Concrete Contractor in Arlington, MA - Slabs Planned for Narrow Lots and Slopes
Formcraft Medford Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Medford, MA, and we pour driveways, patios, front steps, walkways and garage floors for Arlington homeowners, plus slab and foundation work for property owners.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Arlington houses, driveways and yards as we see them
Arlington sits right next to Medford, where we're based, and most of what we pour here is for homeowners. The streets are mostly older single-family houses and two-families on fairly tight lots, from East Arlington up into the Heights, with shops and small commercial buildings along Massachusetts Avenue. A lot of the driveways run in a narrow strip beside the house, and many front steps climb from the sidewalk to a porch that sits well above the street.
Plenty of yards here slope toward the street or back toward the house, and plenty of driveways are squeezed between the house and the lot line. So we work out where the water will run and how the truck will reach the forms before we plan the pour, because on a tight lot there's no room to fix either once the forms are set.
Concrete services we do for Arlington homes
Concrete driveway building
Narrow driveways beside Arlington houses have often sunk or cracked over the years, so we tear them out, dig down to a packed base and pour new.
Concrete patio construction
Small back yards leave little room for error, so we set a patio's height and slope to send rain toward the lawn, not toward your foundation.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or front walk the look of stone or brick, which suits these older homes, without loose pavers that settle out of line.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks from the street to the door often tilt or lift at the seams here, and we replace them with a straight, even path on a packed base.
Garage floor concrete
Detached garages behind many Arlington houses have thin, cracked floors, and we break them out and pour a new slab with steel inside to hold it together.
Decorative concrete
Colored or textured finishes let new concrete sit next to brick steps or stone walls on an older property, so the new work doesn't stand out from the house.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards in the Heights and elsewhere in Arlington often need a wall to hold the soil back, and we pour concrete walls with drainage behind them.
Concrete floor installation
Basement and workshop floors that have cracked or sunk can be broken out and poured again, so the room is flat underfoot and usable again.
Concrete pool decks
Where a yard has room for a pool, we pour a deck with a textured top for wet feet, sloped so water runs away from the pool's edge.
Concrete steps construction
Many houses here sit above the sidewalk on concrete steps that have crumbled at the edges, and we form and pour new steps with an even rise.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or shed on a tight lot, we pour the slab it sits on, planning first how the concrete truck can reach the spot.
Foundation installation
When an older house gets an addition, we form and pour the foundation walls and set the order of work so the framers aren't kept waiting.
Concrete parking lot building
Apartment buildings and small businesses along the main roads need lots that drain and hold up to daily traffic, and we plan the pour around their hours.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions on older Arlington lots need solid footings, the concrete pads under the posts that carry the weight down into firm ground.
Foundation raising
When an older house sits low or has settled, raising it lets us pour new concrete underneath so the house rests on solid support again.
Concrete cutting
Concrete cutting opens a clean line in an existing slab for a new drain, door or step, so we take out only what the job needs.
Get a written estimate for your Arlington concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I'll come look at the job and send a written estimate, free and with no obligation, that spells out what's included and what isn't.
(781) 628-7780- estimates@medfordconcreteconstruction.com
- Based in
- Medford, MA 02155
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Working in Arlington: permits, paperwork and the pour date
Permits for work here go through the Town of Arlington's Inspectional Services Department, the office that enforces the state building code locally, and whether your driveway, steps or wall needs one is the building official's call. We check with the department before we put a job on the schedule, and when a permit is needed, we file the application and tell you up front that we're the ones pulling it, so the pour date waits on the permit and not the other way around. The Clerk's Office offers the Business Certificate form for businesses working in Arlington, and we're licensed and insured, so ask me about our paperwork when I'm out for the estimate.
What moves the price here is mostly what's under and around the slab: how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig and pack the base, how close the truck can get on a narrow lot, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, the concrete delivery and the weather on pour day, and with Mass Ave traffic in the mix we book trucks early. Your written estimate gives you your own figure. We plan jobs here the same way we plan them in Winchester next door and over in Chelsea.
Why Arlington driveways and patios sink and crack
A lot of the old slabs we tear out here were poured on a subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settled right along with the dirt. We dig down to firm ground and pack the base before anything gets poured. That base is buried on day one and nobody sees it, which is why it's the first thing people want to cut when the budget gets tight. I'd cut a fancy finish before I'd cut the base, because you can't get back under the slab once it's poured.
Sloped yards and houses set close together mean water has to go somewhere, and an old slab that falls toward the house sends it straight to the foundation. We set the slope away from the house and cut control joints, grooves that give the slab a place to crack along a line we chose instead of across the middle.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Arlington
Here's the order things happen in, from your first call to the cleanup, so you know who you'll talk to and when.
Call or send the form
Reach us at (781) 628-7780 or through the form, and we'll get back to you to pick a time for me to come out. Tell us roughly what you have in mind, like a driveway, steps or a patio.
Walk the site with me
I come out, look at the old slab, the slope and how a truck can reach it, and ask what you're after. You get a written estimate with what's included and what isn't, so you can see exactly what the price covers.
Plan the paperwork and pour
If you go ahead, I line up any permit, the materials and the pour date, and tell you the order things happen in. If the permit or the weather isn't ready, I'd rather move the date than pour into a problem.
Pour, finish and clean up
A small crew I lead forms, pours and finishes the concrete, then we clean up the site. I keep you posted the whole way and tell you when the slab is ready to walk on and when it's ready to drive on.
Questions about concrete work in Arlington, MA
Which permits go through Arlington Online Permitting?
Arlington Online Permitting covers building, electrical, plumbing, gas, signs, demolition, pods, dumpsters, sheet metal, and variances and special permits. A homeowner planning work of any of those kinds can start there. Concrete isn't listed by name, which is why we ask the building department before we schedule a slab, steps or a wall.
How do I look up building permits for my address in Arlington?
You can view building permits by property address on Arlington's website. It's a quick way to see what's already been filed for your house before we start on it.
Where can I drop off a check payment for Inspectional Services in Arlington?
You can drop off a check or money order in person at Inspectional Services, 51 Grove Street, Arlington, MA 02476. They don't take cash.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Arlington, MA?
The cost of a driveway here comes down to its size, the tear-out, the base under it and the finish on top, and you get your own figure in a written estimate after I've seen the site. Slab thickness, steel inside the slab, and a plain broom finish, the light lines swept into the top for grip, versus stamped or colored concrete all move the number. Hauling away a thick old slab adds to it too.
How long does new concrete take to cure before I can drive on it?
You can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it, because concrete has to cure, the wait while it hardens enough to carry weight, before a car goes on it. I tell you both days before we leave. We also avoid pouring in midday heat, because a top that dries too fast ends up weak and dusty.
Do I need to be home on pour day in Arlington?
You don't need to be home when we pour, but the driveway and the curb out front have to be clear so the truck can reach the forms. On narrow side streets that usually means moving cars the night before, and I'll tell you the day well ahead.
Medford, MA
Get your Arlington concrete job planned right
A written plan in hand lets you compare bids line by line, base and all, instead of by the bottom number alone.