Heartland Boston Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Boston, MA, pouring driveways, patios, steps and walks for Somerville homeowners. I've always cared more about the ground under the slab than the finish on top, because that's what decides how long it lasts.
(857) 770-0722
Most of the houses we work on in Somerville are two- and three-family homes set close together. The driveway is often a narrow strip between two buildings, and the backyard is small enough that a patio runs right up to the foundation. That means we plan how the concrete gets in before we plan anything else, because sometimes the truck can't reach the spot.
The other thing we see a lot is old concrete that has done its time. Front steps pull away from the house, walks tip toward the foundation, and driveway slabs sink where the dirt underneath was never packed. Water and years of freezing and thawing find those weak spots, so we start by looking at what's underneath and where the water goes.
Send the form or call, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to Somerville, look at the job with you and give you the estimate myself, with no obligation to book. If you go ahead, we'll check with the city about the permits your job may need before any work starts.
(857) 770-0722Most of our Somerville calls are for flatwork, our word for driveways, patios, walks and floors. We pour narrow driveways between houses, small backyard patios pitched away from the foundation, and front walks and steps that meet the city sidewalk. Older detached garages here often have cracked, sunken floors, and our garage floor concrete work starts by breaking that slab out and rebuilding the ground under it. On outdoor slabs we usually finish with a broom finish, a light texture that gives your shoes some grip when it's wet.
In Somerville, building permits come from the city's Inspectional Services Department, and the permit has to be issued before work starts, so your start date often waits on the city more than on us. When you're checking out a contractor, keep in mind that a business certificate filed with the City Clerk's Office is only a filing for a business name, not a license to do the work. The state registration that does matter is covered in the questions below. Before work starts, we check with the city about the permits your job may need and help you get the paperwork in order.
The price mostly comes down to the size of the slab, how much digging and base work the ground needs, whether old concrete has to come out, and how hard the spot is to reach. The schedule depends on the permit and the weather. You'll get your own figure when I come out for the estimate. We see the same tight lots and tired old slabs in Everett and Cambridge, so we plan Somerville jobs the same careful way.
When you call, I come out to see the job and give you the estimate myself, so the person pricing your slab is the person who'll run it. Our own crew does the work with me on the job, and I'd rather explain something twice than leave you wondering.
What's under the slab decides how it holds up, so we dig out soft dirt and pack the subgrade, the ground the concrete sits on, before the forms go in. If your budget's tight, I'd cut back on the fancy finish before I'd skimp on the base.
On a small lot, a patio or driveway often ends right at the foundation. Before we set forms, we check where the water runs and pitch the slab away from the house, because a slab that drains toward your foundation sends the water exactly where you don't want it.
We've been in business since 2017, we're licensed and insured, and we stand behind our work with one plain promise, satisfaction guaranteed. If you're ready to talk about your job, call (857) 770-0722 or use the form, and I'll come take a look.
Most likely, yes. The city's building division requires a building permit for all interior and exterior work on a house except painting, tiling and flooring. If you're not sure where your job falls, call ISD at 617-625-6600 ext. 5600. The same line can set up a meeting with a building inspector.
Yes, if you own a one- or two-family house and live in it, you can get the building permit for it yourself. For a three-family house or larger, a licensed contractor has to apply for and get the permit. Whoever gets it, the permit has to be posted where people can see it at the job site.
Yes, if the work is on an existing home with one to four units that the owner lives in. The state requires anyone who bids on or does that work to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor, which you can read about on the state's HIC registration page. That registration is different from a Construction Supervisor License, and one doesn't replace the other. For HIC work estimated at $1,000 or more, the state also requires a written contract, and the contractor's registration number has to appear on permits, contracts and ads.
It comes down to how big and thick the slab is, how much digging and base work the ground needs, and whether an old slab has to be broken out and hauled away. Access matters a lot here, because on narrow lots where the truck can't reach, we may have to pump or wheel the concrete in, and that takes more labor. I'll walk the job with you and tell you what you're paying for before we start.
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because the slab needs time to cure. Curing is the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength. Breaking out the old slab and building the base come first, and the weather can move things on either end. I'll go over the timing for your job when I come out.
Most bad cracks and sinking come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settles as the dirt does. We pack the base and use rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together, where the job calls for it. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give shrinking concrete a planned place to crack, while it's still fresh. We also avoid pouring in midday summer heat, because concrete that dries too fast ends up with a weak, dusty top.
