Concrete Contractor in Medford, MA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
D&L Malden Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Medford, MA. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and pool decks, and we build footings, foundations and retaining walls for homeowners and builders across the city.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
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Concrete work in Medford, from the base up
The short answer: D&L Malden Concrete Company does concrete work in Medford, MA, pouring driveways, patios, walks and steps for homeowners and footings and foundations for builders. I come out to every job myself, and we start with the parts you won't see later: the base under the slab, where the water runs and where the joints go.
We're based in Malden, right next door, so Medford is close to home for our crew. Calls here run from the older streets around Medford Square out to the neighborhoods toward the Fells, and most of them are for houses: a driveway along the side of a single-family or two-family house, a back patio, front steps that have settled or a walk that's broken up. We see the same kind of housing in Somerville.
On a lot like that, the house, the driveway and the neighbor's yard sit close together, so the job turns on access and drainage. We work out how the truck reaches the forms and which way the water will run before we dig, because there's little room to fix either one later.
Why Medford driveways and patios crack and sink
Most of the cracked, sinking driveways we look at in Medford have the same problem underneath. Whoever poured them raked the dirt level and poured right over it instead of digging down to firm subgrade for the slab to rest on, so the concrete dropped as the dirt settled. We dig that out, pack a stone base in layers and set rebar inside the slab where it needs steel to hold cracked pieces together.
Water is the other one. Older patios and walks often pitch back toward the house, so rain runs against the foundation or pools right where you step out the door. Before we set a form, we check where water comes off the roof and the yard, and we pitch the new slab away from the house.
Concrete services we offer in Medford
Concrete driveway building
When your driveway has sunk, split or holds puddles, we dig it out to firm ground, pack a new base and pour a slab that sheds water.
Concrete patio construction
A back patio works best sized for how you'll use it, so we plan around the table, grill and back door before the forms go in.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick in one pour, and it still needs the same packed base underneath.
Concrete sidewalk building
We replace front walks that have tipped or broken into trip edges, cutting shallow control joints so any crack follows a line we chose.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor that's cracked, pitted or sloped toward the back wall gets a new slab pitched to the door, so water off the car runs out.
Decorative concrete
Decorative concrete covers color and exposed stone for a front walk or patio where looks matter, and we plan the finish once the base and drainage are planned.
Concrete retaining walls
When a yard drops off toward the driveway or a neighbor's lot, we pour a retaining wall with drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
Basement and workshop floors get a new slab over a packed base when the old one has cracked, settled or broken up around old pipe trenches.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck needs a surface that isn't slick when wet and a pitch that carries water away from the pool and the house, so we plan both.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have pulled away from the house or crumbled at the edges get rebuilt on footings, with a broom finish dragged across each tread for grip.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or outbuilding on a slab, we set the grade, base and steel before the pour, because that slab carries the whole building.
Foundation installation
Builders and owners call us for poured foundation walls on new homes and additions, laid out from the plans and checked for square and level before we pour.
Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind multifamily buildings and shops get concrete laid out for drainage first, so water reaches the drains instead of sitting in the spaces.
Concrete footings
Footings for decks, porches, additions and steps are the wide concrete base the structure sits on, so we dig them to the depth the plans call for.
Foundation raising
When part of a garage or house has dropped, we raise the section and look for what let the ground move, since lifting alone won't fix the cause.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings for doors and drains, cut out a damaged section of slab, or add joints that were skipped, without breaking up the rest.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Medford concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Medford property myself, measure and ask how you'll use the space, and then you get a written estimate with no obligation to go ahead.
Working in Medford: permits, licenses and what moves the price
Permits in Medford go through the city's building department, which inspects buildings and structures here and enforces the State Building Code. On a job that needs a permit, work starts only after the permit card is issued, so that card sets the earliest day we can dig, and we handle the application ourselves and keep you posted on where it stands. Contractors who file for building permits have to register their licenses with the city, and a business working under a trade name files a business certificate in the city where its office is. We're fully licensed and insured.
Plenty of Medford's side streets are narrow and lined with parked cars, so I plan where the mixer truck parks and how far the concrete has to travel before we book a pour. That access, the size of the slab, how much old concrete and fill comes out and the finish you pick are what move the price, and the schedule turns on the permit card, the season and the curing time the concrete needs before you walk or drive on it. Your own number comes on the written estimate after I've measured. It's the same planning we do in Saugus and Melrose.
How a concrete job in Medford goes after you call
Here's how a job runs with us, from the first call to the day you can drive on it. I'm on site for each step, so you're talking to the same person throughout.
- Step 01
Call us or send the form
Call (781) 288-8155 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come look. You don't need to be home for every minute, but it helps if you're there to walk the space with me.
- Step 02
I measure and write it up
I measure, look at where the water runs and ask how you'll use the space. You get a written estimate that spells out the mix, the joints, the drainage and what's included, so you can see where the money goes.
- Step 03
We file permits and pour
Before anyone digs, we file any permit the job needs, have underground lines marked and pick a pour date that suits the season, waiting on the city's permit card when one is required. Our crew does the work with me on site, from digging out and packing the base to cutting the joints.
- Step 04
We walk you through curing
After the pour I walk you through curing and first winter care: when the slab is ready for foot traffic, when it's ready for the car and what to do in between. You'll know what to do and when.
Medford concrete questions homeowners ask us
Do I need a permit for a concrete retaining wall in Medford?
A retaining wall holding back less than four feet of unbalanced fill, the difference in ground height from one side to the other, can go ahead without a building permit under the State Building Code, as long as the building official doesn't see a threat to public safety, health or welfare. A wall over that isn't covered by the exemption, so plan on a permit.
Do I need a permit for a small shed on a concrete pad in Medford?
A small shed often doesn't need one, but Medford gives two size figures, so check before we pour the pad. The State Building Code exempts a one-story detached shed with no more than 200 square feet of floor, while the building department's own shed answer says sheds up to 120 square feet need no permit, set 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 no more than 15 feet tall. Call the building department at (781)393-2511 with your shed size, so the pad goes where the shed can stand.
What is the best way to plan a concrete pool deck around a pool permit in Medford?
Plan the deck around the pool's permit and inspections, because at a one or two family house a pool, hot tub or spa holding over 24 inches of water needs a building permit, with an electrical permit obtained alongside it before construction starts. The pool stays empty and unused until the building office and the electrical department do a final inspection. We set the deck pour date once you and your pool installer know where things stand, so the two jobs don't get in each other's way.
Can I pull a homeowner's permit for my own concrete project in Medford?
Only if you own a single or two family house and live in it, because that's who the city lets obtain a homeowner's permit for work there. Someone who builds more than one home in a two year period isn't considered a homeowner. When we do the work, the application is ours to handle.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Medford?
Your driveway's price comes on a written estimate after I've seen it, and the biggest choice in it is how much goes into the base versus the finish. A stamped or colored surface costs more than a plain broom finish, but if the budget's tight I'd spend on digging out and packing the base first, since you can live with a plain surface and a slab on a bad base will usually settle no matter how it looks.
How do I keep a new driveway in Medford from cracking like the old one?
Get the base and the joints right, because concrete cracks some, and the aim is a slab that stays level with cracks that land in the joints. Besides the dug-out, packed base, we pour early in the day rather than in midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, and we cut the joints soon after the pour instead of late or not at all. Then give it the full curing time before the car goes on it.
Talk to us about your Medford concrete job
We pick up seven days a week, from early morning into the evening, so call (781) 288-8155 when it suits you or send the form.