We're Form & Finish, a concrete contractor in Torrance, CA. We tear out and replace driveways, patios, walkways and slabs for homeowners across Compton, and we start with what's under the old concrete.
(424) 318-3115
Compton is a short drive from our base in Torrance, and most of what we're called out for here is the everyday concrete around a house: the driveway down the side, the back patio, the walk to the front door. A lot of it is older concrete that's cracked, sunk in spots or tipped so water sits against the house, and the cause is usually underneath, a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed.
The ground itself deserves a look, too. The state geological survey has mapped zones for liquefaction, where loose, wet soil can lose its strength in an earthquake, and for surface fault rupture that cross into Compton, and work on a property in one of those zones may need the hazard studied during permitting, so before we plan a slab foundation, footing or wall, we ask the city about your lot. Water is the other thing to watch. Long Beach, the nearest long-term weather record, averages about 12 inches of rain a year over roughly 35 days, so a badly sloped slab can look fine for months and then show you exactly where it pools.
Send the form or call (424) 318-3115, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Compton address, look at the slab and what's around it, and write up your estimate. It's free, and there's no obligation to book.
(424) 318-3115In Compton we mostly replace tired driveways and back patios, pour new walkways and steps where the old ones have heaved or sunk, and redo garage floors that have cracked and settled. We also build concrete pool decks sloped to drain away from the pool and the house, and slab foundations and footings for additions. When only part of an old slab is the problem, we cut through it cleanly so you don't have to replace the whole thing.
In Compton, permits for new construction, alterations and repairs come from the city's Building and Safety department, and the process runs in person at City Hall, so if your job needs a permit, a trip to the counter goes into the schedule. Before we schedule anything, I check with the city on what your job needs, and if a permit is called for, we handle the paperwork with you. Ask any contractor working here for two things, a California contractor license and a current City of Compton business license.
What you pay mostly follows what's under and around the slab, like how much old concrete comes out and how much base work the ground needs. The schedule follows the permit, the weather and the cure, and I walk you through both with the estimate before we start. We're often out on jobs in Lynwood and Paramount too, so getting our crew and a concrete truck to a Compton driveway on pour day is a short haul from Torrance.
I come out to look at your job and write the estimate myself, and I work alongside our crew on pour day. The person who explained what's under your slab, and what you're paying for, is the one on site making sure it gets done.
If a budget has to give somewhere, I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it decides whether the slab settles. We dig out, pack the ground and set the slope so water runs away from your house.
We've become known for the awkward jobs, like narrow side yards, cuts through old concrete and walls right on a property line. We're licensed and fully insured, satisfaction guaranteed. Call (424) 318-3115 or use the form to tell us about yours.
The price comes down to the size, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs, so I give you a figure after I've seen the driveway rather than over the phone. Thickness, rebar, which is the steel inside that holds the slab together, truck access and the finish move it too. A plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or decorative work.
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because the slab is still curing, slowly gaining strength, and a car's weight too early can crack it. Heat and the mix change the timing, so I'll give you the dates for your driveway when we schedule, and you'll know ahead of time how long you're parking on the street.
Concrete shrinks as it cures, so some cracking is normal, and the real job is deciding where it happens. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, in time, set the slab on a dug-out and packed subgrade, the ground it sits on, and pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry out in the heat. That keeps cracks in the joints instead of running across the middle.
Not for concrete work. The short list of jobs that the city's permit office lets you submit online covers things like window, water heater and re-roof work, and even those get issued and paid at the counter. City Hall is open Monday through Thursday and closed every Friday, so we plan counter visits around that.
Yes. The city requires everyone doing business inside city limits to hold a business license and renew it every year, and it won't take a permit application from anyone without a current one. Ask for it along with the state license before you hire.
A contractor needs a license from the Contractors State License Board when the job needs a building permit, uses hired workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A job is only exempt when all three go the other way, so most driveway and patio jobs call for a licensed contractor.
