Decorative concrete in Palos Verdes Estates, CA - a finish you see before the pour
Plain gray slab that doesn't suit your house? We make a sample on site first, so the finish you approve is the one we pour.
The owner prices your job in person
I come out to look at your yard and write the estimate myself, so the person pricing your job is the one who'll be back to watch it. Our crew forms, pours and finishes, and I'm by the site while they work.
In business since 2013, trained old school
I learned concrete under a finisher who'd make me pull my forms and set them again if they were off at all. That's still how we work, so the base and forms get our time before the finish does.
Fully licensed and insured for your job
We're fully licensed and insured. California's contractor license board lists a concrete class for people who form, pour and finish flat concrete, so ask anyone you're considering about it. Call (424) 307-8097 or use the form below to set up a visit.
Decorative concrete in Palos Verdes Estates
Decorative concrete is poured concrete given a finish that looks like more than a slab, through stamping, color, stains or overlays, and several can be combined on one surface. It suits Palos Verdes Estates homeowners who want a patio, walk or driveway that fits the house instead of plain gray.
Most calls start with a plain or worn slab and a picture of something nicer. What moves the price is how big the area is, whether old concrete has to come out, how much digging and packing the base needs, and how many colors and patterns you want on one surface, since each added step is more labor during the pour. I'll give you your own figure when I come out for the estimate.
The schedule turns on the approvals before we pour, then on curing, the wait while the concrete gains strength before you use it. The city's list of code questions names remodeling, additions, walls and fences but not decorative concrete, so that list doesn't settle whether you need a permit. When a job does need one, we take care of it and set up the inspections, and if it's unclear, we check with the city's Planning and Building Departments before we start.
How we build decorative concrete and the work around it
Base work comes before the finish
Everyone looks at the finish, but the base is what decides whether that finish stays flat, so when a budget gets tight I'd rather you pick a simpler pattern than skimp underneath. We dig out and pack the ground the slab sits on instead of raking it level, because loose dirt settles and takes a good-looking surface down with it. We also check where the water runs, so the new slab sheds it away from your house instead of toward it.
Your finish, sampled on site first
Before we do the whole area, we make a sample on site with the same mix and the same tools we'll use on your job, so you see the real color and texture next to your house and in your own light. A picture online and a slab beside your own walls can look very different. If the color runs too warm or the texture too heavy, we adjust the sample, not a finished patio you're stuck with.
Joints planned into the pattern
Control joints are the grooves cut or tooled into a slab to give its cracking a planned place to happen, and on decorative work they show. We plan them into the design, along a stamped grout line, a border or a change of color, so they look like they belong there. If your project runs into a raised planter, we can plan concrete retaining walls with it, and indoors, concrete floor installation gets the same joint planning around the room.
Get a free estimate for your decorative concrete
Send photos, the rough size and the look you want, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out, look at the site and write up a free estimate with no obligation.
(424) 307-8097How a decorative concrete job goes
I come out and look
You call or write, and I come out myself to look at the area and hear what you want before I write up the estimate. Pictures of patterns or colors you've saved help, because they make it easier to price the finish you actually want.
Approvals, ground and forms
Once you're ready, we sort out any permits and Homes Association steps. Then our crew digs out and packs the ground, sets the forms and makes your sample, and we don't pour the full area until you've approved it.
Pour, finish and walk-through
We plan pour day inside the city's construction hours, Monday to Thursday 7 AM to 7 PM, Friday 7 AM to 5:30 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 5:30 PM. Our crew pours and finishes with me by the site, then we walk the job together.
Decorative concrete questions in Palos Verdes Estates
What decorative concrete looks can I choose from in Palos Verdes Estates?
You can pick stamped patterns that look like cobblestone, slate, brick, wood planks or flagstone, or use stains and overlays, and several can be combined on one surface. Stamped color comes from color mixed into the concrete, a hardener on the top and a release agent for depth. The pattern has to be chosen before the pour.
How can I see the color and finish before it's poured?
Look at a sample made on site with the job's own materials and tools before the full area goes in. One color maker calls for that mock-up to approve color and finish and to check how slippery it is wet and dry. Ask about sealing too, since one maker's no-gloss protection keeps traction and typically lasts 5 to 10 years when properly applied.
Will my new decorative concrete crack like my old slab did?
It can still crack, but one maker notes that control joints placed correctly and on time keep random cracking to a minimum. Crews either tool the joints in during the pour or saw them once the concrete has set up enough to cut, so ask any contractor which way and when. We'll go over ours at the estimate.
Who reviews a decorative concrete project in Palos Verdes Estates?
Most projects need the Palos Verdes Homes Association's approval, and its Art Jury can review any plans for a property's outside look. Reach it at (310) 373-6721. The city's Planning Department, at (310) 378-0383, takes grading and set-back questions. We'll help you get the Homes Association and Art Jury paperwork ready.