Concrete Contractor in Somerville, MA - Slabs Planned for Tight City Lots
Formcraft Medford Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor in Medford, MA that builds driveways, patios, steps, walkways and garage floors for Somerville homeowners, plus slab and foundation work on the city's two- and three-family houses.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Somerville's close-set houses and the concrete around them
Somerville is the next city over from us, and a lot of our calls there come from owners of two- and three-family houses set a few feet apart on small lots. The concrete around those houses is usually old and hard-worked: a short driveway squeezed down the side of the house, front steps that drop straight to the sidewalk, a back walk and a small patio or parking pad out back.
It's much the same kind of property we work on in Malden and Cambridge. On these lots there's rarely room to swing equipment, the slab often runs right up to the foundation, and water that pitches the wrong way has nowhere to go but your basement, so we plan access and drainage before anything else.
Concrete work we do on Somerville properties
Concrete driveway building
Somerville driveways are often short and squeezed between houses, so we dig out the old base, pack new stone and pitch the slab away from the house.
Concrete patio construction
On a small backyard lot, we plan the patio's size and slope with you first, so rain runs into the yard and not toward your basement.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a front walk or patio the look of brick or stone, which suits older Somerville houses without loose pavers that can shift over winter.
Concrete sidewalk building
We replace the cracked walks that run from the front steps to the sidewalk and along the side of the house to the back door.
Garage floor concrete
Detached garages here often have cracked, sunken floors, so we break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour a new floor that drains to the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes help a small front entry or patio look cared for, and we keep the surface rough enough to stay safe on wet days.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard drops off or sits below a neighbor's higher lot, a concrete wall holds the soil back so the ground below stays put.
Concrete floor installation
We pour new basement and ground-floor slabs in older houses where the floor has cracked, sunk or was never more than a thin skim of concrete.
Concrete pool decks
Pool decks are rarer on Somerville's small lots, but where there's room we build them with a slip-resistant surface and a pitch that sheds water.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on two- and three-family houses take a beating from foot traffic and salt, and we rebuild them on solid footings so they stay level.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, addition or shed on a tight lot, we form and pour the slab foundation to the plan, with the steel it calls for.
Foundation installation
When an addition or rebuild goes up between closely spaced houses, we plan the dig and the forms around the neighbors' foundations and the limited room to work.
Concrete parking lot building
Some multi-family lots here have a shared paved area behind the house, and we rebuild those with a deeper base and joints planned for car traffic.
Concrete footings
Porches, decks and additions on older houses here need footings set deep enough that frost can't lift them, and we pour them to the plans.
Foundation raising
When one corner of a house or garage has settled, we look at what's under it first, then lift and support it so the floor above levels out.
Concrete cutting
On a tight lot we often can't bring in big equipment, so we saw-cut doorways, trenches and slab sections cleanly instead of hammering them apart.
Get a free written estimate for your Somerville 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 Somerville: permits, credentials and what moves the price
In Somerville, building permits come from the city's Inspectional Services Department, and on a permit job the pour date waits until the permit is issued and posted at the site. Whether your job needs one is the building official's call, so we check with the office before we put it on the schedule, and when it does, we handle the application and tell you up front that we're the ones pulling it. We're licensed and insured, and if you live in a house of one to four units, the credential to check is the contractor's state Home Improvement Contractor registration. A business certificate on file with a city clerk doesn't count, because Somerville's City Clerk says that certificate grants no license to operate.
Most Somerville side streets are narrow and parked solid, so when I look at a job I check how close a truck can get, whether we'll wheel concrete down a side yard and where the forms can go without crowding the house next door. Those things, along with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out and how deep the base has to go, are what move the price, and the schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, the days a slab needs to harden before you use it. Your written estimate gives you your own figure. It's the same planning we do back home in Medford and over in Arlington.
Why Somerville driveways and walks crack and sink
A lot of the concrete around older Somerville houses was poured on whatever dirt was there, raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settles unevenly and tips. When a driveway or walk sinks toward the house, rain runs at the foundation and pools in the low corner instead of draining off. We dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pack a stone base in layers so it holds up instead of settling with the dirt, and check where the water runs before we set the forms, so the new slab falls away from your house.
Winter does the rest, because water gets into cracks and chips, freezes and opens them wider, and salt tracked onto steps and walks eats at a weak surface. We pour early in the day instead of in midday heat, which can leave the top weak and dusty, and give it a broom finish, a lightly brushed texture that grips underfoot.
What to expect when you call us about a Somerville job
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the cleanup, and what you'll have in hand at each point.
Call or send the form
Call (781) 628-7780 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set up a time for me to see the job. It helps if you're there for the visit so you can show me what's bothering you.
I walk the site with you
I look at the slab, the ground under it, where the water goes and how a truck gets in, and ask what you're after. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you know what you'd be paying for before you decide.
We line up permits and pour
If you go ahead, I line up the paperwork, materials and pour date and tell you the order things happen in. If the job needs a permit, that date waits until the city issues it, and rain or a cold snap can push it too.
We pour, finish and clean up
Our small crew, which I lead, forms, pours and finishes the slab while I keep you posted along the way. We clean up when the work's done and let you know when the slab is ready to use.
Questions about concrete work in Somerville
Do I need a building permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Somerville?
Likely, yes, because for a house the city requires a building permit for all interior and exterior work except painting, tiling and flooring. Whether your exact job needs one is still the building official's call, so we check with the office before we schedule. You can also ask the Building Division yourself at 617-625-6600 ext. 5600.
How do I get a building permit for my own house in Somerville?
If you own and live in a one- or two-family house, you can apply for the building permit for that property yourself. For a house with three or more units, a licensed contractor has to apply for and obtain it. When we're doing the work, the permit is on us.
Does a concrete contractor in Somerville need a Massachusetts HIC registration?
Usually, yes, because anyone who bids on or does contracting work on an existing, owner-occupied house of one to four units needs a state Home Improvement Contractor registration. It's a different credential from a Construction Supervisor License, and a contractor applying for a Somerville permit on that kind of house submits both. For HIC work of $1,000 or more the state requires a written contract with set provisions, and the contractor's active registration number has to appear on the contract, the permit and their advertising.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Somerville, MA?
Your price comes from a written estimate after I've seen the site, because Somerville driveways vary a lot in size, access and what's under the old slab. Breaking out thick old concrete, digging out a soft base, wheeling concrete down a narrow side yard, adding steel or choosing a stamped or colored finish all raise it, while a plain broom-finished slab a truck can reach keeps it down. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you skip the fancy finish than cut the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it's what keeps the slab from sinking.
Will a new concrete driveway in Somerville crack like the old one?
Concrete can still crack, but a slab built on a packed base and jointed right cracks where it's meant to and stays level, because most old driveways here failed at the base. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, before it can crack on its own, and add rebar, steel bars inside the slab that hold it together, where the job calls for it.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You'll be off it for days, not hours, and you can walk on it well before you can drive on it, because the slab keeps hardening as it cures. I give you both dates when we set the pour, since the weather that week moves them, and on a Somerville street that means planning ahead for where your car goes in the meantime.
Medford, MA
Start planning your Somerville concrete job
Calling over the winter gives us time to check the permit question and line up materials, so your pour can go on the calendar early in the season.