Concrete Contractor in Medford, MA - Driveways, Steps and Patios on a Packed Base
Formcraft Medford Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Medford, MA. We build driveways, patios, steps, walkways and garage floors for homeowners here, plus slabs, footings and foundations for bigger jobs.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Medford houses, driveways and yards as we see them
Most of the calls I get in Medford come from homeowners with a driveway, a set of front steps or a patio that has settled, cracked or started holding water. A lot of the houses here are older single-families and two-families on tight lots, with a narrow driveway running along one side and a garage out back, and much of the concrete around them was poured long ago on whatever ground was there. We also pour slabs, footings and foundations for owners adding on or building, and we see the same kinds of houses in Malden and Arlington.
Those lots shape the job. The truck can't always reach the forms, so I plan how the concrete gets in before pour day, and with the foundation only a few feet away, every slab has to send water away from the house.
Concrete work we do on Medford properties
Concrete driveway building
Narrow driveways squeezed between Medford houses often crack and sink because the old base was never packed, so we dig out and rebuild from firm ground.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards here are often small, so a patio has to fit around fences, sheds and the house while sloping water away from the foundation, not toward it.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a front walk or patio the look of brick or stone, which suits older Medford houses where plain gray can look out of place.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks that have settled into a trip edge are common on older lots, so we tear them out and repour on a packed base.
Garage floor concrete
Detached garages behind Medford houses often have cracked, pitted floors, so we break out the old slab and pour one that sheds water toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes can tie a walkway, stoop or patio to the brick and trim on the house, and we settle the look before pour day.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards and driveways cut into a hill need a wall that holds soil back, built on a proper footing with a way for water to drain.
Concrete floor installation
Basements and workshops in older Medford houses with broken or dirt floors get a new slab poured flat and level, so shelves sit straight and it sweeps clean.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck should grip when wet, so we give it a textured finish and slope it to carry splash water away from the pool and the house.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses here often lean, crumble at the edges or pull away from the house, so we form and pour new ones with steel inside.
Slab foundation building
Additions, garages and outbuildings on Medford lots often go on a slab, and we dig, pack and form it so the building above sits on even, firm ground.
Foundation installation
For an addition or new garage on a tight lot, we form and pour the foundation walls, planning around the existing house and where the truck can reach.
Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind shops and apartment buildings take daily traffic, so we pour them thicker, reinforce them with steel and slope them toward the drains.
Concrete footings
Porches, decks and additions here need footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight down into firm ground, and we dig and pour them to the plans.
Foundation raising
When a porch, garage or slab on an older lot has settled out of level, we find out why it sank first, then raise or rebuild what dropped.
Concrete cutting
On tight lots, we saw-cut old concrete for tear-outs, drain trenches and new openings, so the edge is clean and the part you keep isn't broken up with it.
Get a free written estimate for your Medford concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, look at the site and send a written estimate, free and with no obligation.
(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 Medford: permits, licenses and what moves the price
In Medford, permits for concrete work go through the city's building department, and whether your job needs one is the building official's call, so I check with the office before a job goes on the schedule. When it does need one, no work starts until the permit card is issued, which makes the permit the first thing that sets your pour date, and we file the application and tell you up front that we're the ones pulling it. Contractors who file for building permits have to register their licenses with the city, and a business working under a trade name has to file a business certificate with the City Clerk's Office where its office is, good for four years. Those are fair things to ask any contractor about, and we're licensed and insured.
Most of our Medford jobs sit close to the house on tight lots, often on streets where the truck can't pull up beside the forms, so access is one of the first things I look at. Price mostly follows the size of the job and how much has to happen before the pour, like breaking out old concrete and building the base, and your written estimate spells out what's included and what isn't. The schedule turns on the permit, the materials and a pour date the crew and the truck can both make, and I'd rather move a date than pour into a problem. We do the same work in Somerville, where the houses and lots look a lot like Medford's.
Why Medford concrete cracks, sinks and holds water
Most of the sinking and cracking we see here starts underneath. When a driveway or walk was poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, the ground settles over the years and the slab goes with it, and a slab that falls toward the house sends water at the foundation every time it rains. We dig down to the subgrade, the firm soil the slab sits on, pack a gravel base over it and set the forms so water runs away from the house. That base is buried by the end of day one, so it's the first thing people want to cut from a budget, and it's the last place I'll save you money, because a nice finish on a weak base usually cracks anyway.
The rest comes down to timing. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a place to crack in a straight line, while the concrete is still young, add rebar, steel that holds the pieces together, where the slab takes weight, and keep pours out of the midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Medford
Here's what happens from your first call to the cleanup, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (781) 628-7780 or send the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. You don't need measurements or a plan ready.
Walk the site with me
I look at the ground, the slope and where the truck can reach, and ask what you're after, so it helps if you're home. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so there's no guessing about cost.
Set the order and date
If you go ahead, I line up the paperwork, the materials and the pour date, and tell you the order things happen in. When the job needs a permit, the pour date follows the permit card.
Pour, finish and clean up
Our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms, pours and finishes, then cuts the joints. I keep you posted until the job is done and cleaned up, and tell you when the slab is ready for use.
Questions about concrete work in Medford
Does a concrete retaining wall need a building permit in Medford?
A retaining wall can go without a building permit in Medford when it holds back less than four feet of soil above the ground on the low side and, in the building official's view, poses no threat to public safety, health or welfare. A taller wall doesn't fit that exemption, so plan on a permit, and we'd have it settled before the wall goes on the schedule.
Does a small shed on a concrete slab need a permit in Medford?
Medford's building department says a shed of up to 120 square feet needs no building permit, as long as it sits at least 3 feet from the side and rear lot lines, 15 feet from the front lot line and 10 feet from the house, and stands no more than 15 feet tall. The State Building Code's own exemption covers one-story detached sheds up to 200 square feet, so if yours falls between the two, call the building department at (781)393-2511 before you build. We check with the office before we pour any shed slab.
How do I get a homeowner's permit for concrete work in Medford?
Only the owner of a single-family or two-family house who lives in it can get a homeowner's permit for work there, and building permits in Medford are filed online. Someone who builds more than one home in two years doesn't count as a homeowner. If we're doing your job, we handle the permit, so you won't need one.
Does a pool or hot tub need a permit in Medford before a concrete deck goes in?
Yes, at a one-family or two-family house in Medford, a pool, hot tub or spa that holds more than 24 inches of water needs a building permit, plus an electrical permit pulled with it before construction starts. The pool has to stay empty and unused until the building office and the electrical department do a final inspection, so when we pour a deck around a new pool, I plan our dates around that work.
What makes a concrete driveway cost more in Medford?
A narrow driveway the truck can't back up to, an old slab that has to be broken up and hauled away, and soft ground that needs more digging and base are what push a Medford driveway's price up most. A thicker slab, more steel and a stamped or colored finish add to it, while a plain broom finish, light grooves dragged across the top for grip, keeps it lower. Your written estimate spells out what's included and what isn't, so you can see where the money goes.
How long does a new concrete driveway in Medford take to cure before I can drive on it?
You can walk on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps hardening for days after the pour, and I tell you both dates for your slab before we start. Curing is that wait while it gains strength, and a car on it too early is one of the ways a good slab gets cracked. We'll work out with you where to park until it's ready.
Medford, MA
Get your Medford concrete job on the schedule
The sooner I see your site, the sooner any permit paperwork can start and the more pour dates you'll have to choose from, so call (781) 628-7780 or send the form.