We're a concrete contractor based in Malibu, CA, and we build and replace driveways, patios, pool decks and steps for homes in Westlake Village. Call (424) 388-5404 to talk through your job.
(424) 388-5404
Most calls from Westlake Village are about the concrete around a house that's been lived in for a while. We hear about a driveway that's dropped where it meets the garage, a patio with a crack running across it, or a pool deck chipping at the edges, and we also hear from owners working through a rebuild with their architect. When we break out an old slab, the cause is usually underneath it, in a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or water that was left to run toward the house.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day, by phone or by message, to set a time. The estimate is free, done at your Westlake Village property, and comes with no obligation. I 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) 388-5404Most of our work here is flatwork, meaning flat slabs like driveways, patios, walkways and pool decks, and it usually starts with replacing a slab that's settled or cracked. A driveway or walk usually gets a broom finish, the light texture that keeps it from turning slick when it's wet. We also build steps, retaining walls and garage floors, do decorative concrete like stamped and colored finishes for patios and pool surrounds, and pour footings and slab foundations alongside your architect or engineer on a rebuild.
Westlake Village contracts with Los Angeles County for all of its building and safety work, so building and grading permits come from County Public Works after County and city staff review them side by side. The city's planning department also issues a zoning clearance, a quick sign-off that the plan fits the city's zoning rules, for patios, pools and decks among other work. When your job needs one of these approvals, the review sets the start date, so we plan the pour around it. When you're comparing contractors, check for a state contractor license. The city doesn't issue business licenses, but the County requires one for certain kinds of businesses.
Before I price a Westlake Village job, I look into what the office for your address asks for and tell you what I found. Where approvals are needed, we can handle the concrete side of the paperwork or work alongside your architect or engineer, though that office has the final word on your own lot. The price moves with the size of the area, how easily we can get concrete to it, whether an old slab has to come out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on approvals and on curing, the days new concrete needs to harden before you use it. We do the same work next door in Thousand Oaks, and your written estimate spells out each of those pieces for your property.
I ran a sign shop for years before concrete, and a job there was only right if every measurement was right. I bring that here, checking the grade and where the water runs before we set forms, so your new slab sheds water away from the house.
The subgrade, which is the ground your slab sits on, and the packed base over it decide most of how a slab holds up. I write down the base, the thickness and the rebar, the steel that keeps any cracks tight, so you know what you're paying for.
We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm on site with our crew while the work is done. On a rebuild, we work alongside your engineer, architect or soil consultant. Satisfaction guaranteed. Call (424) 388-5404 or use the form to set up a visit.
You apply online through the County's permit system, EPIC-LA, because the County handles building and safety for the city. The County's Building and Safety office for the city is in Calabasas, but most of the business can be done online, and the city takes its residential zoning clearance online only. I check what your job needs before I price it, so you know what you're applying for.
A state contractor license applies when the job needs a building permit, when the contractor uses employees, or when labor and materials on the project total $1,000 or more. A larger job can't be split into contracts under $1,000 to get around that. Anyone who sells or signs home improvement contracts for a licensed contractor also has to register with the state licensing board, with limited exceptions.
A contractor can't ask for or take more than $1,000 down on a home improvement job, and on smaller contracts the limit is lower because it's also capped at a share of the contract price. Every other payment has to be listed in the contract and tied to work done or materials delivered. That's the state's rule for all home improvement projects, so it's worth checking any contract you're handed against it.
The County keeps all building and safety records for Westlake Village, including permits, plans and certificates of occupancy, and you get them from the County, not from City Hall. They're worth pulling before a rebuild or a new pool deck, because old plans can show what's already in the ground where we'll be digging.
Your price comes from the written scope I put together after measuring your driveway, with every line priced from removal to base to finish so you can compare it against another bid. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you choose a plainer finish than thin out the base. Nobody sees the base on day one, but it's what keeps a slab from settling with the dirt under it.
You'll wait longer to drive on it than to walk on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for days after the pour and needs that curing time to carry a car without damage. The exact wait depends on the mix and the conditions on pour day. I tell you the walk-on and drive-on timing before we pour so you can plan where to park.
Most cracks come from a base that settled, water running under the slab, or missing control joints. Control joints are the grooves we cut to give the slab a straight line to crack along, and cracks wander when they're cut late or skipped. Concrete can still crack, so I won't promise yours never will. We dig out and pack the base, check where the water goes and cut the joints on time, so any crack lands in a joint instead of across the middle.
