Heartland Boston Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Boston, MA, and we pour driveways, patios, front walks and steps for homeowners across Medford. We put most of our care into what goes under the slab, because that's what decides how it holds up.
(857) 770-0722
Most of our Medford calls come from owners of older single and two-family homes on tight lots, where the driveway runs close along the side of the house and the backyard doesn't leave much room. When an old slab on a lot like that has sunk or tipped, it was usually laid on whatever dirt was there, and the water off the roof and the driveway ends up running toward the foundation.
So on a Medford job I spend more time looking at the ground and the downspouts than at the old concrete, because that's where the real fix is. It's the same kind of house and lot we see next door in Malden, and we plan the work the same careful way.
We reply within one business day, and then I set a time to come out to your Medford house and look at the job myself. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, so you'll know what the work involves and what you'd be paying for before you decide anything.
(857) 770-0722On Medford's tighter lots we mostly replace driveways that have sunk or cracked, pour new front walks and steps, and build back patios that make the most of a small yard. We also pour garage floors, build retaining walls where a yard steps down, and do stamped concrete for homeowners who want a patio with some pattern to it.
In Medford, the building department takes the written application for work that needs a permit, and no work starts until a permit card is issued, so on a permitted job the schedule waits on the city before it waits on us. You can check a contractor two ways here, because contractors filing for a building permit have to register their licenses with the city, and a business working under a trade name has to file a business certificate in the city where its office is, which in Medford goes through the City Clerk's Office. Before we start, we check with the city about the permits your job may need and help you get the paperwork in order.
The price on a Medford job mostly turns on how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, how much base we bring in and pack, how close the truck can get on a narrow driveway and which finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather on pour day and the curing, the stretch while the concrete hardens before you can put weight on it, and I'll give you your own figure when I come out for the estimate. We do the same work in Revere and the other cities around Boston, so the crew that shows up in Medford knows these lots.
I come out to see the job and give the estimate myself, so the person pricing your driveway is the one who'll be running it. Our own crew does the work with me there, and I'd rather explain something twice than leave you wondering what you're paying for.
When a budget gets tight, the base is the first thing people want to cut, because nobody sees it once the concrete is down. I'd rather trim the finish, because a slab on raked dirt settles with the dirt, so we dig out soft ground and pack the base first.
We check where the water runs so the slab falls away from your house and not toward it. We pour early instead of in midday heat, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a planned place to crack, while it's still fresh.
We're licensed and insured, and we've been doing this work since 2017. Satisfaction guaranteed. When you're ready to talk about your driveway, patio or steps, call (857) 770-0722 or fill out the form on this page, and I'll come take a look.
The cost depends mostly on what's under your driveway, so I give you a figure only after I've seen it on site. Tearing out the old slab, digging down to firm ground and packing a new base move the price the most, then the size, how the truck gets in and the finish, whether that's a plain broom finish, a brushed texture for grip, or something decorative.
Start with where the water goes and what the old concrete sits on, because those decide how the new slab holds up more than the finish does. When I come out, I look at the drainage, the ground, how a truck reaches the spot and whether the city needs to see the job. Then we set a pour day, ideally a morning, so the top doesn't dry too fast in the heat and turn weak and dusty later.
Most cracks come from a soft base, water getting under the slab, or joints cut late or skipped, and that's usually why the old one cracked where it did. Concrete can still crack, but with a packed base, the drainage worked out and control joints cut on time, the cracks it gets usually stay small and fall in the joints. Where a slab needs it, we add rebar, steel bars inside the concrete that hold it together if it does crack.
You can usually walk on it within a few days, and driving waits longer, because the concrete keeps hardening as it cures. I'll tell you the day for your slab when we pour, since the mix and that week's weather both play into it.
The state building code lets a retaining wall go ahead without a building permit only when it holds back less than four feet of unbalanced fill, the difference in ground height from one side to the other, and the building official sees no threat to public safety, health or welfare. That last part is the official's judgment, so we ask the city about your wall before we dig.
The building department says sheds up to 120 square feet need no building permit if they sit 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 stand no more than 15 feet tall. The state code's own exemption covers one-story detached sheds up to 200 square feet, so call the department at (781)393-2511 to confirm which figure applies to yours before we pour the pad.
A private pool, hot tub or spa at a one or two family home needs a building permit when it holds more than 24 inches of water, and an electrical permit has to be obtained with it before construction starts. The pool stays empty and unused until the building office and the electrical department do a final inspection, so we plan the deck work around those inspections with you.
