Concrete Contractor in Dedham, MA - New Driveways, Walks and Steps for Older Homes
Cornerstone Quincy Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Quincy, MA. In Dedham we build driveways, patios, steps, walks and foundations for homeowners, small property owners and builders, and we start with the base.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Dedham's older homes and what's under them
Dedham has a lot of older homes, and you see it on the job. Many of the houses we look at sit on lots edged with old stone walls. Their driveways and walks have usually been patched, widened or poured over more than once, so what's under the concrete is anybody's guess until we open it up. There's newer work mixed in too, along with small businesses and builders who need a slab or a foundation, but the older houses shape most of our calls here.
It's the same kind of work we do in Needham and Norwood, and the job usually starts the same way. We find out what the old slab was poured on and which way the water runs past the house, because a new slab over a soft base or a low spot settles and cracks just like the one it replaced.
Concrete work we take on in Dedham
Concrete driveway building
Older driveways here are often patched or poured over thin fill, so we tear out, dig down to firm ground and pack a new base before the pour.
Concrete patio construction
A back patio on an older lot usually means working around trees, stone walls and slopes. We pitch the slab so water runs away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, which suits older homes. We press the pattern in while the surface is still soft.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks heave where roots and frost get under them. We replace the sunken sections over a new base and give them a broom finish, a brushed texture for grip.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages often have cracked, uneven floors that hold water. We break out the old slab and pour a new one pitched toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored or textured concrete can pick up the brick, stone and older trim on a house. We go through samples with you before anything gets poured.
Concrete retaining walls
Where an old stone wall is failing or a yard drops off, a poured wall holds back the soil. We put drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
Basements in older homes and old outbuildings often have thin or broken floors. A new floor over a packed base gives you a solid, level surface.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck takes splashing and a hard freeze every winter. We pitch it away from the pool and give it a finish that isn't slick when wet.
Concrete steps construction
Old front steps crumble and pull away from the house. We break out the old set and form new ones, with every step the same height.
Slab foundation building
For additions, garages and sheds, we pour the slab over a packed base with rebar, the steel that holds the concrete together if it cracks.
Foundation installation
When you're adding on to an older house or a builder needs a new one, we pour foundation walls on proper footings and check them against the plans.
Concrete parking lot building
Small businesses and multi-family properties need lots that drain and carry cars all day, so we build a thicker base and plan where the water goes.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions need footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight below where the ground freezes. We dig and pour them to the plans.
Foundation raising
When an older house has settled, raising the foundation brings it back toward level. I look first at why it sank, which is usually water or soft ground.
Concrete cutting
We cut openings, trenches and straight lines in old slabs and walls. That helps when you're replacing only the damaged part of a driveway or adding a doorway.
Get a written estimate for your Dedham concrete job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out, measure and talk it through. The written estimate is free, and you're under no obligation to hire us.
(617) 691-5008- Based in
- Quincy, MA 02169
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Permits, licenses and pricing for work in Dedham
When a concrete job in Dedham needs a permit, it goes through the Town of Dedham's Building Department. The department takes the applications and does the inspections, and it asks owners to get in touch, or to talk to Planning, Zoning and Natural Resources, before planning changes to a building or property. If a job needs a permit, we pull it ourselves and check with the department before we set a pour date, so the date waits on that step. Before you hire anyone, check that they're registered with the state as a Home Improvement Contractor. Massachusetts requires that for work on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, and the contractor's active registration number has to appear on the permit and on your contract. A company doing business in Dedham under a name other than its owner's also has to file a business certificate with the Town Clerk. We're fully licensed and insured.
Price mostly comes down to the size of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on any permit, the forecast for pour day and curing, which is the stretch of days new concrete needs to harden before it carries weight. Your written estimate spells out what's included, so you can see where the money goes. We work the same way here as in Stoughton and the other cities around Quincy, and on Dedham's older streets that often means planning where the truck parks before pour day.
What Dedham's older lots and winters do to concrete
Most of the concrete we replace here failed from underneath. Behind a lot of older homes, the walk or patio was poured over whatever dirt was there and raked level instead of being dug out and packed. Over the years it settled with that dirt and tipped back toward the foundation, so now the rain runs at the house instead of away from it. We dig down to firm ground and pack a new subgrade, the layer the slab sits on. We also check how the yard falls before we set a single form, because that's the part nobody can fix once the concrete is in.
Winter is the other half. Water that gets into concrete freezes and expands, and salt from the street and the driveway eats at a weak surface. A top that dried too fast during a hot afternoon pour is usually the first to flake, so we time our pours to avoid that and go over salt and winter care with you when we finish.
What to expect when you hire us in Dedham
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end, so you know who you'll be talking to at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (617) 691-5008 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out to Dedham. It helps if you tell us what's bothering you about the old concrete, because that's where we'll start.
I look, measure and price
I walk the site with you, measure, check where the water runs and talk through what you want. Then you get a written estimate that lists what the price covers, so you know the cost before you decide anything.
We prep and pour
We pick a pour date with the forecast in mind, after any permit is in hand. Then my crew of finishers and laborers digs out, packs the base and pours. You don't need to be home, but the cars need to be off the driveway.
I walk you through care
Once the pour is done, I walk you through caring for the new concrete while it cures, including what to keep off it and for how long. Bring every question you have, because this is the best time to ask them.
Questions about concrete work in Dedham
How do I apply for a building permit online in Dedham?
Dedham takes permit applications online through its OpenGov permitting system, which covers permits and licenses from the Building Department, the Board of Health, DPW/Engineering and other offices. Stormwater and wetlands permits go to the Conservation Division of Planning, Zoning and Natural Resources instead. If you hire us for a concrete job, you usually won't need to log in at all, because we handle the permit for you.
Which building code applies to my house in Dedham?
The tenth edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code is the one in effect, and Dedham's Building Department enforces it. Its residential volume covers one- and two-family homes, townhouses of three stories or less, and the structures that go with them, like a detached garage. If your job needs a permit, the inspections go by that code.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Dedham, MA?
Your price comes mainly from the size of the driveway and how much old concrete has to come out. On older Dedham lots, the next biggest factors are how much base the ground needs and whether the truck can back up to the forms or every load has to be wheeled in. A driveway that carries cars is also poured thicker and usually gets rebar, and a stamped or colored finish costs more than plain broom-finished concrete. For any job of $1,000 or more, Massachusetts requires a written contract with certain terms between you and a registered contractor, so get the whole price on paper before anyone digs.
How long does new concrete need to cure before I can drive on it in Dedham?
Longer than it needs before you can walk on it. I give you the exact days for your pour at the walk-through, because the weather that week changes how fast it hardens. Cars are the heaviest load a driveway gets, and parking on new concrete too early is a common way a good slab ends up with cracks and weak spots. Cool fall weather slows curing down, so late in the season, plan on parking on the street a little longer.
Will my new concrete patio in Dedham crack like the old one?
It can still get small cracks, because all concrete shrinks as it hardens. On a slab poured over a packed base with control joints, though, those cracks usually stay where we planned them, and the slab is far less likely to sink or tip. Control joints are grooves we cut into the new slab so the shrink cracks run straight along them instead of wandering across the middle. Cutting them late or skipping them is how older patios end up with random cracks.
Does a foundation or slab job in Dedham need a licensed construction supervisor?
It can, because Massachusetts requires a licensed construction supervisor to oversee certain construction projects. That license is separate from the Home Improvement Contractor registration, and one can't stand in for the other. When you get bids for foundation work, ask each contractor which one your job calls for and who will hold it.
Quincy, MA
Start your Dedham concrete job with a call
Pour dates follow the weather, so getting in touch early, by phone at (617) 691-5008 or through the form, gives you more good-weather dates to choose from.