Concrete Contractor in Arlington, MA - Slabs Built on a Packed Base That Drains
M&K Cambridge Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Cambridge, MA. In Arlington we build and replace driveways, patios, front steps, walkways and foundations, starting with the ground under the slab.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Arlington houses and what they mean for concrete
Arlington is close to us in Cambridge, and the calls we get there sound a lot like the ones from next door in Belmont and Medford. It's mostly older single-family houses and two-families set close together, with shops along the main roads, so the work is usually a cracked driveway, a patio out back, a front walk or steps that have started to lean.
Lots here tend to be tight. A driveway often runs right along the foundation with little room for a truck, and that shapes the job, because we may wheel the stone and concrete in by hand and set the forms with the neighbor's fence close by.
Concrete services for Arlington homes and lots
Concrete driveway building
Many Arlington driveways run in a narrow strip beside the house, so we plan the tear-out, base and pour around tight access and the property line.
Concrete patio construction
A patio on a small backyard often has to fit around a bulkhead door, a fence line and a downspout, so we lay it out with you first.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of brick or stone to match an older house, and it needs the same packed base as plain concrete.
Concrete sidewalk building
We replace front walks and side paths that have heaved into trip edges, digging down to firm ground so the new walk meets your steps evenly.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages here often have a cracked, sunken floor, so we break it out, rebuild the base and pour a new slab pitched toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored or textured concrete can tie a new walk or patio to the brick, stone or trim on your house, and we talk through finishes at the estimate.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard sits above the street or a neighbor's lot, a concrete wall holds the soil back, with drainage behind it so water has a way out.
Concrete floor installation
We pour basement floors in older houses where the old floor is broken or uneven, setting the base and height first so the new floor finishes flat.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck needs a surface that isn't slick when wet and a slope that carries water away from the pool, and we plan both before the pour.
Concrete steps construction
Plenty of houses here sit up above the sidewalk, so the front steps carry everyone in and out, and we rebuild worn ones at an even, easy height.
Slab foundation building
For a garage, addition or shed on a tight lot, we pour the slab foundation after checking the ground underneath and setting the steel that reinforces it.
Foundation installation
An addition on an older house needs a new foundation that lines up with the old one, and we form and pour it to the plans.
Concrete parking lot building
For the small parking areas behind shops and apartment buildings, we pour a heavier slab on a deep packed base, pitched to the drains.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions need footings, concrete pads that carry the weight down to firm ground, and we dig and pour them to the depth on the plans.
Foundation raising
When part of an older house has settled, we look at what moved and why before raising it, because lifting without fixing the cause lets it sink again.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing slabs, which helps when a drain line, a new doorway or a partial replacement goes in.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Arlington concrete job
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, measure and write up an estimate for your job. It's free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
(617) 613-6953- Based in
- Cambridge, MA 02139
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Permits, paperwork and price on an Arlington job
In Arlington, the Inspectional Services Department enforces the state building codes and the Town of Arlington's zoning bylaws, so whether your driveway, patio or steps need a permit is that office's call, not ours. I check with them before we put you on the schedule, and if a permit applies, we take it out ourselves as your contractor and keep it posted at the job, which means any review happens before we can set a pour date. Businesses that work in Arlington get their business certificate form from the Clerk's Office, and we're fully licensed and insured, which you're welcome to ask about when I come out.
Price comes down to the size of the slab, how much old concrete we break out and haul off, how deep the base has to go, the finish you pick and how hard the site is to reach. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, the weather on pour day and curing, the days the concrete needs to harden before you use it. My estimate lists what's included and what isn't, so you'll see each of those spelled out, and we work the same way here as we do in Chelsea and the other cities around Cambridge.
What older Arlington driveways and steps need
Many of the driveways and walks we replace in Arlington were poured decades ago on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so they've settled unevenly, cracked across the middle and started holding puddles. We dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, and pack a stone base over it, because that hidden layer decides how the slab holds up.
Plenty of houses here sit up from the sidewalk on concrete steps, and when the footing under them shifts, the steps tip and pull away from the house. Patching the face won't fix a footing that moved, so we take the old steps out and pour new ones on a footing that reaches firm ground.
How an Arlington concrete job runs from the first call
Here's how it goes from your side, from the first call to the day you can drive on the new slab.
Call or send a message
Call (617) 613-6953 or send a message through the form with what you've got, and we'll call back to set up a time. A rough size and a couple of photos help me know what to look for.
I come out and measure
I walk the job with you, measure, check where the water runs and ask what you need, so it helps if you're home. Then I write up the estimate, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
We sort permits and timing
Once you're ready, we take out any permit the job needs and plan the pour around the weather, avoiding the middle of a hot day, which can leave a weak, dusty top. You don't need to be home for the pour, but cars and kids should stay clear of the forms.
Pour, finish and clean up
Our crew digs out, packs the base, pours and finishes with me on site, then cuts control joints, the shallow grooves that give the concrete a planned place to crack. We clean up before we leave and tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it.
Questions about concrete work in Arlington
Which permits go through Arlington Online Permitting?
Arlington Online Permitting covers building, electrical, plumbing, gas, signs, demolition, pods, dumpsters, sheet metal, and variances and special permits. If you're planning work of any of those kinds, that system is where you start. For a concrete job, I check what yours needs and we take out any permit ourselves, so you don't have to file it.
How do I look up building permits for my address in Arlington?
The city has a page where you can view building permits by property address. It's worth a look before a bigger job like new steps or an addition foundation, since you'll see the permits already on record for your house.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Arlington, MA?
I give you that number in writing after I measure, because no two driveways here come out the same. The choice you control most is the finish, since a broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If the budget is tight, I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because the base is what keeps the slab from settling and you can't fix it later without tearing the driveway out.
How long will I be without my driveway after a new concrete pour?
Most of the time you lose goes to curing, not the tear-out or the pour. Any permit review happens before we break out the old driveway, so you keep using it until we're ready, and once it's poured you can walk on it well before you can drive on it.
Will a new concrete driveway in Arlington crack like the old one?
It can still crack, since concrete does, but on a dug-out, packed base with control joints cut on time, cracks usually stay in the joints instead of running across the middle. The old one most likely cracked for the reasons above, a weak base and joints cut late or not at all. Where the slab carries a car, we can add rebar, steel set inside the slab that holds the pieces tight if a crack does open.
What causes water to pool next to my house after a patio goes in?
Usually it's a slab poured flat or pitched toward the house, because nobody checked where the water runs before the forms went in. I check that at the estimate, and we set the forms so the patio falls away from your foundation toward a spot where the water can drain off.
Cambridge, MA
Call about your Arlington concrete job
Once I've seen the slab, you'll know whether the whole thing has to go or a bad section can be cut out and poured back.