Concrete cutting in El Monte CA - clean openings right where your project needs them
Need a trench for a pipe, a doorway in a foundation wall or a broken piece of slab out? We cut it straight and clean.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What's involved in cutting an opening in a concrete slab or wall?
Concrete cutting in El Monte is how we open up an existing slab or wall without wrecking the rest of it, using a saw for straight lines and square openings and a diamond core drill for the round holes that carry pipes, conduit and drains.
Usually the cut is the first step of something else, like a plumber's trench across a garage floor, a doorway in a foundation wall or a broken piece of driveway that has to come out. The price moves with how long and deep the cut runs, how much steel is inside and whether you need the pieces broken up and hauled away, because removal can cost more than the sawing. The schedule turns on getting the slab scanned first and on any permit the job needs, and your written estimate spells out what's in it and what isn't.
How do you know it's time to cut instead of tear out?
One section cracked or sunk
When one part of a driveway or patio has broken or dropped and the rest still sits flat, the ground under that part usually washed out or settled. A clean saw line lets us take out just the bad piece, and waiting lets water get under the good concrete next to it.
A leak under the slab
A damp spot on the floor, a sewer backup or a plumber telling you the line runs under concrete all mean the slab has to open along the pipe. The longer it waits, the more that leak softens the dirt your slab sits on.
A new doorway on the plans
If you're adding a door or window through a foundation wall, or a drain through a slab, the concrete has to be cut before the other trades can start. Booking the cut late usually means framers and plumbers standing around waiting on it.
How we handle concrete cutting
I walk the job with you and we mark the lines where your project needs them. We want the slab scanned before the saw shows up, because drawings won't tell you everything that's inside it, and hitting rebar, the steel bars that hold a slab together, or a buried conduit turns a simple cut into a repair. Then we bring the saw that fits the work, make the cuts and clean up before we leave.
Cutting the line and hauling the pieces away are two different jobs, and some cutters make the cut and leave the panels sitting there, so I tell you up front which ones your estimate covers. A lot of our cutting comes before new work, like taking out a broken section ahead of concrete driveway building or cutting back an old slab so new concrete patio construction can meet a clean edge.
Flat sawing
This is the usual choice for straight cuts across a driveway, patio or floor, like a trench for a drain line or a section coming out. The saw rides on top of the slab, so it cuts long, clean lines.
Wall sawing
This suits a new doorway or window through a foundation wall. The saw mounts on the wall itself, so it cuts a square opening without beating up the concrete around it.
Core drilling
A diamond core drill cuts round holes for a pipe, a conduit or a drain. It's the right tool when you need a neat hole through a slab or wall and nothing bigger.
Get a written estimate for your cut, with removal spelled out
We get back to you within one business day to set a time, and the estimate is free with no obligation. I come out, walk the job with you and write down what the price covers, including whether breaking and hauling are in it.
(626) 416-2123Concrete cutting in El Monte, from permits to runoff
If your cut touches the sidewalk, the curb or anything else on public property, the City of El Monte's Public Works Department has to issue a permit before any work happens there, and we pull it and line up the inspections, which means showing the city our insurance and licenses. For a cut on your own property, whether a permit is needed depends on the project, so we check with the city's Building Department, the main office for permits and inspections, where counter staff tell you which other offices the job has to go through. If the city wants an engineer's plans first, we tell you at the start and help you get them.
Wet cutting leaves slurry, a gray paste of water and concrete dust, and it shouldn't end up in a storm drain, so on driveways here that slope toward the street we block it off and vacuum it up before it reaches the gutter. We handle it the same way on jobs in Rosemead and Monterey Park.
What happens after you call about concrete cutting in El Monte?
Call and set a time
You call (626) 416-2123 or send the form, and I call you back to set a time to see the place. Tell us roughly what needs cutting and where, so I know what to look at.
Walk the job together
I walk it with you, ask what the opening is for and give you a written estimate that says what's in it and what isn't. You'll know before anything starts whether scanning, breaking and hauling are part of the price.
Scan, permit, cut, then check
We line up the scan, the permit and any reports the job needs, then our crew makes the cuts. When it's done, I walk it with you again so you can see the edges and the cleanup.
Frequently asked questions
How much does concrete cutting cost in El Monte?
Across the US, saw cutting a concrete slab usually runs about $4 to $15 per linear foot, and that's for the sawing, not for breaking up and hauling the pieces. Reinforced or deeper slabs cost more per foot than plain ones that are easy to reach. Your own number comes from the walk-through, because I price it after I've seen the slab and what the cut is for.
Why does a small concrete cutting job cost so much?
On a small job, the charge to bring the saw out and set up usually makes up most of the price, more than the per-foot rate. If you've got more than one cut to make, doing them all on the same visit is usually cheaper than having us come back.
Does my concrete slab need to be scanned before cutting?
If your slab is post-tensioned, built with steel cables pulled tight inside it, one scanning company advises getting it professionally scanned before any cut, because drawings and what you can see on top aren't proof the line is clear. Scanning can help find cables, rebar and conduit. Have your latest structural drawings and any post-tensioning records ready, and mark the whole area you plan to work in so the scan covers all of it.
How do I keep concrete cutting dust out of my house?
Most of the dust is handled by cutting wet, with water cooling the blade and holding the dust down as it goes. California safety rules also require crews to use a dust control system whenever power tools cut, core or drill concrete. Close nearby windows and doors anyway, and keep pets and kids back from the work area.
How long does concrete cutting take?
The sawing is usually the quick part, and most of the wait comes before it, while the slab gets scanned and any permit comes through. Breaking up and hauling the pieces adds to the job, so if your estimate includes removal, plan around that too. I'll tell you what your schedule turns on when I walk the job.
Will cutting my driveway crack the rest of the concrete?
A saw cut shouldn't crack the concrete you're keeping, because the blade grinds a clean line instead of pounding the slab apart. Trouble usually comes from breaking the cut piece out carelessly or leaving the edge with no solid ground under it, so we work the piece out away from the edge and check the base under the slab that stays.
El Monte, CA
Plan your concrete cut before the saw arrives
If you have the project type, a rough length for the cut and any structural drawings ready when you call, I can tell you more on the first visit.