San Fernando need a state license?
California requires a contractor's license when a job needs a building permit, uses any extra workers or costs $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 ask any contractor you're considering for their state license before you sign.
How do I pull a building permit in San Fernando myself?
The city wants you to apply through its Online Permit Counter, where you file the building permit application and upload your plans for review. If you'd rather go in, the city offers in-person help Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. We're glad to help you put together what they ask for.
Simi Valley, CA
Tell us about your San Fernando concrete job
Call (805) 261-5009 or send the form early, so any permit review can run its course before the date you want the crew there.