Loading...
Serving Cerritos, CA and surrounding areas. (562) 586-9264
Menu
Cerritos Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor serving Paramount, CA, with experience in retaining walls, concrete repair, and brick work on the city's 1940s through 1960s homes. We have been in business since 2018 and respond to every estimate request within one business day.
Paramount's small lots and older properties often have raised planters, sloped backyard sections, and grade changes left over from original construction that need a properly built retaining wall. Without adequate drainage designed in from the start, clay soil pressure will push a wall out of plumb within a few years. Our retaining wall construction includes a gravel drainage layer and weep holes to relieve hydrostatic pressure before it builds.
Most driveways in Paramount were poured in the 1950s and 1960s on clay soil that has been expanding and contracting ever since - and that movement is exactly what causes the cracking and heaving you see on so many properties here. We demolish cracked slabs, address any subgrade issues including root intrusion, and pour new reinforced concrete with properly spaced control joints.
The original brick garden walls, entry pillars, and planters on Paramount's postwar homes are now 60 to 80 years old, and mortar joints from that era erode and crack under repeated thermal expansion and winter rain exposure. Catching loose or spalled brick before it falls protects the wall structure and keeps repair costs manageable rather than requiring full reconstruction.
Chimneys on Paramount homes see intense summer heat followed by wet winters, and that cycle dries out and cracks mortar joints over time. Eroded chimney mortar lets water into the flue and the surrounding wall structure during rain events, creating damage that is expensive to fix once it reaches the interior. We regrind and repoint deteriorated joints before water intrusion begins.
Paramount properties often have small backyard patios where the original concrete has cracked, settled unevenly, or been partially demolished and never replaced. On lots this size, a well-poured patio extends the usable living space significantly. We grade and prep the subbase carefully on clay soil so the new slab stays level rather than shifting within a few seasons.
Slab foundations on Paramount homes from the 1950s and 1960s were poured before current moisture barrier requirements, and the clay soil movement that cracks driveways also stresses the foundation below. We assess visible cracking to distinguish between cosmetic shrinkage cracks and structural movement, and repair accordingly without recommending more work than the situation actually calls for.
Paramount is a dense, fully developed city of about 55,000 people packed into just under five square miles in southeast Los Angeles County. Most of its housing stock dates from the postwar building boom of the 1940s through the 1960s, which means the typical home here is between 60 and 80 years old. At that age, original concrete driveways, stucco exteriors, brick planters, and masonry features are well past their designed service life. Deferred maintenance is common on properties that have changed hands infrequently over the decades. Homes in Paramount also sit on small lots where structures are close together, so a masonry crew needs to work efficiently in tight spaces rather than having the open access common on larger suburban lots.
The clay-heavy soil beneath Paramount properties is the underlying reason most concrete and masonry repairs get called in here. This soil expands when saturated by winter rain and contracts as it dries through the long summer. That cycle puts stress on everything from driveways and patios to retaining walls and slab foundations, and it does not stop - it repeats every year. Santa Ana wind events in fall and winter add another layer of wear, loosening fencing, rattling roof materials, and stressing older masonry that has already been through decades of thermal cycling. The U.S. Geological Survey documents how expansive soils in the LA Basin affect structures throughout the region, and Paramount sits squarely in that zone.
Our crew works throughout Paramount regularly, and we understand the local conditions that affect masonry work here. The small single-story ranch homes that line most of Paramount's residential streets are what we see job after job - stucco exteriors, concrete slab foundations, compact driveways, and backyard patios poured when the home was built. We pull permits through the City of Paramount Building and Safety department for structural jobs, and we know which project types require one and which do not.
Paramount Boulevard runs through the middle of the city as the main commercial corridor, and many of the neighborhoods east and west of it are the ones we get called to most often. The Paramount Drive-In, one of the last remaining drive-in theaters in Southern California, sits near the north end of the city and is a landmark most residents know. The mix of owner-occupied homes and rental properties in Paramount means we work for both homeowners maintaining their own property and landlords keeping rental units in shape - and the job requirements are similar either way.
We also serve neighboring Compton, CA and Downey, CA, which share the same postwar building stock and clay soil conditions as Paramount.
Call us or fill out the contact form and describe what you are seeing - photos are helpful if you have them. We respond to every inquiry within one business day and schedule an on-site visit at a time that works for you.
We visit the property, assess the full scope of what needs to be done, and give you a written estimate with a clear price before any work begins. We also confirm at this stage whether a city permit is required and how that affects the schedule. You are never committed until you approve the estimate in writing.
Once you approve the estimate, we schedule the work and tell you exactly what days we will be on site. On jobs requiring permits, we submit the application first and schedule work once approval is confirmed. You do not need to be home for most exterior masonry work, but we let you know if your presence is needed.
When the job is done, we clean the work area and walk through the finished work with you before we leave. For concrete pours, we tell you the curing timeline and what to avoid until the slab has fully set. We answer any questions before we sign off on the project.
No commitment required. We respond to every Paramount inquiry within one business day and provide a written estimate before any work starts.
(562) 586-9264Paramount is a compact city of about 55,000 residents in southeast Los Angeles County, covering just under five square miles near the junction of Downey, Compton, and Bellflower. The city incorporated in 1957, but most of its residential development was already underway by then - houses went up quickly throughout the late 1940s and 1950s to house the wave of workers who came to the region after World War II. The result is a dense, fully developed city where nearly every street is lined with small single-story ranch homes on narrow lots, a layout that has stayed largely unchanged for more than six decades. Light industrial and warehouse facilities sit adjacent to residential neighborhoods in several parts of the city, which is a reflection of Paramount's working-class economic roots.
Paramount Boulevard serves as the city's main commercial artery, running north to south through the center of the community and connecting residents to shops, restaurants, and local businesses. The city of Paramount is served by its own city government and police department and has maintained a strong residential identity despite the industrial activity nearby. Neighboring Compton, CA shares a similar building era and soil profile, and many contractors who work in one city regularly take jobs in the other.
Restore structural integrity with expert foundation crack and settling repairs.
Learn MoreBuild strong retaining walls that control erosion and shape your landscape.
Learn MoreUpgrade your home's exterior with natural or manufactured stone veneer.
Learn MoreBuild lasting concrete block walls for privacy, security, and structure.
Learn MoreInstall solid block foundation walls built to support your structure for decades.
Learn MoreCreate the perfect outdoor cooking space with custom masonry construction.
Learn MoreDesign beautiful, durable walkways using quality stone, brick, or concrete.
Learn MoreConstruct classic brick walls that add beauty and lasting durability.
Learn MoreCall us today or fill out the contact form for a free estimate - we respond within one business day and work throughout Paramount and the surrounding cities.