Concrete contractor in Melrose, MA - driveways, patios and steps on a solid base
Formcraft Medford Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor from Medford working in Melrose, MA. We plan, form, pour and finish driveways, patios, sidewalks, steps and garage floors, plus slabs and foundations for bigger jobs.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Melrose driveways, walks and steps as we find them
Most of what we pour in Melrose goes around houses, many of them older single and two-family homes on tight lots, with some shops and offices downtown mixed in. The calls look a lot like the ones we get next door in Malden and Stoneham. We see a cracked driveway apron, front steps pulling away from the house, a walk with water sitting on it after rain, or a garage floor that's been patched one too many times.
The ground changes as you move across the city. Toward the greenbelt it gets steeper and rockier, with ledge, which is rock close to the surface, and some lots run down toward wetlands. So before I price a slab, I look at how far we can dig, where the water goes and how a truck gets to the pour.
Concrete work we do on Melrose properties
Concrete driveway building
For the cracked, sunken driveway on an older Melrose house, we tear out the old slab, dig down to firm ground, pack a new base and pour.
Concrete patio construction
A patio fits the level corner of a tight backyard, and we pitch it so rain runs toward the yard instead of back against your foundation.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a front walk or patio the look of brick or stone, which suits older houses, without the loose pavers that shift over time.
Concrete sidewalk building
When the walk from the street or driveway has tipped and cracked, we replace it with a slab on a packed base so the edges sit flush.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages here often have a broken or patched floor, and we break it out, fix what's underneath and pour a fresh slab you can park on.
Decorative concrete
Colored or textured concrete can tie new steps and walks to a house with some age and character, and we keep the finish practical underfoot.
Concrete retaining walls
On sloped Melrose lots, a retaining wall holds back a hillside yard or a cut beside the driveway, and we drain it so water doesn't push on it.
Concrete floor installation
For a basement, workshop or commercial space downtown, we pour interior floors flat and finished to suit what goes on top, whether that's tile, equipment or bare concrete.
Concrete pool decks
Around a backyard pool, we pour a deck with a textured surface for wet feet and slope it away from the water and the house.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older Melrose houses often climb up from the street, and we replace a crumbling set with new steps that meet the walk and door cleanly.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or outbuilding here, we pour the slab on a dug-out, packed base, with steel set where the plans call for it.
Foundation installation
When an addition or new build needs full foundation walls, we form and pour them to the plans, working around the narrow access common on older city lots.
Concrete parking lot building
For an apartment building, church or small business lot in Melrose, we pour concrete parking areas thick enough for steady traffic and pitched to drain.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions on older houses need footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight, and we dig and pour them to the depth the plans set.
Foundation raising
When an older house or garage has settled at one corner, we find out why first, then raise and support it.
Concrete cutting
In older Melrose houses, when you need a basement doorway, a trench for a new line or one bad section of driveway out, we cut it clean.
Get a written estimate for your Melrose 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 you 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 Melrose, from the permit to the price
In Melrose, building permits come from Inspectional Services, on the ground floor of City Hall. Whether your job needs one is the building official's call, so I check with that office before anything goes on the schedule, and when a permit is needed we handle the application and tell you up front that we're the ones pulling it. We don't set a pour date until that's settled, so the paperwork is often what decides when we start. On your side, you can look up a contractor's construction supervisor license with the state, since some projects need a licensed supervisor overseeing them. The city also files business certificates, but it treats a certificate as separate from a license to operate a business, so don't take one as a license. We're licensed and insured.
The price here comes down to how big and thick the slab is, how much old concrete and soft fill has to come out, how close a truck can get, and the finish you pick. On narrow driveways and steep lots, access alone can mean a pump or wheelbarrows, and that shows up in the estimate. If something has to give, I'd cut the fancy finish before the base, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it's the part that keeps the slab from sinking. We plan Melrose jobs the same way we plan them in Everett, with the order of work settled before anyone shows up with a shovel.
Why Melrose driveways and steps wear out
On older Melrose houses, the driveway and walks have usually been there a long time, and many have sunk enough that they now tip back toward the foundation. When that happens, rain runs at the house instead of away from it and sits in puddles along the wall. When we replace a slab like that, I check where the water goes first and we set the new one to fall away from your house, toward the street or the yard.
Front steps are the other common call, because older steps were often poured as a separate block that settles over the years and pulls away from the house. We set new steps on solid footing, tie them together with rebar, the steel bars inside the concrete, and form every step to the same height.
How a concrete job in Melrose runs once you call
Here's the order things happen in, from your first call to a cleaned-up site, so you know who's doing what and when you'll hear from us.
Call us or send the form
Tell us what the job is and we'll call back to set a time for me to come look. It helps if you can be home for that visit.
I walk the site with you
I look at the old slab, where the water goes and how a truck gets in, and ask what you want the finished job to do. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you can compare it line for line.
We line up permit and pour
If you go ahead, I handle the paperwork, order the materials, set the pour date and tell you the order things happen in. If the permit or the ground isn't ready, I move the date rather than pour into a problem.
We pour, finish and clean up
Our small crew forms, pours and finishes the slab, usually with a broom finish, a light texture that gives shoes and tires some grip, and then it has to cure, the wait while the concrete gains strength. I tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it, and we leave the site clean.
Questions about concrete work in Melrose
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway in Melrose, MA?
Usually yes, because Melrose's zoning requires permits for driveways and retaining walls even where the state building code leaves them unregulated. If your property is near the Melrose Historical District or wetlands, the Historical Commission or the Conservation Commission may also review the application and decide on it. We sort out what applies to your lot before the job goes on the schedule.
Can I pull my own building permit for concrete work in Melrose?
If you own a single or two-family home, yes, the city lets you apply for the permit and do the work yourself, through its online system, SimpliCity. If you pull the permit yourself and then hire a contractor, you may not be protected by the state's Home Improvement Guarantee Fund, so when we're doing the work, we pull it. For other buildings, a licensed supervisor or architect has to sign the permit and be on the job site.
How do I know if my concrete contractor needs to be registered in Massachusetts?
If the work is on an existing home you live in with one to four units, the contractor has to be registered with the state as a Home Improvement Contractor. New construction, buildings over four units, and investment, vacation or second homes fall outside that law, and some work needs no registration at all, including driveways and some small part-time jobs under $500. Where registration applies, the contractor's active number has to appear on the permit, the contract and their advertising.
Do the new FEMA flood maps affect my property in Melrose?
They might, because the city says the updated flood maps that took effect in July 2025 may change flood insurance requirements for some properties. The city also points to a map revision at Ell Pond that changed its flood hazard area, the ground expected to flood in a flood with a 1 percent chance of happening in any year. If you're near the pond, we take that into account when we plan where water drains off a new slab.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Melrose?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the site, because the size, the base work, the access and the finish I mentioned above set the price. The city's building permit fee is based on the actual total cost of construction, so a bigger job carries a bigger fee. The state also requires a written contract with set terms for home improvement work estimated at $1,000 or more, and our estimate comes in writing with what's included and what isn't.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack and sink?
Usually the ground under it, because a slab poured on dirt that was raked flat rather than dug out and packed settles as that dirt does, and it cracks where it bends. Cracks also land in random spots when control joints, the grooves cut across a slab to give it a planned place to crack, are skipped or cut too late, and a pour in midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top. We dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pack a new base, add steel where the job calls for it and cut the joints on time, so if the slab does crack, it usually does it in the groove.
Medford, MA
Book a site visit for your Melrose job
Since what's under an old slab varies from one Melrose lot to the next, the quickest way to a real number is a visit, so call (781) 628-7780 or send the form.