True North Malibu Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Malibu, CA, and we pour driveways, patios, walks and footings for homes in Culver City. I measure every job myself, and the base under your slab gets the same care as the finish on top.
(424) 388-5404
Most of the Culver City calls we get are about driveways and back patios that have been down a long time. They're cracked across, lifted by a tree root or sinking where water has run under them for years, and when we break the old slab out, the trouble is usually underneath, a thin base raked over loose dirt that settled the way the dirt did.
Lots here are often tight, with a narrow driveway running beside the house to a garage in back, so we plan where the truck parks, how far we wheel the concrete and how we protect walls, fences and the neighbor's side. We also hear from owners partway through a remodel or a backyard ADU, where the architect or engineer has drawn the footings and slab and needs a crew that pours to the drawings.
Tell us about your Culver City job and we'll reply within one business day, by phone or by message, with no obligation. I come out for a free on-site estimate, measure the area, look at access and any existing concrete, then send you a written scope with a price you can compare line by line.
(424) 388-5404Here we mostly replace old driveways, back patios and front walks, and we pour new garage floors, steps and pool decks where the old ones have cracked or shifted. On remodels and backyard ADUs we handle the footings, slabs and foundation installation to the engineer's drawings, and we do concrete cutting when an old slab has to come out in sections on a narrow lot.
In Culver City, the city's Building Safety Division handles permits, plan check and inspections, and it's the office that decides whether your job needs a permit. Its list of work that needs one names additions, remodels, ADUs, repairs and new construction but doesn't name driveways or patios, so before I price a job I look into what the division asks for at your address and tell you what I found. Where a permit is needed, the division's current estimate for plan check is about 15 to 20 business days from payment and routing, and that can change, so we set the start around it and can handle the concrete side of the paperwork or work with your architect or engineer.
Your price moves most with the parts you won't see, like how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and how far we wheel concrete when the truck can't reach the back of the lot. Size, thickness, rebar, the steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks, and the finish come next, and the schedule turns on any permit, the weather and the curing wait, all of it listed in the written scope you get with your estimate. Ballona Creek carries runoff for a big part of the basin, but that tells you nothing about how water moves on your lot, so I check where yours runs and slope the slab away from the house. We're based in Malibu and do the same work in Santa Monica and the other cities around it.
What goes under the slab decides whether it settles or cracks, so we dig out soft soil and pack the base instead of raking it level. It's the part nobody sees on day one, and it's the last place I'd cut to save money.
I write down the base depth, slab thickness, steel and finish before any work begins, along with the price for each. You can hold it next to another bid and see exactly what you're paying for, and what you're not.
Concrete shrinks as it cures, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give a crack a straight place to form, before it can pick its own spot. On hot days we pour early, because a slab finished in midday heat dries into a weak, dusty top.
We're fully licensed and insured. I come out for the estimate myself and I'm on site with our crew while we work, and on rebuilds we work alongside your engineer, architect or soil consultant. Satisfaction guaranteed. Call (424) 388-5404 to set up a visit.
I give you a price after I've measured, in a written scope that lists tear-out, base, steel and finish line by line, because on most older driveways those change the total more than the size does. A broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or decorative concrete. The estimate is free, so it's an easy place to start.
A Culver City building permit becomes invalid if the work hasn't started within 12 months of issuance, or if work stops for 180 days after it starts. The division can grant extensions of up to 180 days each when conditions keep the work from being finished, though an extension can come with conditions, added fees or new permits. We plan the start date so the permit doesn't run out on you.
You email the Building Safety Division at building.safety@culvercity.org with the details the division asks for. On a permitted job, we hold the pour until any inspection due before it has been done, so nothing gets buried under concrete before it's checked.
You can usually walk on a new slab within a few days and drive on it later, once it has cured, which is the slow gain in strength concrete makes while it stays damp. I tell you in writing when you can use yours, because heat, the mix and the thickness change it, and on a narrow lot it helps to plan where you'll park in the meantime.
Most cracking and sinking starts under the slab, where a base was raked level over loose dirt instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settles as the dirt does. Water running underneath, a pour in midday heat and control joints cut late or skipped add cracks in places nobody chose. We fix the base and the drainage first, so the new slab starts on better ground than the old one had.
The program covers older, wood-frame, multi-unit buildings that are vulnerable in earthquakes, and a city ordinance requires their owners to complete a seismic evaluation and retrofit work within set timelines. If you own that kind of building, check your timeline with the Building Safety Division. When your engineer's retrofit plan calls for new footings or foundation work, we pour it to their drawings and work alongside them.
