Heartland Boston Concrete Company is based in Boston and pours driveways, front steps, walkways and patios for Brookline homeowners. We put the most care into the groundwork under the slab, because that's what decides how it holds up.
(857) 770-0722
Brookline sits right outside Boston, and as a concrete contractor based in Boston, MA, we work there often. Most of the houses we see are older, with driveways squeezed between neighbors, front steps that climb up from the sidewalk and yards that slope toward the street or the house next door.
That age shows in the concrete. We find driveways that have sunk at one end because they were laid over loose fill, steps that have pulled away from the house, and patios where water pools against the foundation because the slab falls the wrong way.
We reply within one business day, and there's no obligation to book. Once you send the form, we'll set a time, and I'll come out to Brookline myself to look at the job and give you the estimate on site.
(857) 770-0722Most of our Brookline calls are for driveways that have cracked or sunk, front steps that have shifted, and walkways or patios where water sits after rain. We also pour garage floors, retaining walls and concrete pool decks, and each job starts with digging out and packing the base before any concrete goes in.
Brookline's Building Department issues the permits to build, alter or repair a structure, so when your job needs one, the permit sets the start date and nothing gets poured until it's issued. Before you hire anyone, check that they're registered with the state as a Home Improvement Contractor, and if they work under a business name, that they've filed a business certificate where they're headquartered, which for a Brookline company means the Office of the Town Clerk. Before work starts, we check with Brookline about the permits your job may need and help you get the paperwork in order.
Tight driveways and houses set close together mean the truck often can't back right up to the forms, so getting concrete to the spot is part of the plan and part of the price. The rest of the price comes from the size and thickness of the slab, how much soft fill has to come out, whether an old slab needs breaking up and hauling away, and the finish you pick, while the schedule turns on the permit and the curing wait after the pour. I'll give you your own figure when I see the job, the same way I do in Newton next door and in Chelsea on the far side of Boston.
I come out to your house myself, look at the old slab, the grade and where the water runs, and give you the estimate right there. You'll know what you're paying for before we start, and I'm happy to explain any part of it twice.
The people who show up to pour are our own crew, and I'm on the job running it. That way the person who planned your base is the same one checking it before the truck arrives, so nothing gets lost between the estimate and the pour.
The subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, is buried on day one, so it's the first thing people want to cut. We'd rather dig out soft fill and pack it properly than spend on a fancy surface, because the base decides whether your slab settles.
We're licensed and insured, we've been in business since 2017, and our work comes with one promise, satisfaction guaranteed. When you're ready, call (857) 770-0722 or send the form, and I'll set a time to come look at your Brookline job.
Yes, putting in a driveway in Brookline needs a building permit, and the application needs a photograph or plans of the existing or proposed driveway. You apply through Brookline's online permit portal, and first-time users set up an account before they start. We'll help you pull together the photos and details it asks for.
Your number comes from the slab's size, the base it needs and how we get concrete to it, so I give it to you after I've seen the job. Plan on Brookline's building permit fee as well, which is $21 per $1,000 of estimated cost, with some exceptions. A plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip, costs less than stamped or decorative work.
You'll stay off it for a few days for walking and longer for driving, because the slab needs that time curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength. We plan the tear-out, base and pour around the permit so you know ahead which days the car parks somewhere else. Keep in mind a Brookline building permit lapses if work hasn't started within 180 days of being issued, though the building official can extend it on written request.
Most new slabs crack early because the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, the joints were cut late or skipped, or the pour went on in the midday heat. We pack the base, add rebar, the steel inside that holds the slab together, where the job needs it, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give concrete a straight place to crack. Concrete can still crack a little, and the goal is that it cracks where we chose and doesn't settle.
Yes, Massachusetts requires contractors working on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units to register as a Home Improvement Contractor. Their active registration number has to appear on building permits, contracts and advertising. Any job estimated at $1,000 or more also needs a written contract with the terms the law sets.
You can if it's a one- or two-unit house you live in or plan to live in, though Brookline typically issues permits to state-licensed construction supervisors. If you pull it yourself, you may be liable for the contractors on your property and you aren't covered by the Homeowners Improvement Contractor Law. You can check a supervisor's license on the state's construction supervisor licensing page.
It can, because properties inside a Local Historic District have a separate Permit for Alterations handled by the Planning Department. If your house is in one, ask the Planning Department whether your job needs it before we set a pour date. We'll fit that answer into the schedule so you're not waiting on paperwork with the old slab torn out.
