Meridian Temple City ConcreteMeridian Temple City Concrete(323) 471-6288
Meridian Temple City Concrete
(323) 471-6288Get an estimate

Concrete contractor in El Monte, CA - driveways and slabs built on a packed base

Meridian Temple City Concrete is a concrete contractor based next door in Temple City. In El Monte we build driveways, patios, walks, slabs, footings and retaining walls, and we cut and replace old concrete around homes and small properties.

Get an estimate(323) 471-6288
New concrete driveway and sidewalk between two houses, with a wide gray slab and straight joints.

How El Monte's homes and lots shape our concrete work

El Monte borders Temple City, where we're based, and Rosemead, so it's a short drive for our crew and for me on estimate day. It's a busy city, with single-family streets, apartment buildings and shops along the main roads. The calls we get here are usually about the concrete around a house: a cracked driveway, a patio that holds water, a walk that's lifted or footings for an added unit out back.

A lot of the houses here are older, with driveways and patios that were poured or patched decades ago. That usually means old concrete to break out and haul before we start, and new work that has to meet the house, the garage and the street at the right heights.

Concrete work we do for El Monte homes and properties

In El Monte we handle the full range of concrete work on a property. That runs from driveways, patios and walks to garage floors, steps, pool decks, retaining walls, footings and foundations, plus cutting and raising. Every job is planned the same way. I come out, measure, and check where the water runs and what's under the old slab. Then we set the layout and grades before any concrete is ordered, because fixing a bad pour usually means tearing it out. Flatwork, the flat jobs like driveways, patios and walks, is what we're best known for.

  • Concrete driveway building

    Driveways carry your cars every day, so the base under them matters more than the top. We pack a firm base and cut control joints, the grooves that give cracks a straight place to go.

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  • Concrete patio construction

    Backyard patios usually get added onto or patched over the years, so the old pieces settle at different rates. We break out the patchwork and pour one slab sloped away from the house.

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  • Stamped concrete services

    Stamped concrete suits front walks and patios where you want the look of stone or brick without loose pieces. We press the pattern into the soft slab and seal it after it hardens.

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  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Front and side walks trip people when roots or settling push one panel above the next. We break out the bad panels and pour new ones level with the sections that stay.

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  • Garage floor concrete

    Garage floors in older homes are often cracked or low, so water runs in under the door. We tear it out, rebuild the base and pour a floor that sheds water outward.

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  • Decorative concrete

    Decorative concrete adds color or texture to a patio or walk, but the slab under it still needs a sound base. We build that first, then add color, scoring or exposed stone.

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  • Concrete retaining walls

    Where a yard steps down or soil leans on a driveway, a retaining wall holds the ground back. We plan its footing and drainage so water doesn't build up behind it.

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  • Concrete floor installation

    Workshops, added rooms and converted garages need an inside floor that's flat and at the right height. We set the base, a moisture barrier and the finish height so doors and flooring line up.

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  • Concrete pool decks

    Pool decks take wet feet all summer, so they need a surface with grip and a slope that sends water to the drains. We set the slope first and texture the top.

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  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps on older homes often settle away from the porch or have uneven risers that catch a toe. We form new steps with even heights on a proper footing.

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  • Slab foundation building

    Added units, garages and room additions need a slab foundation built to the plans the city approves. We follow the engineer's details for base, steel and thickness, and pour once inspection signs off.

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  • Foundation installation

    Foundation work on older houses and new additions starts with what the soil and the plans call for. We dig and form to those plans, and the work is inspected before the pour.

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  • Concrete parking lot building

    Small lots behind shops and apartment buildings take turning tires every day, so thin slabs and weak bases break up fast. We pour thicker over a packed base and grade it to drain.

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  • Concrete footings

    Patio covers, block walls and additions sit on footings, the buried concrete that spreads their weight into firm ground. We dig them to the size and depth on your plans.

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  • Foundation raising

    When a slab or part of a house settles, doors stick and cracks open where the ground dropped. We look for why it settled first and bring in an engineer for structural fixes.

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  • Concrete cutting

    Older properties often need an opening cut for a drain line or doorway, or a bad section cut from a sound slab. We saw straight, clean lines so new concrete meets the old neatly.

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What good concrete work looks like up close

These photos show the trade, not particular jobs, from the dug-out base and forms to the finished surface and cut joints. They're the steps I'll walk you through when I come out to your property in El Monte.

  • Stamped concrete patio with a light stone-like pattern and dark border beside a gray house and lawn.

  • Stamped concrete patio with a wood-grain pattern, surrounding chairs and a circular stone fire pit.

  • Concrete front steps with black railings lead to the entrance of a white-painted brick row house.

Working in El Monte, from the permit counter to the pour

Before we set a start date in El Monte, I sort out which city office looks at the job and what it asks for. Then I walk you through what moves your price and your schedule.

Which El Monte office looks at your job

For work on your property, the city's Building Department is the main contact for plan review, permits and inspections. Work on public property, like a city sidewalk, needs a Public Works permit before anyone starts. Whether your job needs a permit is the city's call, so we ask before we set a start date, and any plan review is usually what that date waits on.

We help you find the right office for your address and put together what it asks for. For a Public Works permit, the city wants proof of a valid contractor license, a City of El Monte business license and liability and workers' comp insurance that names the city, so those are fair things to ask any contractor here to show you.

  • The counter staff tell you which other departments your project needs.
  • Each city runs its own counter, so Pasadena rules don't carry over here.
  • We don't set a start date until the city has answered.

What moves your price and schedule here

Your price mostly comes down to the size and thickness of the slab, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away, how much digging and packing the base needs, and how easily the truck can reach the pour. The finish matters too, since a plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives the surface grip, costs less than stamped or colored work.

The schedule turns on the city's answer, the weather and curing, the wait while new concrete gains strength before you walk or drive on it, and a driveway usually needs a longer wait than a walkway or patio. At the estimate I measure, take photos and write up what your price includes, and we go over the timing together.

  • Breaking out old concrete adds hauling time and cost.
  • Rain can move a pour date, since we won't pour on soaked ground.
  • Your written estimate shows what's included before any work starts.

Book a free on-site concrete estimate in El Monte

Call (323) 471-6288 or send the form, and we'll reply within one business day by phone or email to set a time. I come out to your El Monte property myself to look at the job, and there's no obligation to go ahead.

(323) 471-6288

What we look for on El Monte driveways and yards

Most of what decides how a new slab holds up is under it or around it, not on top. These are the things I check on El Monte properties before I write up a price.

  • What the old slab sat on

    I start with the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on. On older driveways and patios it was often just raked flat, so the slab sank with the dirt. We dig it out and pack a firm base so the new slab has something solid under it.

  • Where water runs off the slab

    Before forms go up, I look at where water runs when it rains. A slab that falls toward the house sends water against the walls and under the doors, so we set the grade to carry it toward the street, a drain or open yard instead.

  • What the old cracks tell us

    Before we tear anything out, I read the cracks in the old concrete. Cracks that wander across a slab usually mean the joints were cut late or skipped, and a sunken corner points to a soft base, so we fix the cause in the new work, not just the surface.

  • Narrow lots and tight side yards

    Lots here are often narrow, and the backyard is usually reached through a side yard not much wider than a wheelbarrow. How the truck, a pump or the wheelbarrows reach the pour changes the crew's day and the plan, so I sort that out at the estimate instead of on pour day.

  • Hot afternoons and pour timing

    Summer afternoons here get hot, and concrete that sets too fast in midday sun can end up with a weak, dusty top that chips later. We plan pours for the cooler morning and keep the surface damp while it cures.

What you get when you hire our crew

I started this business in Temple City in 2017 after learning the trade on a small crew. These are the habits I picked up there and still run every job by.

Layout and grades checked before the truck comes

I learned on a crew where the finishers checked everything twice before the truck showed up, and I still work that way. Once concrete is poured, a wrong grade or a form set off line usually means breaking it out and starting over, so we string the layout, check the slope and fix it while it's still dirt and boards.

When a budget gets tight, the base is the first thing people want to cut, because nobody sees it on day one. I'd rather you pick a plainer finish than a thinner base, since a nice top over soft ground can still crack and sink, while a plain slab on a packed base usually holds up.

  • I price every job in person

    I come out to every estimate myself, so the person who prices your job is the same person who runs the pour. Questions you ask in your driveway get answered by someone who'll be there when the concrete arrives, not passed to someone you've never met.

  • Our own crew, and I run pours

    The work is done by our own small crew, and I'm there running every pour. The people setting forms and packing your base know how I want grades checked, so the plan we agreed on at the estimate is the plan we build.

  • Straight answers about new cracks

    A few fine cracks in new concrete are normal, and I'd rather say so now than have you surprised later. We keep them tight with a packed base, control joints cut on time and, where the job needs it, rebar, steel set inside the slab to hold the pieces together.

  • Licensed, insured, since 2017

    We've run this business since 2017, and we're fully licensed and insured. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. When you're ready, call (323) 471-6288 or send the form, and I'll set a time to come see your property.

Questions El Monte homeowners ask about concrete permits and work

These are questions homeowners in El Monte often ask before a driveway, walk or foundation job. Where the city has its own rule, the answer names the office you'd check with.

Do I need a permit for concrete work on the city sidewalk in El Monte?

Yes. El Monte doesn't allow any work on public property, and a city sidewalk is public property, until you have a permit from Public Works. The same usually goes for a driveway approach where it crosses the sidewalk, so I look at where your work meets the street at the estimate.

How do I apply for a concrete permit in El Monte, and can I do it online?

If your job needs a permit, you apply in person, because El Monte's online portal only handles residential electrical panel upgrades and water heater replacements in the same spot. Building and Safety takes walk-ins with no appointment, and the city's permit applications page has a link to check that your address is inside the city's jurisdiction.

How do I know which building code applies to my concrete project in El Monte?

Anything submitted for a permit on or after January 1, 2026, has to be designed to the current California building codes, which El Monte enforces along with the Los Angeles County amendments. If you filed before that date, your application can stay under the older code as long as its plan check hasn't expired, but once it does, you'd need a new application under the new codes.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in El Monte?

Your price is set by your measurements and your ground, so I give you a written number at the estimate instead of a guess over the phone. The big swings usually come from tearing out the old driveway and the base work under it. If the job reaches onto public property, like the approach at the curb, Public Works fees vary with the type of work and the staff hours needed to review and inspect it.

What does El Monte's earthquake rating mean for a new foundation or footing?

The city's design criteria put El Monte in Seismic Design Category D, one of the higher earthquake categories, unless a soils report for your property sets a different one. That shapes how footings and slab foundations get designed, so we build to the engineer's plans the city reviews, and I'll tell you when a question belongs with your engineer.

Service areas

Besides El Monte, we work in Temple City and the other cities listed here, and in cities around them. If your address isn't on the list, call (323) 471-6288 and ask.

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