Quikrete Home Additions & ADU Nationwide

Quikrete Home Additions & ADU: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide

If you’re planning a home addition or ADU in Los Angeles built with Quikrete products, the total project typically runs $53,100 – $153,400 depending on square footage, foundation type, and finish level. Penhallow Remodeling is an independent general contractor, not affiliated with Quikrete, but we work with their concrete mixes, mortars, and stucco systems every week. Most homeowners call us after a contractor goes silent, a foundation pour cracks within months, or an inspector flags the slab work on an unpermitted ADU. If you’re holding a set of plans and need a real number, you’re in the right place.

Call (936) 259-2607

Which Quikrete Models This Applies To

Quikrete doesn’t make “home addition kits” in the way you’d buy a water heater. What they make is the structural foundation of nearly every Los Angeles ADU and addition: Quikrete 5000 high-strength concrete mix for footings and slabs, Quikrete Crack-Resistant mix for larger pads, Quikrete mortar for block walls, and Quikrete stucco base coat for exterior finish. The compatibility question isn’t a model number, it’s the bag spec. For ADUs and additions in LA, you want a minimum 4,000 PSI mix for footings and slabs, though Quikrete 5000 (which hits 5,000 PSI at 28 days) is what we specify on almost every project. The gotcha: Quikrete Crack-Resistant mix contains reinforcing fibers and should not be used for structural footings on hillside lots, which are common in Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Mount Washington. It’s made for flatwork like patios and walkways, not load-bearing pours. When in doubt, spec 5000 and verify the bag’s PSI rating before any concrete truck or pallet arrives on site.

Signs Your Quikrete Home Addition or ADU Is Failing

• Hairline cracks running across the slab in the first 90 days. This usually means the mix was over-watered at the pour or the subgrade (the soil under the slab) wasn’t compacted properly. In Los Angeles’s expansive clay soils, this is the single most common foundation issue we repair.
• Vertical cracks at the corners of door and window openings. This points to a missing or undersized header, not a concrete problem. The concrete is just following the load. If you’re seeing this, stop using the space until an engineer looks at it.
• Stucco peeling or bubbling at the base of the walls. Moisture wicking up from the slab means the sill plate (the wood that sits between the concrete and the framing) wasn’t isolated from the concrete. Quikrete makes waterproofing products for this exact purpose, and if the original builder skipped it, the framing is now rotting.
• Percussive hollow sounds when you tap the stucco. The scratch coat (the first Quikrete stucco layer) has delaminated from the lath. This lets water in behind the finish and quietly destroys the sheathing over two or three Los Angeles rain seasons.
• Uneven or soft spots in the slab, especially at the edges. This is either poor curing (the concrete dried too fast in our hot inland valleys) or low compressive strength from a watered-down mix. Both mean the slab will keep degrading and should be assessed before you build anything on top of it.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

A full home addition in Los Angeles runs $53,100 – $153,400, while a detached ADU typically lands between $106,200 and $259,600 depending on whether you’re converting a garage or pouring new foundation. The Quikrete-specific work (footings, slab, block walls, stucco) usually represents 12 – 18% of the total project cost. When a foundation has failed and needs partial replacement, you’re looking at $8,260 – $21,240 for a typical 400 – 600 square foot repair in LA. Our written quote includes the demolition and haul-off of failed concrete, soil compaction, rebar or mesh (inspected before pour), Quikrete 5000 mix, finishing, and a 365-day written guarantee on the work. You’ll know the number before we touch the ground, and that number doesn’t change unless you change the scope.

DIY or Call Us?

You can safely check your Quikrete slab for hairline cracks, check the bag tags on leftover mix (keep those tags; they confirm PSI if you ever file a claim), and look for water staining at the base of stucco walls. What you shouldn’t do is attempt to pour structural foundation work yourself. A botched footing pour on an ADU in Los Angeles means the inspector fails it, the slab gets jackhammered out, and you pay for the concrete twice. That’s not a scare tactic; it’s the single most expensive mistake we see from well-intentioned homeowners in Woodland Hills, Northridge, and Reseda. If you want a set of eyes on your existing slab or a written price on new construction, call us at (936) 259-2607. Trevor Nash grew up watching his uncle rebuild ranch houses in Reseda, and he’ll tell you the same thing he tells every homeowner: “Give me the whole picture first, then we pick up the tools.”

FAQs