Concrete contractor in Medford, MA - driveways and steps built on a proper base
Essential Brookline Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Medford, MA. We pour driveways, steps, patios and foundations for Medford homes, and I plan the base and the drainage before any truck gets ordered.
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Medford's two-families and tight driveways
Medford is mostly houses, a lot of them two-families and older single-family homes on small lots, with bigger multi-unit buildings mixed in. It reads a lot like Somerville next door, and the concrete we get called to fix looks much the same in both.
Those lots shape the job. Driveways run in a narrow strip between two houses, front steps climb up to a porch, and the backyard patio sits a few feet from the foundation. On older houses the original slab was often poured over whatever fill was handy, so the first thing I want to know on any Medford job is what's underneath it, and the second is whether we can get a truck close or we're wheeling concrete in.
Working in Medford: the permit side and what sets the price
Medford's building department issues the permits and inspects the work, and on a permitted job nothing starts until the permit card is issued, so that card sets the start date, not our calendar. Whether your job needs a permit is the department's call, so we check with them before we book anything in Medford, pull the permit ourselves when one is needed and keep you posted on where it stands. Any contractor who files for a building permit there has to register their license with the city, so you can ask the department whether the one on your job has.
We're a concrete contractor based in Brookline, and on a Medford job the price moves mostly with what you can't see yet. That means how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, how thick the slab has to be for what it carries, and whether the mixer can park near the forms on a narrow side street or we're running wheelbarrows down a shared driveway. The schedule turns on the permit card, the pour date and the curing time, the wait while the slab gains strength before you walk on it and the longer wait before you drive on it, and your written estimate spells out what's included and what isn't.
What do Medford driveways and steps need most?
Most calls I get here are about concrete that's sinking, cracking or holding a puddle against the house, and the cause is usually under it. Somebody raked the dirt level instead of digging it out and packing it, so the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, settled and took the slab with it. We dig to firm ground, pack a stone base, pitch the surface away from the house so water has somewhere to go, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack instead of a random one. If the budget's tight, I'll tell you to spend it on the base and keep the finish simple, because nobody sees the base on day one and everybody sees it a year later. Concrete doesn't get a second draft.
Two-families add their own wear. A shared driveway carries two households' cars and the side walk to the upstairs door gets used all day, so we size those slabs for the load and put in rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it does crack.
- Call (617) 274-7964
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- Brookline, MA 02445
Concrete work we do in Medford
Concrete driveway building
Medford driveways often squeeze between two houses and carry two households' cars. We dig out the old base, pack new stone and pour for that load.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older Medford houses chip at the edges and pull away from the porch. We rebuild them on solid footings with steel tying them together.
Foundation installation
Additions on tight Medford lots need a foundation laid out right the first time. For foundation installation we dig to firm ground before forms or steel go in.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards behind Medford two-families are small, so a patio often sits right against the house. We slope it away from the foundation so rain runs to the yard.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped Medford yards lean on old walls until water builds up behind them and they tip. We build concrete walls with drainage behind so water can't push.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walkways to a two-family's side door see traffic all day and heave over roots. We repack the base and cut joints so any crack lands where we chose.
What happens when you call us about a Medford job
Call us or send the form
You call (617) 274-7964 or send the form, and we set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home for that visit so you can show me what's bothering you.
I come out and look
I look at the job and ask what's under it, where the water goes and what it has to carry. You get a written estimate that says what's included and what isn't, so you're not guessing at the price later.
We sort out permits and timing
Before we book a pour, we settle the permit side with the city and pick a date around it. If the job needs a permit, I keep you posted on where it stands.
Our crew pours, I walk it
Our own crew does the work with me on site, from digging out to finishing and cleanup. When we're done I walk it with you and tell you how to treat it while it cures.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Medford concrete
We reply within one business day, and the estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. Once you send the form, we set a time for me to come out to your Medford property and look at what's under the old concrete. You get a written estimate after that visit, with what's included and what isn't.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (617) 274-7964
- Location
- Brookline, MA 02445
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Questions about concrete work in Medford
How do I know if a shed on a concrete pad needs a permit in Medford?
Start with the size, because Medford's building department says sheds up to 120 square feet need no building permit if they sit 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 stand no taller than 15 feet. The state code the department enforces sets its own exemption at one-story detached sheds up to 200 square feet. If your shed falls between those two figures, call the department at (781) 393-2511 before we pour the pad.
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Medford?
Not if it holds back less than four feet of fill and the building official sees no threat to public safety, health or welfare, because the state code exempts walls like that. The four feet is the height of soil on the high side over the low side. Anything taller goes through a permit, and we pull that one ourselves before we dig.
Do I need a permit for a pool or hot tub in Medford?
Yes, at a one or two family house a pool, hot tub or spa that holds more than 24 inches of water needs a building permit, with an electrical permit pulled alongside it before construction starts. The pool stays empty and unused until the building office and the electrical department do a final inspection. If we're pouring a deck around it, we fit our pour into that schedule.
Who can get a homeowner's permit in Medford?
Only an owner who lives in a single or two family house can get a homeowner's permit for work on it. Someone who builds more than one home in a two-year period doesn't count as a homeowner. When we do the job, we pull any permit it needs ourselves, so this only matters if you're doing the work yourself.
How do I check a contractor's business certificate in Medford?
Ask the contractor which city their office is in, because state law has a sole proprietorship or partnership working under a trade name file its business certificate there. For a business based in Medford, the City Clerk's Office handles it, and the certificate is good for 4 years from the date it's issued.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Medford?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen what's under yours, because tear-out and base work move the price more than the new slab does. Steel reinforcement, stamping or color, or a long wheelbarrow run down a shared driveway push it up, and a plain broom finish, a light texture that keeps the surface from getting slick, keeps it down. Your written estimate after the visit gives you the figure for your driveway.
Get your Medford concrete looked at
We answer seven days a week, early mornings and evenings included, so call (617) 274-7964 or send the form whenever it suits you.
Request an estimateCall (617) 274-7964