True North Malibu Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Malibu, CA, and our crew builds driveways, patios, steps, walls and slabs on Topanga's hillside lots. I come out to measure every job myself, and I write down what goes under the concrete before we start.
(424) 388-5404
Most Topanga properties we look at sit on a slope. A driveway climbs from the road to the house, a patio gets cut into the hillside, and the flat, firm subgrade a slab needs, meaning the ground it sits on, usually has to be dug out and built back up with packed base before any concrete goes in.
The canyon is dry for much of the year and sits in high fire hazard areas, so some of our calls here come from owners working through a rebuild with their architect or engineer. That dry heat matters on pour day too, because hot afternoons pull water out of fresh concrete too fast and leave a weak, dusty top, so we plan pours for the cooler part of the day.
We reply within one business day, by phone or by message, to set up a time. The estimate is free, done at your Topanga property and comes with no obligation. I measure the area, look at access and any existing concrete, then send a written scope with a price you can compare line by line.
(424) 388-5404On Topanga lots we're usually building driveways that climb to the house, patios and pool decks set into a slope, steps where the grade changes, and retaining walls that hold the hillside back. We also pour slabs and footings for rebuilds, cut out concrete that's cracked, sinking or uneven, and pour garage floor concrete for garages at the top of a long drive. Flatwork, our word for driveways, patios, walks and floors, is most of what we do here.
Topanga is unincorporated, so LA County Public Works issues building permits here, and when a job needs a plan check, an expert review of the plans, those plans go in with the application, which means approvals usually set the start date more than the pour does. A few properties fall to another office, so enter your street address or parcel number in the County's Service Locator and it returns the office that handles yours. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor license, and know that the County's own business license follows where a company is located, not where your job is. Before we price a job, I look into what the office for your address asks for, tell you what I found and plan the start around any approvals, handling the concrete side of the paperwork or working alongside your architect or engineer, though that office has the final word on your lot.
Here the price usually moves with slope and access. A long, narrow drive limits how close the truck can get, a steep grade means more digging and more base, and old concrete has to be broken out and hauled away first, while thickness, the steel inside the slab, any retaining wall and the finish you pick add to it as well. The schedule turns on approvals, the weather and the canyon road, which can close during a fire or another emergency. We do the same work in Calabasas and Westlake Village, but Topanga lots usually take more planning before the first truck arrives, and the estimate gives you your own figures in a written scope.
What goes under the slab is hidden on day one, so it's the first thing a tight budget cuts. I'd rather you trim the finish. We dig out soft ground and pack the base, because a slab only holds up as well as what it sits on.
Before anything is dug, you get a written scope that lists the base, the thickness, the steel, the joints and the finish, with a price beside each line. If something changes once the ground is open, I'll write that down too and go over it with you first.
I come out to look at your property and take the measurements myself, and our crew does the work with me on site. When your project has an engineer, architect or soil consultant, we work alongside them and build to the plans they've drawn for your lot.
We're fully licensed and insured, and I'll show you the paperwork before you sign anything. Satisfaction guaranteed. When you're ready to talk about your driveway, patio or wall, call (424) 388-5404 or use the form, and I'll set up a time to come out.
The price depends mostly on the ground under the driveway and how hard it is to reach, not just its size. A steep, long drive needs more digging, more base and sometimes a retaining wall, and tight canyon access can mean pumping the concrete instead of chuting it straight from the truck. A plain broom finish, a brushed texture that gives tires and feet grip on a slope, costs less than stamped or decorative work, and I'll send a written scope you can compare line by line.
Usually, yes, since patios and retaining walls are both on LA County Public Works' list of building permit categories, along with pools and grading work. The list doesn't name driveways or walks, so it doesn't settle those either way. I check with the office for your address before pricing and tell you what I found.
A state contractor license applies when the project needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials, which takes in nearly any driveway or patio. The state licensing board also says contractors in home improvement must be licensed before they bid. Ask anyone you're talking to for their license before they hand you a price.
After a wildfire or another declared disaster, the state licensing board says the law treats rebuilding a home as a home improvement project, so the contractor must use a fixed-price contract that lists the full agreed price. The down payment is also capped at $1,000, or less on a smaller contract. On a rebuild we work alongside your architect and engineer, and our part of the scope is in writing before anything starts.
Most early cracks come from the base, ground that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settles with the dirt. Water that runs toward the house and control joints cut late or skipped make it worse, since those joints are the shallow cuts that give concrete a straight place to crack as it shrinks. We cut joints on time, check where the water runs before the forms go in, and add rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it does crack.
Start with the ground and the water, not the finish. I look at the grade, how the truck gets in and where runoff goes, and whether the slope calls for a retaining wall or grading, which can bring a permit with it. Then you get a written scope, and we set the start around any approvals.
You can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for days while it cures, the slow hardening that needs time and moisture. Heat and dry canyon air change that pace, so I give you the dates for your own pour in writing instead of a rule of thumb. Until then, keep cars and heavy loads off it, even if the surface looks done.
