Concrete Contractor in Ontario, CA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Modern Covina Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Covina that pours driveways, patios and garage floors in Ontario, CA. We tear out what's failed, dig out and pack the base, and pour slabs that drain away from your house.
Ontario homes as we see them on the job
Ontario is a straight run east on the 10 from our base in Covina, just past Pomona. Most of our calls there come from two kinds of houses. In the older neighborhoods, the original driveways and back patios have cracked, dropped at a seam or started holding water against the garage. In the newer tracts, homeowners want a bigger patio, a side yard slab or a wider driveway than the builder poured. Small property owners call too, for walks and parking areas that take traffic every day.
Either way, the job turns on what's under the old concrete, because a slab can only be as good as its subgrade, the dirt and base it sits on. We don't really know what that looks like until we break the old slab out, so I plan for real base work from the start instead of hoping we won't need it.
Services in Ontario, CA
Concrete driveway building
Older Ontario driveways often crack and settle because the base was raked flat instead of packed. We break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour fresh.
Concrete patio construction
Newer tracts come with a small builder patio that's too tight for a table. We pour a larger slab sloped away from the house so water runs off.
Garage floor concrete
Older garage floors get pitted and cracked from years of cars and oil. We replace the worn slab with one reinforced by rebar, steel that keeps cracks tight.
Concrete floor installation
Garage conversions, additions and small shops need an interior slab that stays flat under new walls. Our concrete floor installation starts with a packed base and forms set level.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older Ontario lots often settle into trip edges. We pour new ones with control joints, cut lines that decide where a crack goes.
Concrete cutting
Widening an older Ontario driveway or adding a drain line means opening the existing slab. We saw-cut straight lines so the concrete you keep isn't broken up.
What a concrete job in Ontario has to go through
In Ontario, permits come from the city's Building Department, which reviews the plans and inspects the work. When your job needs a permit, the start date waits on the city's review and inspection calendar as well as on our crew. Before you sign with anyone, ask for their state contractor license and whether they hold an Ontario business license, because the city requires one of contractors who work there, even ones based outside the city.
We check your address first, and when a job needs a permit, we apply for it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections, so you're not the one chasing the city. It's the same way we handle it in Citrus and the other cities around Covina. The price moves with how big the slab is, whether there's old concrete to break out and haul away, how much base work the ground needs and what finish you want. The schedule depends on the permit, if there is one, and on curing, which is the wait the new concrete needs before it can take weight. Your written estimate spells out what's included for your job.
Why Ontario driveways and patios end up needing replacement
Most of the cracked and sinking slabs we see on Ontario's older lots failed from the bottom, not the top. Someone raked the base level instead of digging it out and packing it, so it settled with the dirt. Often nobody checked where the water runs either, so the slab tips toward the house and pools by the garage. We dig out, compact the base, set the forms so the slab falls away from your house, and cut the control joints while the concrete is fresh so cracks follow our lines.
On newer houses the call is usually a patio or a stamped finish, and the base is where people want to cut first, because nobody sees it once the concrete's down. I'd cut the finish before the base. A plain broom finish, the light texture that keeps a slab from getting slick, will hold up better on a good base than a decorative top will on a bad one.
Get a written concrete estimate for your Ontario property
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Ontario address myself, measure, and look at the base and the drainage. Then I send you a free written estimate that spells out what's included, with no pressure and no obligation.
How a concrete job in Ontario goes once you call
Call or send the form
Call (626) 412-8842 or use the form and tell us what the slab is doing. A couple of photos of the cracks or the standing water help me come prepared.
I come out and measure
I look at the site, check the address and measure the area myself. Move the cars off the driveway that day so I can see the whole slab.
You get a written estimate
The estimate lists the tear-out, base work, steel, finish and anything else that's included. Ask me about anything that isn't clear before you decide.
We handle permits and inspections
If your job needs a permit, we apply with the city as the licensed contractor and book the inspections. The city's plan review and inspection dates set when we can start.
We pour and walk through
Our crew forms the slab, places the steel and pours with me on site, and we clean up so the neighbors aren't left with a mess. When it's done, I walk the finished job with you.
Concrete questions from Ontario homeowners
How do I know if I need a licensed contractor for concrete work in Ontario, CA?
You need one if the job requires a building permit, uses hired workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined, according to the Contractors State License Board. The board's only exemption covers a job with no permit and no employees where all the costs together come to less than $1,000, and a bigger job can't be split into smaller contracts to get under that line. A driveway or patio poured by a crew doesn't qualify for that exemption.
How much can a contractor ask for up front on a home project in California?
Under the state contractor board's guidance, a contractor can't ask for or accept a down payment of more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. After that, the payments are listed in the contract and tied to work completed or materials delivered. The rule covers all home improvement projects, concrete included.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Ontario, CA?
The cost comes from your driveway's size and condition, so I give you a figure only after I've measured it. Breaking out and hauling the old slab, the amount of base work, how thick we pour, how much steel goes in, the finish and how easily a truck can reach the spot all move the price up or down. Call (626) 412-8842 to set up the estimate.
What causes a concrete patio to crack, and will a new one crack in Ontario?
Concrete cracks as it shrinks and as the ground moves, so we plan where the cracks go instead of promising they won't happen. The control joints give a crack a straight line to follow, and the packed base underneath keeps the pieces level instead of letting them sink the way the old ones did.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You can walk on it within a few days, but driving on it has to wait longer, because concrete keeps curing and gaining strength well after it looks dry. I'll give you the dates for your pour when we schedule it. It's better to park on the street a few extra days than to leave tire marks in a slab that isn't ready.
What does it cost to extend a building permit in Ontario?
The first extension request on a plan check or permit is free in Ontario. Each extension the city grants after that costs $150 on a residential permit and $300 on a commercial or industrial one, so we plan the work around the permit's dates.
Book your Ontario concrete estimate now
Call (626) 412-8842 or send the form soon, because the longer water gets under a cracked slab, the more base it washes out and the more we have to dig.