Concrete Contractor in Watertown, MA - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
M&K Cambridge Concrete Company is a concrete contractor working in Watertown, MA. We build driveways, patios, steps, walkways and foundations, and we replace cracked or sinking slabs on the city's houses and small lots.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Watertown driveways and patios, as we see them
Watertown sits right next to Cambridge, where we're based, so it's one of the closest cities we work in as a concrete contractor in Cambridge, MA. Most calls here come from homeowners with a cracked driveway, a patio that's started tipping toward the house, or front steps pulling away from the porch. We see a lot of older two-family houses on tight lots, with a narrow driveway running down the side between two buildings, and the same kinds of jobs come up in Belmont and Newton.
Those tight lots shape the job more than anything. With a house on one side and a fence or a neighbor's wall on the other, we plan how the old slab comes out and how the concrete reaches the forms, and we look hard at the water, because a slab squeezed between two buildings has few places to send it except toward a foundation.
Concrete work we do on Watertown properties
Concrete driveway building
Narrow side driveways between houses need the base dug out and packed full width, so the new slab doesn't sink along the foundation like the old one.
Concrete patio construction
When a backyard patio has started tipping toward the house, we replace it with one pitched away from your foundation and cut with joints where cracks should go.
Stamped concrete services
On a small yard where every square foot shows, stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick on one poured slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
We pour walkways from the street or driveway to your door, and replace heaved or broken sections that have become a trip hazard on older lots.
Garage floor concrete
Detached garages behind older houses often have cracked, sunken floors, and we break them out and pour a new slab on a properly packed base.
Decorative concrete
Colored, stained or textured finishes let a front walk or patio match the brick and trim of an older Watertown house without a separate paver job.
Concrete retaining walls
Where a backyard drops off or a neighbor's yard sits higher, a poured wall holds the soil back, with drainage behind it so water doesn't push it over.
Concrete floor installation
Basement and utility room floors in older houses are often thin or broken, and we pour new floors that are flat, solid and ready to finish.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck needs a finish that grips wet feet and a slope that carries splash water away from the pool and the house, and we plan both.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps on older houses often settle away from the porch, so we rebuild them on footings set below the loose fill that let them move.
Slab foundation building
For a garage, addition or accessory building on a tight lot, we pour the slab foundation on a packed base with the grade set to drain.
Foundation installation
New houses and additions need foundations set to the plans, and we form and pour the walls and footings once the permits are in place.
Concrete parking lot building
Shared lots behind multifamily buildings and small businesses take a lot of turning traffic, so we pour them heavier and plan the drainage before the first truck.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions all sit on footings, the concrete pads under the posts or walls, and we set them deep and square to the plans.
Foundation raising
When an older house or garage has settled and doors start sticking, we look at why it sank before raising it, so the fix addresses the ground underneath.
Concrete cutting
On tight lots we saw-cut old slabs into pieces we can carry out, and cut openings or clean edges where a new pour meets an old one.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Watertown
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, measure and write up an estimate listing what's included and what isn't, with no obligation.
(617) 613-6953- Based in
- Cambridge, MA 02139
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Working in Watertown: permits, access and what moves the price
Building permits in Watertown go through the city's Inspectional Services department, so that's who we check each job with before we put a date on the calendar. When a permit applies, we take it out ourselves as your contractor and keep it posted at the job site. For bigger work like a new house or an addition, the city can also want approval from Zoning or the Department of Public Works first, which adds time before we can dig. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm on site with our crew while the work gets done.
What moves the price here is mostly what you can't see from the street: how much old concrete comes out, how deep the base has to go, how big and thick the slab is, and whether a truck can reach the forms or we have to pump or wheel concrete down a narrow side driveway. A plain broom finish, the light texture dragged across the top for grip, costs less than stamped or colored work. We run into the same tight access on the older houses we work on in Arlington. The schedule turns on permit approvals, the weather on pour day and curing, the stretch while the concrete hardens before it can take weight, and your estimate spells out which of these apply to your job.
Why Watertown slabs crack, sink and hold water
A lot of the slabs we tear out here were poured on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so they settled with the ground and cracked where they sank. We dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab actually rests on, and pack a gravel base in layers before any concrete goes in. That base is buried by the end of the first day, and it's the first thing people want to trim from a budget, but I'd rather you spend there and pick a plainer finish, because a nice surface on a weak base just cracks sooner.
Water is the other problem on tight lots. When a patio or driveway runs toward the house, rain pools against the foundation and can end up in the basement, so we check where the water runs on your lot and set the slab to fall away from the house.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Watertown
Here's how it goes from your first call to the finished slab, and the one point where it helps to be home.
Call or send the form
You call (617) 613-6953 or send the form with a few lines about the job, and we get back to you to set up a visit. A photo of the cracked slab or the spot you have in mind helps us get a sense of it beforehand.
I measure and write it up
I come out myself, measure, check where the water runs and ask what you need, and it helps if you're home for that walk-around. The written estimate says what's included and what isn't, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
Permits, weather and the pour
Once you're ready, we sort out any permit the job needs and plan the pour around the weather. I'm on site with our crew while we dig out, pack the base, pour and finish, and you don't need to be home for it.
Cleanup and a final walk-through
Before we leave, we cut the joints, haul away the old concrete and walk the finished slab with you. If anything looks off to you, tell me then and we'll go over it together.
Questions about concrete work in Watertown
Do I need a permit to replace a concrete driveway or patio in Watertown, MA?
Maybe, because Watertown's permit list doesn't mention driveways or patios either way, so we have the Inspector of Buildings confirm before we schedule your pour. The city requires a building permit for "most work being done on/in a structure," and the exceptions it names are things like minor repairs, painting and sheds under 200 square feet. If the answer is yes, we pull the permit as your contractor.
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Watertown?
A retaining wall under 48 inches high is on Watertown's list of work that doesn't need a building permit. A taller wall isn't on that list, so we plan for a permit and take it out ourselves. Low or tall, we put drainage behind it, because trapped water is what pushes walls out of line.
Who do I ask about wetland rules before pouring a patio in Watertown?
The Conservation Commission handles wetland permits and conservation questions in Watertown. If you think your yard may be near a wetland, ask them before you settle on a design, and we'll work their answer into the plan and the schedule.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Watertown, MA?
We give you a figure once I've measured, because the price turns on the size, how much old concrete comes out, the base and the finish, plus the access issues on narrow lots we covered above. Your written estimate breaks the work out so you can compare it line by line with other quotes.
How do I keep a new concrete patio in Watertown from cracking like the old one?
Start with the parts nobody sees, a packed base, proper slope and joints in the right places, because those decide how a slab cracks. Concrete shrinks as it hardens, so we cut control joints, straight grooves that give it a planned place to crack instead of across the middle, and we cut them on time rather than days later. Where a slab carries weight, rebar, steel bars set inside it, helps hold any crack tight so the pieces don't shift.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Watertown?
Longer than you can walk on it, because concrete keeps hardening for days after the pour and a car puts far more weight on it than feet do. The wait depends on the weather while it cures, so we give you walking and driving dates for your pour when we finish, and it's worth planning where you'll park for that stretch.
Cambridge, MA
Plan your Watertown concrete project with us
If we look at it before you pick a finish or a date, the estimate can cover the base and drainage your yard actually needs.