Concrete Contractor in Somerville, MA - Built for Tight Lots and Old Steps
Essential Brookline Concrete Company is a concrete contractor building driveways, steps, patios and walks for Somerville homeowners. I look at every job myself, and our own crew pours it with me on site.
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Somerville's tight lots shape every pour
Somerville is about as dense as it gets around here, and the work reflects it. On our jobs we mostly meet two-family houses and triple-deckers standing close to their neighbors, with narrow driveways, short front walks and steps climbing to a porch, much like parts of Cambridge and Medford next door. A lot of the concrete we're called to replace was poured long ago and patched more than once, which says something about the first job.
Space is the job here. Getting an old slab out and a truck in takes planning when the next house is a few feet away, and a small lot gives water fewer places to go, so where it runs gets settled before anything is poured.
Working in Somerville, from permits to price
In Somerville, building permits come from the city's Inspectional Services Department, and for a house the city requires one for all interior and exterior work except painting, tiling and flooring. The permit has to be issued before work starts and posted where it can be seen at the job, so the paperwork often sets the first possible pour date. I check with the building office before we book, and when a permit is needed we pull it ourselves and keep you posted on where it stands. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state Home Improvement Contractor registration number, and know that a business certificate on file with the city clerk only records a trade name and licenses nothing.
What moves the price here is access and what's underneath. A slab the truck can reach costs less to place than one filled by wheelbarrow down a side yard, and breaking out old concrete, hauling it off narrow, parked-up streets and digging to firm ground all add work before anything new goes in. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather on pour day and the curing after it, which is the wait before the slab is ready to use, and your written estimate lays out what's included and what isn't. We're fully licensed and insured, and we do the same work in Revere and the other cities around Brookline, where we're based.
What do Somerville homes need from new concrete?
Mostly, they need the base fixed. When an old walk or driveway here has sunk, tipped toward the house or broken into plates, the slab is rarely the whole story, because the subgrade, the dirt it sits on, was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, and it settled. We dig to firm ground, pack the base in layers and set the slope so rain runs away from your foundation instead of into the basement.
Steps are the other call we get a lot. Old concrete steps on these houses crumble at the edges and pull away from the porch, and patching them usually buys a winter or two. We rebuild them with rebar, steel bars that hold the concrete together if it cracks, on proper footings underneath.
- Call (617) 274-7964
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- Brookline, MA 02445
Concrete work we do in Somerville
Concrete steps construction
Older Somerville houses often have crumbling front steps climbing to a porch. We break them out and pour new concrete steps with steel inside and even risers.
Concrete driveway building
Narrow driveways between houses tend to sink and hold water against foundations. We dig out the soft base, pack new fill and slope it toward the street.
Concrete patio construction
Small backyards mean a patio has to drain without soaking the neighbor's yard. We set the pitch before the pour and cut joints where cracks belong.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks here get heaved by roots and frost until they trip people. We replace the broken panels on a packed base, brushed for grip.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped lots need walls to keep soil off walks and driveways. We pour reinforced walls with drainage behind, so water pressure doesn't tip them.
Concrete cutting
When only part of a slab has failed, tight spaces make full tear-outs costly. We saw-cut out the bad section cleanly and leave the sound concrete in place.
How it goes when you call us in Somerville
Call and I come out
You call or send the form, and I set a time to see the job myself. I'll ask what's under the old concrete, where the water goes and what the slab has to carry, so it helps if you're there to show me the problem spots.
Get the estimate in writing
You get a written estimate that says what's included and what isn't, so you know what you're paying for before anything is booked. Then we sort out the permit and the timing before we schedule a pour.
We build it, I'm there
Our own crew digs out, packs the base, pours and finishes, with me on site. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, while the concrete is still fresh.
We walk the finished job
When we're done, I walk it with you and tell you how to treat it while it cures, including when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for a car. Parking on it early is the quickest way to ruin good concrete.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Somerville job
Send the form and we reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Somerville property myself, look at what's there and give you a written estimate, free and with no pressure to book.
- 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 Somerville
Do I need a building permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Somerville?
In most cases, yes, because for a house the city requires a building permit for all interior and exterior work except painting, tiling and flooring, and it has to be issued before work starts. Ordinary repairs need none, so if your job sits on the line, call the city's building office at 617-625-6600 ext. 5600, which can also set up a meeting with a building inspector.
Can a homeowner pull their own building permit in Somerville?
Yes, if you own and live in a one- or two-family house, you can get the building permit for it yourself. For a three-family or larger building, which covers a lot of Somerville triple-deckers, the city requires a licensed contractor to apply for and get it. When we do the work, we handle the permit either way.
How do I check that a concrete contractor is registered in Massachusetts?
Ask for their Home Improvement Contractor registration number, which the state requires for work on an owner-occupied home of one to four units and which has to appear on the permit, the contract and their ads. For jobs estimated at $1,000 or more, state rules also require a written contract with certain terms in it. An HIC registration isn't the same as a construction supervisor license, and one doesn't stand in for the other.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Somerville?
The price depends mostly on access, what has to come out and how much base work the ground needs, more than on the size of the driveway. On these lots the biggest variable is usually hidden, because old slabs often sit on fill that was never packed, and digging that out to firm ground is work you never see once it's poured. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you skip a fancy finish than a proper base, since a finish can be redone and a bad base comes out with a jackhammer. The free estimate gives you your own number.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack?
Most cracks come from a base that settled, water with nowhere to go, or control joints cut late or skipped. Concrete shrinks as it cures and moves in the cold, so some cracking is normal, and the joints are there to keep it in straight lines where we chose. In summer we pour early in the day, because midday heat dries the top too fast and leaves it weak and dusty later.
How do I get approval for concrete work on a historic district property in Somerville?
If your property is in a Local Historic District, proposed work goes through the city's CitizenServe system as a "Historic Permit" application. Tell us at the estimate if your house might be in one, since it adds a step to the paperwork and we'd rather plan for it before we book.
Plan your Somerville concrete job with us
The permit comes before the pour here, so calling (617) 274-7964 or sending the form early gives the paperwork time to clear before the season gets away from you.
Request an estimateCall (617) 274-7964