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

Concrete contractor in San Gabriel, CA - slabs laid out right on close-set lots

Meridian Temple City Concrete is a concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, walks, slabs and footings in San Gabriel, CA. We set the layout and grades before the truck shows up, so your job gets poured once.

Get an estimate(323) 471-6288
Concrete front steps with black railings lead to the entrance of a white-painted brick row house.

San Gabriel lots as we see them on the job

San Gabriel sits right beside Temple City, where we're based, so it's one of the closest cities we work in. From the streets around the Mission District out to the city line, most lots we see have houses set close together, a driveway running along one side and a back yard without much room to spare.

We do the same work in Sierra Madre and San Marino. On a lot here, the job usually turns on access and water, because the concrete has to get in between houses and the new slab has to carry rain away from walls set close together.

Concrete work we take on in San Gabriel

As a concrete contractor working in San Gabriel, we pour flatwork, the flat concrete of driveways, patios, walks, pool decks and garage floors, and we also take on the careful jobs, like footings, steps, retaining walls, slab foundations and concrete cutting. Every job is planned the same way, starting with me on site checking how water runs off your lot, how firm the ground is and how the truck will reach the forms. Each card below leads to that service's own page.

  • Concrete driveway building

    Narrow side driveways are common here, and old ones often sink near the street. We dig to firm ground, pack the base and slope the new slab away from your garage.

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  • Concrete patio construction

    Small back yards here often get one patio that has to do several jobs at once. We slope it away from your walls and cut joints so any cracks tend to follow straight lines.

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  • Stamped concrete services

    Where a patio or entry is the first thing guests see, many owners want more than plain gray. We press patterns into the fresh concrete, over the same packed base as any slab.

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  • Concrete sidewalk building

    Walks squeezed between the house and the property line catch the roof runoff on a close-set lot. We pitch them to carry it toward the street or yard, away from your foundation.

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  • Garage floor concrete

    Garage floors we see here often crack, heave or drop at the door over the years. We break out the old slab, pack new base and pour a floor that meets the driveway flush.

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  • Decorative concrete

    On a small lot, a colored border can carry the look of a yard. We lay the design out around the joints, so a crack tends to land where the pattern already has a line.

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  • Concrete retaining walls

    Where a yard drops to the next lot, that soil needs holding back. We pour the wall on a solid footing with drainage behind it, so water doesn't build up and push on it.

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  • Concrete floor installation

    Converted garages, workshops and add-on rooms need an indoor floor flat enough for what goes on top. We set the base and a moisture barrier, then trowel the slab smooth for flooring or sealer.

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  • Concrete pool decks

    Pool decks take sun, splashing and bare feet, and the water has to run away from the pool and the house. We slope the deck with care and give it grip for wet feet.

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  • Concrete steps construction

    Old front steps tend to settle and pull away from the house as the dirt beneath washes out. We pour new steps on footings with each step the same height.

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  • Slab foundation building

    New additions, garages and backyard units on these lots usually sit on a slab built to engineered plans. We follow the approved plans and check forms, steel and grades before the truck comes.

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  • Foundation installation

    A new house or addition on a tight lot leaves little room to dig and stage a foundation. We plan the trenches, forms and pour to fit the space you have.

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  • Concrete parking lot building

    Small commercial lots and apartment parking take heavy, turning traffic every day. We build them on a deeper base with thicker concrete and slope them so water doesn't pond in the stalls.

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  • Concrete footings

    Patio covers, block walls and posts need footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight into the ground. We dig them to the depth on the plans and check each hole before we pour.

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  • Foundation raising

    Older homes can settle unevenly, so doors stick and floors slope. We look for the cause and bring in an engineer when needed, because lifting without fixing the cause rarely lasts.

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  • Concrete cutting

    On close-set lots, a new drain line or a wider driveway often means cutting concrete next to a wall. We saw clean, straight lines and keep the mess contained so the rest stays intact.

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What careful concrete work looks like up close

These photos show the stages of a concrete job, from the packed base and forms to the finished surface. They're examples of the trade, and at the estimate we talk through how yours would look.

  • Stone-pattern concrete pool deck beside a rectangular pool, with raised rock landscaping and colorful flower beds.

  • Large concrete patio slabs form a geometric grid with narrow strips of grass between them.

  • Concrete pool deck beneath a black screened enclosure, with landscaping and a blue swimming pool.

Working in San Gabriel: what to settle before the pour

Most of what decides a concrete job in San Gabriel gets settled before anyone digs. Here's who issues the permit, which licenses to ask about, and what moves your price and your schedule.

Permits come from San Gabriel City Hall

The city's Building & Safety Division at City Hall issues permits for building, altering or repairing a one- or two-family home, and whether your driveway, patio or footing needs one is that office's call, not ours. Zoning review by the city's planners usually comes before the permit, so that review can set your start date more than the pour does.

We help you work out what the office asks for and put it together, and we check with it before we set a start. Before you hire anyone, ask to see two licenses, a contractor's license from the state licensing board and a San Gabriel business license, because the city requires both of contractors working here. Ask us too.

  • Building & Safety takes walk-ins in the morning and appointments in the afternoon.
  • Approved grading plans may be needed first if the city's engineers require them.
  • Contractors with employees show proof of workers' comp when the permit is issued.

What moves the price and the schedule

Price follows the ground and the access as much as the size. Breaking out old concrete, digging down to firm soil, the slab's thickness and the rebar, steel bars that hold the slab tight if it cracks, all add to it, and so does how far the concrete travels from the truck. A plain broom finish, the brushed texture for grip, costs less than stamped or colored work.

The schedule turns on the city's review if your job needs one, on the weather, and on curing, the days the concrete needs to gain strength before it takes a load. You can usually walk on it well before you can drive on it. Your own figure comes from the estimate at your property.

  • Tell us about sprinkler lines, drains or utility lines near the slab.
  • Move cars, pots and furniture out of the work area beforehand.
  • Plan parking elsewhere, since the driveway stays closed while it cures.

A free on-site estimate for your San Gabriel concrete job

Send the form or call (323) 471-6288, and we'll reply within one business day by phone or email to set a time. I come out to your San Gabriel property myself to look over the job, and the estimate is free with no obligation.

(323) 471-6288

What San Gabriel lots ask of a concrete job

Most of what we meet here comes down to small lots, close neighbors and old slabs that have been patched before. These are the conditions that shape how we plan and pour on San Gabriel properties.

  • Tight access between houses

    San Gabriel is densely built, and houses often sit close enough that a truck can't get to every side. When the truck's chute can't reach a back patio, we pump the concrete or wheel it in, and we cover walls, fences and plants along the way.

  • Slabs that tip toward the house

    Many of the patios and walks we replace were poured flat or tipped toward the house, so rain runs right to the foundation. We check where the water goes before we set forms, then slope the new slab toward the yard, the street or a drain.

  • New concrete over old concrete

    A common shortcut we find is a thin layer of concrete poured over an old cracked slab. The old cracks usually come back through the new top, so we break out the old concrete, haul it away and pour on a fresh, packed base.

  • Roots under driveways and walks

    When a driveway or walk has heaved up in one spot, a tree root is often the reason. New concrete over the same root usually lifts again, so before we dig we talk through whether the tree stays and how the layout can work around it.

  • Pour timing on hot days

    Concrete poured in midday heat can dry on top before it's finished, and that leaves a weak, dusty surface that chips later. On hot days we start early, have the crew set before the truck arrives and keep the slab damp while it cures.

How we run your job, from estimate to cleanup

I started this business in Temple City in 2017, after learning the trade on a small crew where the finishers checked everything twice before the truck came. That habit still runs every job we take.

We spend your budget on the base first

The base is the part nobody sees once the slab is poured, so it's usually the first thing people want to cut. I think that's backwards. The subgrade, the ground and gravel the slab sits on, carries every load, and when it's only raked level instead of dug out and packed, the slab settles with the dirt and cracks where nobody chose.

So when the budget is tight, I'd rather pour a plain broom finish than skimp on the base. We dig out soft ground, pack the base and check the grades before the truck is called, because a bad base only gets fixed by tearing out good concrete. A fancy finish sits on top of the base, so it can only be as good as what's underneath.

  • I run the pours myself

    The work is done by our own small crew, and I run the pours myself instead of sending out people you've never met. The person who looked at your grades and drainage at the estimate is the one checking forms and steel when the truck backs up.

  • Licensed and insured, with proof on request

    We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to see proof of both before we start. It's the same check we suggest above for any contractor working in San Gabriel, and it's worth doing no matter who you hire.

  • Your satisfaction, guaranteed

    Before we pack up, I walk the finished work with you, tell you when it's ready to walk and drive on, and explain how to treat it while it cures. If anything looks off to you, say so right there, so we can talk it through on site.

  • What the price includes, in writing

    At your property I measure, take photos and write up what the price includes, so you can compare it line by line with another bid. To set one up, call (323) 471-6288 or use the form on this page.

Questions San Gabriel homeowners ask about concrete work

These are the questions we hear most from San Gabriel homeowners planning a driveway, patio or slab. The permit and license answers follow what the city and the state say.

How do I pull my own permit for concrete work in San Gabriel?

If your job needs a permit, you can get it yourself at City Hall when you live in the home or plan to, by filling out the city's permit application and showing proof that you live there and own it. You then do the work yourself and sign a statement that you won't employ anyone in a way covered by California workers' compensation laws. If you hire a licensed contractor instead, the contractor can get the permit.

Does an out-of-town concrete contractor need a license to work in San Gabriel?

Yes, a contractor based outside San Gabriel needs both a city business license and a California contractor's license to work here. The city requires every business doing work in San Gabriel to hold a license and pay its yearly business license tax wherever the business is based, and its guidance names contractors. The state requires a contractor's license when a job needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and the city expects contractors here to hold one in good standing.

How much does a new concrete driveway cost in San Gabriel?

The price depends on your own driveway, so we write it up after seeing the site rather than guessing over the phone. On a driveway, the swing items are usually the tear-out of the old slab, whether the walk or steps get redone at the same time, and whether you choose a broom finish or a stamped one. Call (323) 471-6288 and I'll come measure.

What causes a concrete driveway to crack, and will a new one crack too?

Most bad cracking comes from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, water running under the slab, or control joints that were cut late or skipped. Control joints are grooves we cut into the fresh slab so it cracks along a line we picked instead of across the middle. A new slab can still get a few fine cracks, which is normal for concrete, but with a packed base and joints cut on time, they usually stay tight.

Service areas

We're based in Temple City and work across the cities around it, including the ones listed below. If yours isn't on the list, call (323) 471-6288 or send the form and ask.

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