Concrete contractor in Santa Monica - driveways and patios built on a solid base
Keystone Beverly Hills Concrete pours driveways, patios, steps, walkways and foundation work for homes in Santa Monica, CA. I come out from Beverly Hills to look at each job, and our crew builds it from the base up.
Concrete work for Santa Monica homes
Santa Monica is a city of older houses on tight lots, with apartment buildings and small commercial blocks mixed in among them. A lot of our calls here are for a driveway that's cracked or lifted, a patio that holds water after the hose runs, or front steps that have worn past patching. We drive over from Beverly Hills, and we do the same kind of work in Culver City and Marina del Rey, so our crew knows what these older lots tend to hide.
On an older house, the slab you see is rarely the whole story. Once the old concrete comes out we often find thin spots, roots, or dirt that was raked level and never packed, so we dig out and rebuild the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, before anything new goes down. Tight access also means planning how the truck, the forms and the crew get in without tearing up your yard.
What we build in Santa Monica
Most driveways we replace here are narrow and run beside the house, so we dig out the old base and pitch the new slab away from your walls.
Small backyards here make every foot count, so we set the patio's height against your door and yard and let water run away from the house.
Want the look of stone or brick on a front walk or patio? Stamped concrete gets there in one pour, and we lay out the pattern first.
On a front walk, we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a place to crack, so cracks land in a straight line.
Older detached garages here often have a cracked, sunken floor. We break it out, rebuild the base and pour a new slab that sheds water toward the door.
Color, exposed stone or a smooth sealed finish can dress up a small front yard. We bring samples so you can choose in person.
Where a yard drops toward the alley or a neighbor's lot, we build the wall's footing and steel first, because that's what keeps it standing.
For a studio, workshop or ground-floor room, we pour an interior slab flat and level, ready for whatever flooring you plan to put down.
Around a backyard pool, we give the deck a textured finish for bare feet and slope it so splash water drains away from the pool and the house.
We rebuild worn steps on older homes with even risers and rebar, steel bars set inside, so they don't pull away from the porch.
A backyard unit or addition starts with a slab foundation, and we build the base, steel and forms to the approved drawings before any concrete arrives.
On older Santa Monica homes, new foundation work often means working under or beside a house that's already there, so we plan access before digging.
Apartment buildings and small shops here often share a tight lot. We can plan the pour in sections so tenants or customers keep some parking.
Footings are the concrete under a wall, post or addition. We check their depth and steel before we pour, because nobody sees them again.
If a corner of the house or a slab has sunk, we look at why it moved first, because lifting it without fixing the cause only buys time.
Need a cracked section taken out, a trench for a pipe or a doorway cut? On a tight lot, saw-cutting keeps the rest of your slab intact.
What older Santa Monica lots ask of a slab
I come out myself to look at your job and write the estimate, and I run the job on site while our crew works, so there's someone there to ask why we're doing each step.
Base before finish
If the budget's tight, we'll trim the finish before the base, because a fancy surface over loose dirt still sinks.
Water away from the house
We check where water runs on your lot before forming, so the new slab falls away from your walls.
Pours timed around the heat
We schedule pours to avoid the midday heat, because concrete that dries too fast ends up with a weak, dusty top.
Joints cut on time
We cut the joints as soon as the slab can take the saw, before it picks its own crack lines.
Licensed, insured, guaranteed
We're licensed and insured, and every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Santa Monica concrete questions
How do I find out if my concrete project needs a permit in Santa Monica?
Start with the city's Permit Services Center, which issues building permits for building, changing, tearing down or repairing a structure. An older city handout gives examples, like fences over seven feet needing a permit, but it doesn't settle driveways or patios, so we check what the city asks for at your address and take care of the permit paperwork when it's needed. The city's process is all online, so documents get uploaded before anyone visits the counter.
Does my concrete contractor need a Santa Monica business license?
Yes, the city requires general and specialty contractors to hold a Santa Monica business license to work there, and its application asks for the contractor's California state license number. Every building permit also carries a business license condition that the contractor clears with the city, so that part is on us, not you.
Which building code applies to a concrete project in Santa Monica?
New permit applications in Santa Monica are reviewed under the current California building standards, which took effect at the start of 2026. Projects submitted before then stay on the older code unless major changes or an expired permit send them back for a new review, so if you've had plans sitting in a drawer, ask us before you count on them.
Do I need a soils report for a foundation or slab in Santa Monica?
The city asks for one on new construction, additions over 750 square feet and certain projects in areas it flags for ground hazards. Permitted work also gets inspected at stages through a final inspection. If a soils report or drawings have to come from you, I'll tell you early so the job isn't stuck waiting on paperwork.
How long does it take to get a building permit for concrete work in Santa Monica?
Some minor projects get approved the same day at the city's counter, but its examples are reroofs, mechanical work and facade repairs, not concrete. A job that needs plan review gets its permit only after that review and every city approval are finished, so we get the paperwork moving early.
What affects the cost of a concrete driveway in Santa Monica?
Size, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs move the price most. Thickness, steel, how easily we can get a truck to a tight lot and the finish you pick change it too, since stamped or decorative work costs more than a broom finish, the brushed texture that gives your tires and shoes grip. After I look at the job, you get a written estimate that explains what's included.
Don't see your city? Call anyway
We're based in Beverly Hills and work across many of the cities around it. Pick yours below, or call (424) 550-5006 if it isn't listed.
Plan your Santa Monica concrete job with us
Call (424) 550-5006 any day from 7 AM to 10 PM, or send us the form, and tell us what's cracking, sinking or holding water.