Concrete Contractor in Simi Valley, CA - Driveways and Patios Built to Fit the Lot
Custom Simi Valley Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Simi Valley, CA. We pour driveways, patios, steps, footings and slab foundations here, and we take on the trickier jobs like sloped yards and old slabs that need cutting out.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Simi Valley concrete work, from flat lots to hillsides
Most of our calls in Simi Valley come from homeowners with a driveway that's cracked or sunk at the garage, a patio that pools water by the back door, or a sloped yard they'd like to actually use. On the flatter streets that usually means tearing out and replacing flatwork, which is what we call driveways, patios and walks. Up in the hillside neighborhoods it means steps, retaining walls and slabs that have to meet a house or a pool at just the right height, and those are the jobs I find most interesting.
We're based here and do the same kind of work in Thousand Oaks and the other cities around it. On an older lot the first question is what the old slab was sitting on, because that tells me how much digging and packing the new base needs before anyone talks about finishes.
Concrete services we offer in Simi Valley
When your driveway has cracked, sunk at the garage or started pooling water, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour one that drains away from the house.
Plenty of backyards here sit on a slope, so we set the patio's height and fall with care, keeping water headed away from the house.
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, and we tuck the joints into the pattern so they don't break it up.
When a front walk has lifted or cracked into a trip hazard, we cut out the bad sections and pour new ones that sit flush with what stays.
Garage floors carry cars, workbenches and storage, so when one has cracked or sunk, we rebuild the base under it and pour a slab sized for that load.
Colored and stained concrete suits a lot of the ranch and Spanish-style houses here, and we pour a test sample so you see the color first.
On a sloped lot a retaining wall can turn a hillside into level yard, and we put most of our effort into the footing and the drainage behind it.
For a garage conversion, workshop or room addition, we pour interior floors flat and level so tile, wood or carpet goes down without a fight.
A pool deck has to meet the pool's edge just right and shed splash water away from the pool, so we work out the slope before we set the forms.
Hillside lots and raised entries here often need concrete steps, and we form every step to the same height so nobody catches a toe.
For an addition or a backyard unit, we pour the slab foundation to the approved plans, and the steel gets checked before any concrete goes in.
When a new room, garage or house needs a foundation, we dig, form and pour the footings and walls to the approved plans.
For property owners with a small lot or commercial site, we pour paving thick enough for daily traffic and delivery trucks, sloped so water drains off.
Patio covers, block walls and decks all sit on footings, the concrete pads underneath, and we dig them to the depth the plans call for.
When part of a slab or foundation has sunk and doors stick or floors slope, we find out why before we lift and support it.
When part of an old slab has to come out for a drain line or a new doorway, we saw-cut clean edges so the rest stays sound.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Simi Valley concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out to look at the job myself 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
What working in Simi Valley means for your job
Permits here come from the city's Building and Safety Division, which requires one before a new building, a remodel or an addition and takes home improvement permit questions at (805) 583-6723. Its published permit list names roofing, solar, electrical and plumbing work but doesn't spell out driveways or patios, so the division is who we ask about your particular job, and if it does need a permit, plan review and inspections become part of your schedule. Before you hire anyone, ask to see their state contractor license and their City Business Tax Certificate, which every business needs before working in Simi Valley.
We're licensed and insured, and when a job needs a permit I'll tell you which office handles it, then we can pull it as your contractor or help you if you'd rather pull it yourself. Price moves with the size of the job, how much old concrete comes out, how much base work it needs, the slope and the finish you pick, while the schedule turns on permits, inspections and curing. The written estimate from my site visit gives you your own figure. We do the same work in nearby Moorpark, so if you've got a project there too, just ask.
Why Simi Valley yards and foundations need careful concrete
A lot of houses here sit on a grade, with sloped back yards, steep driveways and raised entries, and that's where concrete takes the most figuring. A patio on a slope needs steps or a retaining wall to hold it level, and every slab has to fall away from the house so water runs off instead of toward the foundation. Getting the height right where the slab meets the house, the garage or the pool is most of the work, and it's all decided before the truck shows up.
The city's local building standards focus on foundation design, a practice carried on since buildings failed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, so footings and slab foundations here get built and inspected to the plans. We dig, set the rebar, the steel inside that holds the concrete together, and pour to what the approved plans call for, and I check the steel myself before the pour.
What to expect from a Simi Valley concrete job
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the day you use the new concrete, and where I'm involved along the way.
Call or send the form
Call (805) 261-5009 or send the form with your address and a few words about the job. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
I look the site over
I come out myself, check the slope, the old concrete and where the water runs, and ask more questions than you'd expect, so it helps if you're home. You get a written estimate that breaks out tear-out, base, steel and finish, so you can see where the money goes before you decide.
Permits, prep and the pour
If the job needs a permit we sort it out with you, and the city does inspections requested by 4 p.m. the next workday, or the following Tuesday when the request comes in after 4 on a Friday. Our crew lead runs the work day to day, and I stop by for the base, the forms and the joints.
Cleanup and the walk-through
We clean up and walk the finished concrete with you. Before we leave, we tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for the car.
Concrete contractor questions from Simi Valley homeowners
Do I need a licensed contractor for concrete work in Simi Valley?
For most concrete jobs, yes, because California requires a Contractors State License Board license when a project needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or has contracts totaling $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A contractor also has to hold that license before submitting a bid, so ask for it when you get the estimate, not after.
Does a slab for a garage or addition in Simi Valley need an engineer's plans?
Often not, since the city accepts plans without a licensed architect or engineer for a one-story conventional wood-frame house, garage or accessory structure of limited structural complexity. Structurally complex homes and steep hillside homes are different, and state law requires their plans to come from a licensed architect or registered engineer. On a hillside lot, I'll tell you at the estimate if I think you're headed that way.
How much does a concrete driveway or patio cost in Simi Valley?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the site, because the same size slab can cost very differently on two lots here. The biggest local factors are tearing out and hauling old concrete, rebuilding a weak base, extra forming and steps on a sloped lot, and pumping the concrete when a truck can't reach the back yard. A stamped or colored finish adds to it, and your written estimate breaks out each piece.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
Longer than you'll wait to walk on it, and we'll tell you both timings for your slab on pour day. The wait is curing, the stretch when the concrete keeps gaining strength as it holds onto its moisture, and driving on it early can crack the edges or mark the surface.
What causes concrete driveways in Simi Valley to crack and sink?
Most of the cracked and sunk driveways we tear out failed underneath, on a subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, or on a slab that fell toward the house and let water collect. Control joints, the grooves that give a crack a straight place to go, cut late or skipped, and pours done in midday heat that leave a weak, dusty top, finish the job. That's why the base is the last place I'd cut to save money, because a nice finish on a soft base cracks just the same.
If I pull my own permit for a concrete job in Simi Valley, what do I need?
You submit a Property Owner's Package with your application, where a contractor would file a Construction Permit Declaration instead. Once work starts, whoever holds the permit keeps a copy of the stamped approved plans at the job site, and some permits also need review and fees from outside agencies such as the Ventura County Fire Department. We can help you through it if you'd rather pull it yourself.
Simi Valley, CA
Get your Simi Valley concrete job planned
Call (805) 261-5009 or send the form before the other trades are booked, because slab heights and drainage are easier to get right when I can plan them with the rest of the project.