Concrete Contractor in Malden, MA - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Packed Base
D&L Malden Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Malden, MA. We build and replace driveways, patios, walks, steps and garage floors here, and we pour footings and foundations for owners and builders.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
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Concrete work on Malden's older, closely built streets
The short answer: D&L Malden Concrete Company is a concrete contractor in Malden, and most of our calls here are for driveways, patios, walks and steps on older houses set close together. Most of that work comes down to a base that's dug out and packed, water that runs away from the house, and joints planned before the forms go in.
A lot of Malden is older two- and three-family houses on tight lots, with a narrow driveway along one side, a garage or parking pad out back and a small yard behind. Our flatwork here, meaning the driveways, patios, walks and steps that sit flat on the ground, usually has us working close to the foundation and the neighbor's fence. Houses in Everett and Melrose look much the same, and we do the same work there.
The ground under these driveways has usually been patched and paved over more than once. We find old slabs poured straight on dirt, mixed fill and roots from street trees, so the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, is the one thing I can't size up until the old concrete comes out.
What Malden winters and older lots do to concrete
Every winter here puts water, frost and road salt on your concrete again and again. Water soaks into small cracks and freezes, which pries them wider, and salt tracked in off the street eats at the top. We pour in the cooler part of the day, because a slab that dries too fast in midday heat ends up with a weak, dusty top, and that's the surface winter chips first.
On older houses, the driveway or patio has often settled until it slopes toward the foundation, so rain runs at the basement instead of the yard. Before any forms go in, I check where the water goes now and where it should go, and we pitch the new slab away from the house.
Concrete services we do for Malden homes and lots
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has sunk at the garage or split across, we tear it out, dig to firm ground and pour new, sloped away from the house.
Concrete patio construction
In a small Malden backyard, a concrete patio gives you a flat spot to sit, laid out so rain runs to the yard and not the back door.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete is pressed with a pattern while it's still soft, so a front walk or patio can look like stone or brick on one solid slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
When a walk has heaved and catches toes, we replace the bad sections with a brushed top that grips on wet or icy days.
Garage floor concrete
When an old garage floor out back has cracked or holds puddles, we break it out and pour a new slab that drains toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone or a contrasting border can dress up a front walk or steps that face the street, and the base under it doesn't change.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped backyard, a concrete retaining wall holds the grade back for a level yard, with drainage behind it so water can't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
When a basement floor is broken up or you're adding a room, we pour a new slab over a packed base and vapor barrier to keep it drier.
Concrete pool decks
Around a backyard pool, the deck needs a textured top for wet feet and a pitch that sends splash water away from the pool and the house.
Concrete steps construction
When front steps have cracked, pulled away from the house or rock underfoot, we rebuild them with new footings and a grippy top.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, shed or addition, we pour a slab foundation on packed ground and set rebar in it, steel that holds cracks tight.
Foundation installation
When an owner or builder needs a full foundation for an addition or new house, we form and pour the walls and footings to the drawings.
Concrete parking lot building
For a multifamily house or small business lot, a concrete parking area holds up to daily traffic and plowing when it's built thick enough with drainage planned in.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions sit on footings, concrete set below where the ground freezes so frost has less chance to lift what's on top.
Foundation raising
If part of a foundation or slab has dropped, raising it back can sometimes beat tearing it out, and I'll tell you which way I'd go.
Concrete cutting
A doorway through a basement wall, a trench for a drain line or a clean edge on a slab gets sawn, so the concrete around it isn't hammered loose.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Malden
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time, and I'll come out to your Malden property myself to measure and look at the job. The estimate is free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Working in Malden: permits, licenses and tight driveways
Building permits in Malden come from Malden Inspectional Services, and whether your driveway, patio or steps need one is the city's call, so I check before we put a pour date on the calendar. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application ourselves and keep you posted, and the start waits until it's issued. Before you hire anyone, check two things. The state Board of Building Regulations and Standards oversees construction supervisor licensing, and businesses file a business certificate with the city's City Clerk's Office that has to be renewed every four years. We're fully licensed and insured, and you should ask any contractor you're weighing, us included, for their paperwork.
Price here usually turns on access and on what's underneath. A driveway squeezed between two houses can mean pumping the concrete or wheeling it in, which costs more than backing a truck up to the forms, and a busy block with street parking means planning where the truck stands on pour day. The schedule moves with the permit when there is one, a pour day that's neither too hot nor too cold, and the curing time before you can use the slab, and your own figure comes on the written estimate. We see the same tight lots and tired driveways in Medford and Somerville.
How a concrete job in Malden goes once you call
Here's how it runs from your first call to your first winter with the new concrete, and where you'll want to be part of it.
- Step 01
Call or send the form
Tell us about the job at (781) 288-8155 or through the form, and we set a day for me to come out. A few photos help, but they don't replace the visit.
- Step 02
I measure and write it up
I measure, look at where the water runs and ask how you'll use the space, so it helps if you're home. You get a written estimate that spells out the mix, the joints, the drainage and what's included, so you know the price before anyone digs.
- Step 03
Permits, line marking, then the pour
Before we dig, we file any permit the job needs, call to have underground lines marked and pick a pour date that suits the season. Our crew does the work with me on site, from digging out and packing the base to finishing and cleanup.
- Step 04
We walk you through curing
After the pour I go over curing with you, meaning how long to stay off it and what to keep off it. I also cover first-winter care, like going easy on salt and watching where the plow blade drops.
Malden concrete questions we hear most
Where do I apply for a building permit in Malden?
You apply through Malden Inspectional Services, which takes applications in the city's online permitting system. The same system lets you search permits and check the status of one that's been filed. On our jobs that need a permit, we file it, and you can follow it there too.
Which building code applies to a home project in Malden?
The Massachusetts State Building Code covers home projects in Malden, and the state's newest edition is now the only one in effect. For houses it includes a Massachusetts residential code, built on the international residential code with changes made for this state. Footings, foundations and slabs that carry a structure are built to it.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Malden?
Your price depends mostly on the size, how much old concrete comes out, how hard it is to get the truck in and the finish you pick, and the written estimate gives you the number for yours. A broom finish, the plain brushed texture most driveways get for grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If the budget's tight, I'd keep the base and simplify the finish, because the base is what keeps the slab from settling and you can't fix it later without starting over.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can usually walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, and we give you both dates for your pour because they shift with the mix and the weather. That wait is curing, the slow hardening that keeps going for days after the top looks dry, and a car parked on it too early can mark or crack it. On a cold Malden fall day it takes longer than in summer.
What causes a concrete driveway in Malden to sink?
Most sinking we see here comes from a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the slab drops as the loose dirt under it settles. Water running under the edges and freezing makes it worse. We dig to firm ground and pack the base in layers, because it's the part nobody sees once it's poured and the part that decides how the slab holds up.
Will a new concrete patio crack like my old one?
It can still crack, but we pick where by cutting control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along instead of a random one. Old patios here often had joints cut late or skipped, which is why their cracks wander. Under slabs that carry weight we add rebar, steel set inside that holds a crack tight if one forms.
Call about your Malden concrete job today
The phone at (781) 288-8155 is answered seven days a week and into the evening, so you can call when you're home looking at the cracks, or send the form anytime.