Concrete driveway building in South Gate CA - a slab that drains to the street
Cracks, sunken spots and water pooling by the garage start underneath. We build the base first, then pour a slab sized for what you park.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a concrete driveway in South Gate?
Concrete driveway building in South Gate means forming, pouring and finishing a new slab on packed ground, so you end up with a hard surface to drive and park on that sends water to the street instead of your garage.
Most people call because the old driveway has cracked, sunk at one corner or started holding a puddle by the garage door, or because they're tired of parking on dirt. The price moves with the size of the slab, how thick it has to be for what parks on it, how much digging and packing the ground needs and the finish you pick. The schedule mostly depends on whether the job needs a permit, plus the wait while the new concrete cures before your car goes on it. I come out, look at the ground and send you a written estimate for your driveway, so you're working from real numbers.
How do you know your driveway needs replacing?
Cracks that keep growing
A crack that widens or wanders across the slab usually means the ground underneath moved or the joints were never cut. Water gets in through it, and the pieces drift a little farther apart every year.
Puddles by the garage
If water sits at the garage door after a rain or a car wash, the slab falls toward the house instead of the street. That water ends up at your foundation and under the slab, softening the ground it rests on, so it rarely fixes itself.
One corner has dropped
A sunken section or a lip where the driveway meets the walk usually means the dirt under it was never packed and has settled since. Today it's a trip hazard, and later it's a broken slab.
How we build a concrete driveway
First, tell us what parks on it, because a work truck and a sedan don't need the same slab. Then I look at where the water runs now, and we plan the slope so it heads for the street, not your garage. Our crew digs out the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and packs it firm, because a base that's only raked level settles right along with the dirt. We set the forms and the rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks, where the load calls for it, then pour early in the day so the top doesn't bake into a weak, dusty surface. A broom finish gives tires and shoes some grip, and we cut control joints the same day, shallow grooves that tell the concrete where to crack, so it doesn't pick its own spots. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather cut the finish than the base. Nobody sees the base on day one, which is why it's the first thing people want to trim, and concrete is patient enough to show you years later exactly where it was skimped.
Plenty of people get the yard done while we're set up. A concrete patio goes in on the same kind of packed base with the same crew, and stamped concrete is the way to go if you want a pattern instead of plain gray.
Plain broom finish
This suits most driveways and most budgets, because the light texture gives grip without anything extra to pay for or keep up. It's what we pour unless you ask for something else.
Heavier slab for trucks
This one is for a work truck, a camper or anything heavy that parks there regularly. It takes more concrete and steel, and that costs less than a slab that cracks under the tires.
Decorative border or color
This is for a driveway that's part of the front yard's look. A colored or patterned band along the edges dresses it up for less than doing the whole slab.
Get a written estimate for your new driveway
Send us the rough size and what parks on it. We reply within one business day, then I come out to measure and write the estimate, free and with no obligation.
Call (213) 329-1420- Based in
- South Gate, CA 90280
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about a new driveway in South Gate?
Here's how a driveway job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call and describe the driveway
Call (213) 329-1420 or use the form, and tell us roughly how big it is and what parks on it. That tells me what to look for before I show up.
I measure and write it up
I check the ground, where the water runs and anything in the way, then send you a written estimate. It lays out the size, thickness and finish, so you can see what you're paying for and compare it line by line.
Permits, prep and the pour
If the job needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspections. Our crew does the prep, forms and pour, and I'm usually there on pour day.
Walk the finished slab together
I walk the job with you before we pack up, so you can ask your questions while we're still on site. We'll also go over how long the slab needs before your car goes on it.
Why South Gate homeowners call Allied South Gate Concrete Company for driveways
I write your estimate myself
I come out myself to measure, look at the ground and write the estimate, and I'm usually on site for the pour. The person who priced the base is the one checking it before concrete covers it.
Trained on city sidewalk crews
I learned concrete pouring sidewalk and curb on a municipal crew, then started this business in South Gate in 2023. That's where I learned that flatwork, meaning the flat pours like driveways and walks, has to drain and sit flat, and it's still what we're best known for.
Licensed, insured and glad to show it
We're fully licensed and insured. Ask to see it at the estimate, because that cover protects you if someone gets hurt on your property.
Send us the rough size and what parks on it through our estimate request, or call (213) 329-1420.
Driveways, patios and city permits in South Gate
In South Gate, the city's Building and Safety Division is the place to ask about permits, and the city says one is typically required for any home improvement, repair, alteration, construction or demolition project. Whether your driveway needs one is the city's call, so we check before we schedule, and when it does, we pull it and set up the inspections. Work in the public right-of-way, such as the sidewalk and curb where the driveway meets the street, needs a separate encroachment permit from the city. Most home driveways are far smaller than the 5,000 square feet of disturbed soil that triggers the city's extra plan review, but if your project is that big, ask the city about it early.
A lot of lots around here are narrow, with the driveway running past the house between a wall and a fence, and the concrete truck can't always get close. We plan how the concrete gets from the street to the back before pour day and protect the house and the neighbor's side along the way, the same as we do on jobs in Huntington Park and Cudahy.
Questions about concrete driveways in South Gate
Call (213) 329-1420How much does a concrete driveway cost in South Gate?
A plain concrete driveway in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $7 to $18 per square foot installed. Where yours lands depends on the size, the thickness, how much ground prep it needs and the finish you choose, and our written estimate gives you the number for your driveway.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
A concrete trade group's guide says 4 inches is generally enough for a home driveway, unless heavy trucks park on it regularly. A state concrete association figures that going from 4 to 5 inches adds about 20% to the concrete cost and carries nearly 50% more load, so a heavy truck is worth bringing up before you get a price.
How long after pouring a driveway can I drive on it?
A concrete trade group's guide says to wait at least 7 days before driving on a new driveway. Curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength, needs that time, so plan to park on the street or somewhere else for that week.
Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?
Concrete can still crack, so the goal is small cracks that stay in the joints we cut, not ones running across the slab. Fibers mixed into the concrete can help control early shrinkage cracks, though steel may still be needed for a driveway that takes heavy traffic.
What causes a concrete driveway to sink?
Most sinking comes from soft or loose ground under the slab that was never dug out and replaced. Guides call for removing soft spots and filling them with gravel or crushed rock before the pour, and a national guide notes that many western states have expansive soils that call for a layer of crushed rock under the slab. I look at the ground on the estimate visit for exactly this reason.
How do I check a concrete contractor in California before hiring?
Make sure they hold a California license that covers concrete work. The state licensing board has a concrete class, C-8, for pavement and flat work, and every active C-8 contractor has to carry workers' comp or a certificate of self-insurance even with no employees, so ask to see it.
Other concrete work that goes well with a driveway
Concrete patio construction
If the back yard is dirt or broken pavers, a patio poured on the same packed base gives you a flat spot for chairs and a grill.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a stone or brick pattern into the fresh slab, across the whole driveway or just a border, without loose pavers to reset later.
Where we build driveways around South Gate
Allied South Gate Concrete Company is based in South Gate, CA, and the 12 areas below each have their own page, including Downey and Long Beach. If your city isn't listed, call and ask.
South Gate, CA
Get your new driveway measured and priced
If the job needs a city permit, starting early gives the paperwork time to clear before your pour.