Concrete Contractor in Cambridge, MA - Slabs Planned for Tight City Lots
D&L Malden Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Cambridge, MA. We pour driveways, patios, walks and front steps, and we build footings and foundations for owners and builders, with the base and drainage planned before the pour.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Concrete work in Cambridge's older, close-set neighborhoods
The short answer: D&L Malden Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Malden, MA, and we pour flatwork in Cambridge, the driveways, patios and walks that lie flat on the ground, along with steps, footings and foundations. I come out to look at every job myself, and our crew does the work with me on site.
Most Cambridge homes we work on are older houses set close together, a lot of them two- and three-family, with a narrow driveway along one side, a small back yard and a front walk and steps out to the city sidewalk. By the time you call, the concrete is usually decades old, so the job often starts with taking out what's there. The lots and houses look a lot like what we see next door in Somerville, so the planning carries over.
Tight lots shape the job here more than anything else. A side driveway is often the only way into the back yard and there's rarely room to stage a pile of broken concrete, so how the old slab comes out and the new concrete gets in is planned before the first form goes in.
Older slabs on Cambridge lots and why they fail
Most Cambridge calls start with a slab that's cracked, sunk at one corner or holding a puddle by the back door, and when we break the old one out we usually find why. The subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settled over the years and took the concrete down with it. We dig to firm ground, pack fresh base in layers and add rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks, where the job calls for it.
Water is the other thing these lots fight. With the next house close by and little lawn to soak up rain, a slab that falls even slightly toward your foundation sends runoff straight at the basement, so we check where water goes now and pitch the new concrete away from the house.
Concrete services for Cambridge homes and lots
Concrete driveway building
When the driveway along your house has cracked or sunk, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour new concrete pitched away from the foundation.
Concrete patio construction
A small back yard gets more use with a patio, and we plan the slope first so rain runs off instead of pooling by your door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of brick or stone in one pour, which suits older homes where the yard should match the house.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks that have heaved or chipped become a trip hazard, so we replace them with a broom finish, a light brushed texture that grips when wet.
Garage floor concrete
If your detached garage has a cracked, sunken or dusty floor, we break it out, pack a new base and pour a slab thick enough for a car.
Decorative concrete
Colored or textured finishes on steps, walks and patios help new concrete sit well beside old brick and clapboard, without giving up the base work underneath.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps down toward the street or a neighbor, a concrete retaining wall holds the dirt back and gives you a usable, level piece of ground.
Concrete floor installation
Basements in older houses and new additions often need a fresh concrete floor, and we set the base and any vapor barrier first so the slab sits flat.
Concrete pool decks
If your yard has a pool, we pour a deck with a textured, slip-resistant finish and pitch it so splash water drains away from the house.
Concrete steps construction
Front and back steps take a beating in Cambridge winters, so when yours are crumbling or pulling away from the house, we form and pour new ones.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, shed or addition on a slab, we build the base, set the steel and pour the slab the building will sit on.
Foundation installation
Owners and builders bring us foundation work for additions and new homes, where the layout and the footings have to be right before anything goes on top.
Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind multi-family buildings and storefronts wear out under daily traffic, and we rebuild them with a thicker base and joints planned for where cars turn.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions need footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight down to firm ground, and we dig and pour them to the plans.
Foundation raising
When an older house has settled or you need more basement height, foundation raising lifts the house so the foundation under it can be repaired or rebuilt.
Concrete cutting
On tight lots, cutting lets us open a slab for a new drain, a doorway or a clean edge without breaking out more concrete than the job needs.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Cambridge job
We reply within one business day to set up a visit to your Cambridge property, and I come out to look at the job myself. The estimate is free and done on site, with no obligation to go ahead.
Working in Cambridge: permits, paperwork and price
Building permits in Cambridge come from the city's Inspectional Services Department, and whether your concrete job needs one is that department's call. When it does, the permit has to be issued before any work starts, so it sets the earliest day we can dig, and we handle the application ourselves and keep you posted on where it stands. The city also requires a business certificate from anyone doing business there under a name other than their own, so that's worth asking any contractor about, along with the state registration covered in the questions below. We're fully licensed and insured.
Beyond the permit, the schedule here turns on the season, and the price moves mostly with how deep we have to dig for a solid base and the finish you choose. Narrow streets with cars parked on both sides decide where a mixer truck can stop, so we work out the truck's spot and whether we'll need a pump well before pour day. It's the same work we do from Malden out to Lynn and over in Medford, but Cambridge's older, tighter lots ask for more of that planning up front.
How a Cambridge concrete job runs, start to finish
Here's how a Cambridge job goes from your first call to the slab's first winter, with the city's permit and work-hour rules sitting right where they come into play.
- Step 01
Call or send the form
Call (781) 288-8155 or send the form and tell us what's going on, whether it's a sinking driveway, a cracked patio or a footing for an addition. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
- Step 02
Measure and write the estimate
I come out, measure, and ask how you'll use the space, so it helps if you can be home for that visit. Then you get a written estimate that spells out the mix, the joints, the drainage and what's included, so you know where the money goes before you decide.
- Step 03
Line up permits and the pour
Before anyone digs, we line up any permit the job needs and post it at the site, call for underground lines to be marked and pick a pour date that suits the season. Cambridge allows construction in residential areas weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so on hot weekdays we start right at 7 to finish the pour before midday heat can weaken the top.
- Step 04
Walk you through curing
After the pour we walk you through curing, the stretch when new concrete hardens and isn't ready for weight, and what to do in its first winter. You'll know what to stay off, and until when, before we leave.
Cambridge concrete questions we hear most
Do I need a building permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Cambridge, MA?
Cambridge requires a building permit to build, alter, repair or demolish a structure, and the only work its permit rules list as needing none is ordinary repairs, as the Building Code defines them, and sheds under 120 square feet. If your house is in a historic district or a neighborhood conservation district, is a designated landmark or is under a preservation restriction, work on it also needs the Cambridge Historical Commission's approval. We check both for your job before we set a pour date.
Who can apply for a building permit in Cambridge?
Cambridge issues building permits to construction supervisors licensed by the city or the state, and to homeowners working on a one- or two-unit house they live in or plan to live in. When your concrete job needs one, that's the application we file for you.
Does my concrete contractor need to be registered as a home improvement contractor in Massachusetts?
Yes, when the work is on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, Massachusetts requires the contractor and any subcontractors to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor. For work estimated at $1,000 or more, the state also requires a written contract between you and the contractor with the terms the law calls for, so ask to see both before anyone breaks ground.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Cambridge, MA?
A new driveway in Cambridge is priced mostly on its size, how much old concrete has to come out and how hard it is to get concrete from the street to the forms on a narrow side lot. If the budget forces a choice, I'd keep the full base and go with a plain broom finish over a stamped one, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the driveway settles. Your written estimate puts a figure on your own driveway and lists what's in it.
How long until I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Cambridge?
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because a car's weight needs a slab that has cured longer than foot traffic does. How long each takes turns on the temperature around pour day, so we give you both for your pour when we go over curing. If the driveway is your only off-street parking, plan on parking elsewhere until then, and we'll talk timing at the estimate.
What causes concrete driveways and walks to crack in Cambridge?
Concrete here usually cracks because the base under it settled, water got under or against it, or the joints were cut late or never cut at all. Concrete shrinks as it hardens and moves through every winter, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give it a place to crack along lines we chose, and we pour early in the day so summer heat doesn't leave a weak, dusty top.
Plan your Cambridge concrete job with us
Call (781) 288-8155 any day of the week, early morning to late evening, or send the form and tell us what's cracked, sinking or holding water.