Foundation installation in Monterey Park CA - a dry, level start for your new house
Not sure whether your new house should sit on a slab or a raised floor? We'll explain both, then build from your engineer's plans.
What goes into building a new foundation in Monterey Park?
Foundation installation in Monterey Park means building the concrete your house sits on, either a slab poured over a packed base or the footings and piers under a raised floor, built from your engineer's plans so the house starts out level and dry.
Most people who call us about a foundation are building something new, a house, an addition or a back unit, with plans drawn or on the way. The price moves with the size of the footprint, the choice between a slab and a raised floor, how much dirt has to move to get firm, level ground, and how much steel and depth your engineer calls for. The schedule depends mostly on what happens before the pour, which means the plan check, the permits and the dirt work, and less on the concrete itself. I'll give you a written number after I've seen the lot, in an estimate that spells out what's included.
Why Monterey Park owners trust us with foundations
You can count on plain answers and careful work on the parts you can't see once it's poured, which are the base, the steel and where the water goes.
The owner at every estimate
I come out to every estimate myself, and my crew and I do the work.
In business since 2013
That's 13 years running this business, after learning under a boss who made me redo anything that wasn't right.
Fully licensed and insured
Under California's contractor license rules, forming, pouring and finishing concrete is licensed work, and we're fully licensed and insured.
Satisfaction guarantee
Every foundation we build is backed by our satisfaction guarantee, from the dirt work up to the finished concrete.
Hard news before the pour
If your lot needs extra dirt work or the plans call for more steel, I'll tell you at the estimate.
The foundations we install
I walk you through a slab and a raised floor plainly, including what each one means for reaching pipes later, and then we build from your engineer's plans.
What happens when you call about a foundation in Monterey Park?
We plan a foundation around your engineer's drawings, the city's review and your own building schedule, and we set the pour date once the paperwork is clear.
Call or send the form
Call (626) 597-0325 or send the form with your lot address and any plans, and we'll get back to you to set up a visit.
I come out
I measure the lot, look at drainage and access, and go over a slab versus a raised floor with your plans in front of us.
Estimate, then permits
Your written estimate spells out what's included. Once you say yes, we pull the permits, and you can follow plan check on the city's Citizen Access portal.
The build and walk-through
We set a date around the permit wait, my crew and I do the work, and I walk the finished foundation with you.
Questions about a step? Call and talk it through.
(626) 597-0325Foundation questions we hear most
How much does a slab foundation cost in Monterey Park?
An installed slab foundation in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $8 to $16 per square foot. That's the going rate for a slab only, not for a raised floor, and it isn't our price. Where your job lands depends mostly on the dirt work and what your engineer calls for, and your own number comes in the written estimate after I've seen the lot.
Will a new concrete foundation crack?
Most concrete gets a few fine cracks as it dries and shrinks, so the honest answer is that we control where they go instead of promising none. We place rebar, the steel that holds the concrete together if it cracks, where your engineer's plans call for it. We also cut control joints, which are grooves that give the concrete a straight line to crack along instead of a random one. I'd rather you hear that now than spot a hairline crack later and worry.
What causes a new slab to sink after it's poured?
A slab usually sinks because the dirt under it was raked level instead of being dug out to firm ground and packed, so it keeps settling and takes the concrete with it. We dig down to firm soil and pack the base in layers before any forms go up, because that subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, is what holds the house up.
What is the best way to keep water away from a new foundation?
The best way is to set the grade so the ground and any flatwork around the house slope away from the foundation, not toward it. A patio or walk that falls toward the walls sends every rain back at the house, so I check where your water runs before we set a single form.
Why does a slab foundation need a vapor barrier?
A vapor barrier is a plastic sheet laid over the packed base, and it stops ground moisture from wicking up through the concrete into your house. We keep the sheet whole while the steel goes in, because moisture gets through at any tear.
Is it OK to pour a foundation during a hot Monterey Park summer?
Yes, but we schedule the pour for the cooler early part of the day, because concrete that sets too fast in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top. We also watch the curing, the stretch of days the concrete needs to gain strength before it carries weight, so it doesn't dry out too fast in the sun.
What Monterey Park asks before foundation installation
The city requires a building permit to build any building or structure. Its permit list names garages, patios, pools, roofing and windows but doesn't name foundations on their own, so we ask the city's Building and Safety office what your job needs. When a job needs a city or county permit, we pull it ourselves. If getting the lot to grade takes more than 50 cubic yards of cut and fill, the city's Public Works Department requires a separate grading permit on top of the building permit. The city's plan check list also says plans come from an architect or engineer registered with the State of California. The exception is a wood-framed home designed strictly to the code's conventional construction rules. That list was written under the older state code, and a newer one is now in effect, so we check the current rule before anything is submitted. If your property is in a geologic hazard zone, the list also calls for a soils report and a geologic hazard study. We plan the schedule around all of those waits, so the pour date holds up.
We're based in Monterey Park and work across the cities around it. Many of the lots we see here are sloped, so the dirt work before the pour is a job of its own. Others are tight, so getting forms, steel and concrete to the back of the property takes planning. We see the same kinds of lots on foundation jobs in Alhambra and Rosemead.
Plan your foundation with Signature Monterey Park Concrete
Call (626) 597-0325 or email estimates@concretecontractormontereypark.com while your plans are with the engineer, so we can plan the foundation before your framer is ready.