Concrete Contractor in Braintree, MA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Packed Base
Cornerstone Quincy Concrete is a concrete contractor working in Braintree, MA, pouring driveways, patios, steps and walks for homeowners, and footings and foundation slabs for small property owners and builders.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Braintree's postwar streets and older town centers
Braintree borders Quincy, where we're based, so its streets feel familiar to our crew. A lot of the single-family houses here went up in the 1950s, when Braintree built homes for its veterans all over town, and many still have their original walks and steps, or a driveway that's been patched more than once. South Braintree has older houses and historic architecture near its center, and the residential streets running toward Randolph look a lot like the ones we work on every week.
Most lots here are modest yards with a driveway running beside the house, so we often work in a narrow strip between the foundation and the property line. That strip decides how we bring the concrete in and where the water from the new slab can go.
Concrete work we do on Braintree properties
Concrete driveway building
When an original driveway has cracked, sunk or started holding puddles, we dig out to firm ground and pour a new slab on a packed base.
Concrete patio construction
Lots of backyards here have a tired patio or bare lawn off the back door, and we build a slab pitched so rain runs away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
If you want the look of stone or brick at the front walk or patio, stamping gives you that pattern in one poured slab with no loose pavers to reset.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older lots often tip, lift at tree roots or hold water at low spots, so we regrade the path and pour it to shed water.
Garage floor concrete
A garage floor that's pitted, cracked or sloped the wrong way gets broken out and replaced with a slab that drains toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Color, scoring or an exposed stone finish suits a walk or patio that should look dressed up beside an older house, without going to full stamping.
Concrete retaining walls
On sloped yards a poured wall holds back soil for a level patio or driveway, with drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
Basements, workshops and additions get a flat interior slab over a packed base and vapor barrier, ready for finish flooring or plain everyday use.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck needs a surface with grip for bare feet and a pitch that carries splash water away from both the pool and the house.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have crumbled at the edges or pulled away from the house get torn out and poured again on footings with steel inside.
Slab foundation building
Sheds, garages and small additions sit on a slab we form, reinforce and pour over packed stone once the layout on the lot is confirmed.
Foundation installation
Builders and property owners call us for poured foundation walls on additions and new homes, set on footings sized for the load above them.
Concrete parking lot building
Small commercial lots and shared driveways need a thicker slab and planned drainage so they stand up to delivery trucks and steady daily traffic.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches, additions and garages all start with footings, the wide concrete base that spreads the weight into firm ground below the frost of loose fill.
Foundation raising
When part of an older slab or foundation has settled, we lift it back toward level and fill the gap underneath so it has solid support again.
Concrete cutting
We saw out doorways, utility trenches and damaged sections cleanly, and cut joints in new slabs so the cracks land where we chose.
Get a free written estimate for concrete work in Braintree
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out, measure and talk through the job. Your estimate is free, written, lists what's included and comes with no obligation.
(617) 691-5008- Based in
- Quincy, MA 02169
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Permits, price and timing on a Braintree job
Braintree's Building Division examines building permit applications, and its list names work like new construction, additions, roofing, siding, decks and pools, not driveways or patios, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your slab needs one. Braintree's FAQ says to call the division at 781-794-8070 when you're unsure, and I check with them before we set any date, then pull the permit ourselves if the job needs one. A permit adds a review step ahead of the pour, which is why I sort it out first. We're fully licensed and insured, with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
What moves the price here is mostly the size of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out, how deep we dig for the base and how close the truck can get, since a driveway squeezed between two houses means wheeling concrete in by hand. The schedule turns on the weather and any permit, and your written estimate lists each of those items so you can see where the money goes. We do the same work next door in Weymouth and across the other cities around Quincy.
Why Braintree driveways and walks wear out
Plenty of the concrete here is as old as the house, poured before anyone packed a stone base or set rebar, the grid of steel bars that holds a slab together once it cracks. It shows up as tipped walks, sunken driveway corners and steps pulling away from the door. We tear out the failed sections instead of skimming over them, because a thin topping on a slab that's still moving cracks right along with it.
East Braintree is hilly, so driveways there often run steeply to the street, and rain picks up speed across the slab and eats at its edges. We set the pitch, add a lip or drain at the bottom where it's needed and use a broom finish, the light texture that gives tires grip on a grade.
How a Braintree concrete job runs, start to finish
Here's what happens from your first call to the day you can use your new concrete, and when it helps to be home.
Call us or send the form
Tell us the address and what's bothering you about the old concrete, and we'll set a day for me to come look. Pick a time you're home if you'd like to walk me around.
I measure and write it up
I look at the site, measure, check where water runs off the lot and talk through what you want. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before anything is dug.
We prep and pour
Once any permit is in hand, we pick a pour date with the forecast in mind. My crew digs out, packs the base, sets forms and steel, pours, finishes and cuts the control joints, the grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack.
Walk through care and curing
I walk you through curing, the stretch while the concrete keeps gaining strength, and tell you when to walk and drive on it. You don't need to be home for the pour, but I'd like you there for this walkthrough.
Questions about concrete work in Braintree
Does a shed slab need a permit in Braintree, MA?
The shed itself does, because Braintree's permit FAQ says a shed of any size requires a permit. It also has to sit 5 feet from the side and rear lines and 20 feet from the street, and it isn't allowed in a front yard, so I mark the slab inside those lines before we set a single form.
Who approves exterior changes in the Braintree Town Center Historic District?
The Braintree Historic Commission reviews proposed exterior architectural changes to the 18 historic properties in the Town Center Historic District along Washington Street. It holds a public hearing and then issues either a Certificate of Appropriateness or a Determination of Non-Applicability. If your house is one of them and the work changes what's seen from outside, I'd want the commission's answer before we pick a pour date.
What do I need to know before building a concrete pool deck in Braintree?
Start with where the pool sits, because Braintree requires it to be at least 10 feet from the side and rear lines, measured to the water line, 20 feet from any street line, and out of the front yard. A residential pool also needs a fence at least 4 feet high with a self-closing, self-latching gate, and alarms on any house doors leading to the pool when the house wall forms part of that enclosure. We lay out the deck around those lines and that fence.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Braintree?
Beyond the size and tear-out, the price turns on the finish you pick and how much base work your lot needs, so I put a number on it only after I've seen the site. Steep grades and steps or walks tied into the job add work, while a plain broom finish costs less than stamping or color. If the budget's tight, I'd drop the decorative finish before I'd thin the base, because the base is what keeps the slab from settling and you can't fix it later without tearing the slab out.
How long will I be without my driveway after a new concrete pour?
You can usually walk on new concrete within a few days, but driving on it takes a longer wait, because the slab is still curing and gaining strength underneath after the top looks dry. The weather that week changes the timing, so I give you the dates for your slab at the walkthrough. Plan on parking on the street until then.
What causes concrete driveways in Braintree to crack and sink?
Most of what we see starts under the slab, with dirt raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settles and the concrete follows it down. Water running toward the house, a midday pour in the heat and joints cut late or skipped add weak, dusty tops and cracks in places nobody chose. We dig to firm subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, pack the base in layers, pitch the slab away from the house and cut the joints the same day, so the cracks that do come land in the grooves.
Quincy, MA
Get your Braintree concrete estimate started
Call (617) 691-5008 or send the form, and one short visit tells you whether that crack needs a patch or a full tear-out before it spreads.