Concrete contractor in Melrose, MA - driveways, walks and steps that drain right
D&L Malden Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Malden. In Melrose we pour driveways, patios, front walks and steps for homeowners, and footings, foundations and retaining walls for owners and builders.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Melrose concrete work, from front walks to footings
The short answer: If you need a concrete contractor in Melrose, D&L Malden Concrete Company handles the job from start to finish. We break out the old slab, build the base and pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and foundations. I come out to look at every job myself, and our crew does the work with me on site.
Melrose is mostly houses, a lot of them older. Many have a driveway squeezed along the side, a front walk and steps coming up from the sidewalk, and a backyard that sits higher or lower than the street. The Middlesex Fells runs through part of the city and on into Medford and Stoneham, and we work on both sides of it. Most of the city's conservation land sits in the greenbelt, which is kept for its steep slopes, ledge and wetlands.
Those older lots shape the job before any concrete shows up. If the truck can't back up a narrow side driveway, we plan how the concrete gets from the street to the forms. An old slab usually has to be broken out and hauled away before we can see what it was sitting on.
Cracked, sinking and wet slabs on Melrose properties
Most calls start with water. A driveway that pitches toward the garage, or a patio that falls back toward the foundation, sends every rain at the house, and over the years that shows up as pooling, chipped edges and a slab that has started to tip. On lots that sit above or below the street, I check where the water runs before a single form goes in, and we set the new slab to carry it away from the house to a place it can go.
The other half is what's underneath. When an old driveway or walk has settled, the base was usually just raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it sank with the dirt below it. We dig down to the subgrade, the native ground the slab rests on, and build up a packed stone base. If the budget's tight, I'd rather put the money there than into a fancy finish, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it's what decides whether the slab stays put.
Concrete work we do on Melrose properties
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has sunk, cracked or holds water by the garage, we break it out, dig to firm ground and pour a slab pitched to drain.
Concrete patio construction
For a backyard patio that stays flat under the grill and the table, we set the slope away from the house and plan the joints before we pour.
Stamped concrete services
If you'd like a patio or walk that looks like stone or brick, we press the pattern into the concrete over a fully packed base.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks that have heaved or tipped toward the street get rebuilt level with a broom finish, brushed lines that give shoes grip in the wet.
Garage floor concrete
When a garage floor is cracked, pitted or sinking at the door, we pour a new slab thick enough for the car and sloped toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored, stamped or exposed-aggregate concrete suits a front entry or patio where looks matter, and we'll tell you plainly which finishes hold up in your spot.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped yard, a poured wall holds the ground back to make flat space, with drainage behind it so water pressure doesn't push the wall over.
Concrete floor installation
Basement, workshop and addition floors get a level slab over a packed base, with rebar, steel that holds cracks tight, where the load needs it.
Concrete pool decks
Around a pool, the deck has to drain away from the water and give bare feet some grip, so we plan the slope and the finish together.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that crumble at the edges or pull away from the house get rebuilt on solid footings, with even step heights so nobody trips.
Slab foundation building
For a garage, addition or shed on a slab foundation, we check and pack the ground it sits on, then pour with thickened edges to carry the walls.
Foundation installation
Builders and owners call us for poured foundation walls on additions and new houses, laid out square and level so the framing goes up without a fight.
Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind a shop or a multi-family house get a heavier slab, planned joints and drainage so water doesn't sit in the spaces.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches, additions and garages all start with footings, the concrete pads under the posts or walls, dug deep enough and sized for what they carry.
Foundation raising
When a house needs lifting for a taller basement or a new foundation, we pour the new concrete under it once it's raised and supported.
Concrete cutting
We cut clean openings in slabs and walls for a new door, drain line or sump, and saw out damaged sections so a repair meets a straight edge.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Melrose
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Melrose property. I look at every job myself, and the estimate is free and done on site. There's no obligation to go ahead.
Permits, schedules and checking a contractor in Melrose
Building permits here come from Inspectional Services at Melrose City Hall. The city's zoning calls for a permit on driveways and retaining walls even where the building code leaves them alone. If you're near the Historical District or wetlands, the Historical Commission or the Conservation Commission may review the job as well, and the pour date waits until that's settled. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application ourselves and keep you posted on where it stands. For most work on an existing home you live in with one to four units, ask any contractor for their state Home Improvement Contractor registration number, which has to show on the permit, the contract and their ads. Where a job calls for a licensed construction supervisor, you can look up that license with the state. A Melrose business certificate is a filing, not a license to do the work, so don't take it as one. We're fully licensed and insured.
We come up from Malden for jobs here. The price moves with the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete comes out, how deep the base has to go, any drainage or step work, the finish you pick and how close the truck can get. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather on pour day and curing, the days the new concrete needs to gain strength before you use it. Once I've measured, your estimate gives you your own number.
How a Melrose concrete job goes once you call
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the first winter. I'm on site for the look and the pour, and our crew does the work.
- Step 01
Call or send the form
Call (781) 288-8155 or fill out the form, and we'll set a time for me to come see the job. It helps if you're home for that visit so we can talk it through.
- Step 02
I measure and write it up
I measure, look at the slope and the old concrete, and ask how you'll use the space, since a patio for a table and a driveway for a pickup need different things. Then you get a written estimate that spells out the mix, the joints, the drainage and what's included, so there's nothing to guess at.
- Step 03
Line up permits and lines
Before anyone digs or pours, we file any permit the job needs, call to have underground lines marked and pick a pour date that suits the season. If the city's review runs long, the pour date moves with it, and you'll hear from us when it does.
- Step 04
Pour, cure and walk through
Our crew pours and finishes with me on site. After that I walk you through curing so you know when to walk on it, when to drive on it and what to watch for its first winter.
Melrose concrete questions homeowners ask us
Do I need a permit for a new concrete driveway in Melrose, MA?
Yes, plan on one, because the city's zoning requires a permit for driveways and retaining walls even where the building code doesn't cover them. For patios, steps and other slabs, the city's permitting guide says new construction and work to repair, renovate or install new material need a building permit, and it lists ordinary repairs among the exceptions. We check what your job needs and file it.
Can I pull my own building permit in Melrose and then hire a concrete contractor?
If you own a single or two-family home, the city lets you apply for the permit yourself. But if you get the permit and then hire a contractor, you may not be protected by the Home Improvement Guarantee Fund. For other homes, a licensed construction supervisor or architect has to sign the permit and be on the job site, so on jobs that need a permit, we take care of it.
How do I know if my concrete contractor needs HIC registration in Massachusetts?
A contractor needs Home Improvement Contractor registration to work on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, but the state lists driveways among the jobs that don't need it, along with some small jobs under $500. New construction, buildings over four units and investment, vacation or second homes fall outside the law. For work estimated at $1,000 or more, the state also requires a written contract with set provisions, and the state's HIC homeowner page lays out the rules.
Do the 2025 FEMA flood maps affect my property in Melrose?
They might. The city says the updated maps now in effect may change flood insurance requirements for some properties, and the area around Ell Pond is one place where the mapped flood zone changed. You can look up your property on the city's flood map page, and on any job near low ground I check where the water goes before we set the slope.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Melrose?
Your price comes from the size of the driveway and what's under it, and you get your own figure in writing after I've measured. Breaking out an old slab, digging out a soft base, fixing a pitch toward the garage or choosing a stamped or colored finish all add to it, while a plain broom finish keeps it down. The city's building permit fee is figured on the total cost of construction, so a bigger job carries a bigger fee.
What causes concrete driveways to crack, and will a new one crack like the old one?
Most cracking traces back to the base, the drainage or the joints, so a new slab done right usually holds up far better than the one it replaces. Concrete shrinks as it cures, so we plan control joints, grooves cut into the slab so any crack runs along a line we chose instead of across the middle, before the first form goes in. Cracks end up in the wrong places when the joints are cut late or skipped, or when a slab is poured in midday heat and the top dries too fast.
Get your Melrose concrete estimate started
We're open until 10 PM on weekdays and 11 PM on weekends, so call (781) 288-8155 after work or send the form tonight.