We're Heartland Boston Concrete Company, a concrete contractor based in Boston, MA, and we pour driveways, patios, walks and steps for homeowners all over Newton. Call (857) 770-0722 and tell me what you're looking at.
(857) 770-0722
Most of our Newton calls come from single-family houses that have stood a long time. The driveway often runs back along the side of the house to a garage, and the front walk and steps have usually been patched more than once. When a slab like that has sunk by the garage or split across the middle, the cause is almost always underneath it, a thin base or dirt that was never packed, so that's what I look at first.
A lot of these yards have big trees, grass edges and gardens right up against the concrete, so part of the job is getting forms and a truck in without tearing up the rest of the yard. We plan the pour around what's already there, and we backfill and clean up the edges before we leave.
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to your house in Newton myself to look at the job and give you the estimate. It's free, and there's no obligation to book. If you go ahead, our own crew does the work with me running it.
(857) 770-0722Most of what we pour in Newton is flatwork, the slabs that lie on the ground like driveways, patios, walks and garage floors, along with front steps that have pulled away from the house. We also break out and replace cracked basement slabs through our concrete floor installation work, and we build retaining walls where a yard drops off toward the street or the lot next door.
In Newton, permits for building, altering and repairing structures come from the city's Inspectional Services Department, and that's the office to ask whether your driveway, patio or steps need one. Before work starts, we check with the city about the permits your job may need and help you get the paperwork in order, and if a permit is needed, the pour waits until it's issued. On your side, make sure your contractor is registered with the state as a Home Improvement Contractor, which Massachusetts requires for work on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, and look for that registration number on your contract and your permit before we start.
Your price mostly comes down to how big the slab is, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, how much base we build and pack, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, the forecast and the wait for the new concrete to harden before you use it, and you get your own figure at the on-site estimate. Parked cars and tight driveways can make it tricky to get a concrete truck close on some Newton streets, so we sort out access at the estimate. We do the same work just over the line in Brookline, where a lot of the older houses need the same care.
I come out to see your driveway or patio and give you the estimate myself, so the person pricing it is the one who'll be on site. Our own crew does the work with me running it, and I'd rather explain something twice than leave you guessing.
The subgrade, the packed ground under the slab, is hidden once we pour, so it's the first thing people cut. I'd steer you to a broom finish, a light texture for grip, before I'd skimp on the base, because that's what decides how the slab holds up.
We're licensed and insured, and we've been in business since 2017. I learned this trade beside older finishers who cared more about the prep than the finish. Satisfaction guaranteed. Call (857) 770-0722 or use the form to set up your estimate.
Most of a driveway's cost is in tearing out the old slab and building the base, so two driveways the same size can price quite differently, and you get your own figure at the estimate. A thicker slab with rebar, steel set inside to hold the concrete together if it cracks, costs more, and so do stamped or colored finishes. A plain broom finish keeps the price down without touching the base.
You can walk on a new slab well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps curing, slowly hardening and gaining strength, for days after the pour. Driving on it too early can crack or mark it. We'll tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for your car, based on the pour and that week's weather.
Most sinking and cracking starts underneath, with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or water running under the slab because nobody checked where it drains. We dig out and pack the base, slope the slab away from the house, and cut control joints early. Control joints are shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight line to crack along, so any crack lands where we chose. Concrete can still crack, but a slab on a packed base holds its level far better than one poured over loose dirt.
In general, Newton allows construction noise from 7 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday and from 8 AM to 7 PM on Saturday. On Sundays and holidays it isn't allowed unless the Mayor approves a permit for it. We schedule pours and saw cutting inside those hours, so the truck and the saw don't start before the rules allow.
Yes, Massachusetts requires a written contract between you and the contractor for work estimated at $1,000 or more, and the law sets certain things that contract has to include. When your job is over that amount, the contract is in writing before we start. I'll go through it with you so you know what you're paying for.
Start by having the spot looked at in person, because where the water runs and what the ground is like decide how the patio gets built. I walk the yard with you and check the slope so the new slab falls away from the house, and then we settle on size and finish. After that our crew digs out, packs the base, sets the forms, pours, finishes and cuts the joints. We don't pour in midday heat, because that can leave a weak, dusty top.
