Concrete contractor in Winthrop, MA - slabs built to shed water
Ironset Boston Concrete Construction is a Boston concrete contractor pouring driveways, patios, steps, walls and foundations in Winthrop, MA, with the base dug out, packed and sloped so water runs off the slab instead of under it.
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Concrete work on the Winthrop peninsula
Winthrop is a small peninsula, and the houses sit close together, so a lot of the driveways I look at run about a car's length from the street and the front steps drop right to the sidewalk. Many of the calls are about old work that has settled, cracked or started tipping water back toward the foundation, from homeowners and from landlords with older multi-family buildings. We're based in Boston and do the same work next door in Revere and out in Watertown, but what stands out here is how little room there is to send water anywhere.
On a tight lot, runoff has nowhere to go but the neighbor's yard, the street or your basement, so before I price anything I look at where the water goes now and where a new slab would send it. That decides how deep we dig out the base and which way we pitch the surface.
What we pour and fix in Winthrop
Concrete driveway building
Short driveways on tight lots leave little room for runoff, so we dig out the old base and pitch the slab toward the street.
Explore Concrete driveway buildingConcrete patio construction
Patios on small yards here sit close to the house, so we slope each one away from the foundation and toward the yard.
Explore Concrete patio constructionStamped concrete services
Stamped patterns can give a small front yard the look of stone or brick, but they only last on a packed base.
Explore Stamped concrete servicesConcrete sidewalk building
Front walks that heave or tip toward the house are a common call here, and we rebuild them to drain to the side.
Explore Concrete sidewalk buildingGarage floor concrete
If your garage floor has sunk or split, we break it out and pour a slab over a base we've dug out and packed.
Explore Garage floor concreteDecorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes suit the front steps and walks people see from the sidewalk on Winthrop's close-set streets.
Explore Decorative concreteConcrete retaining walls
On low yards, walls that trap water behind them start to lean, so we build ours with drainage that gives the water a way out.
Explore Concrete retaining wallsConcrete floor installation
Basement floors in low parts of Winthrop get a packed base and a vapor barrier, which helps keep dampness under the slab.
Explore Concrete floor installationConcrete pool decks
Pool decks need a surface that grips wet feet and a pitch that sends splash water away from the pool and the house.
Explore Concrete pool decksConcrete steps construction
Front steps that pull away from the house usually sit on too little, so we rebuild them on footings of their own.
Explore Concrete steps constructionSlab foundation building
For garages, sheds and additions, we build slab foundations on a packed base and set the height with the yard's drainage in mind.
Explore Slab foundation buildingFoundation installation
New foundations under additions mean working tight to neighbors on small lots, and we plan the dig, forms and pour around that.
Explore Foundation installationConcrete parking lot building
Small landlords and property managers call us for lots and shared driveways behind multi-family buildings, where water has to drain somewhere besides the building.
Explore Concrete parking lot buildingConcrete footings
Porch and deck footings on older houses here are often too small, so we dig and pour new ones sized for the load.
Explore Concrete footingsFoundation raising
When a corner of the house has settled, we work out why before we lift and support it, because the cause decides the fix.
Explore Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
We saw-cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing slabs, which helps when a driveway only needs one section replaced on a tight lot.
Explore Concrete cutting
What Winthrop ground asks of concrete
I spent years patching steps, walks and slabs on rental buildings around Boston, and that's where I learned most failures start underneath. So I come out to look at the job myself, and we spend the time on the base, the drainage and the prep.
I write your estimate on site
I come out, look at where the water runs and what the old slab sits on, and write the estimate myself, so the price fits your ground and not a guess.
We spend the budget under the slab
The base is the part you never see and the first thing people want to cut. We dig out the soft soil and pack stone, because a slab settles with whatever it sits on.
Joints placed where cracks should go
We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, early enough that the cracks follow our lines and not their own.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Winthrop
Tell us what you're dealing with, like a sunken walk, cracked steps or water pooling by the house, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out and write the estimate myself, free and with no obligation.
What Winthrop homeowners ask us
How do I find out if my concrete job needs a permit in Winthrop?
Ask the Winthrop Building Department, which issues permits for any work that builds, alters or tears down a structure, and that permit has to be in hand before work starts and posted where people can see it at the job. A foundation for an addition is the clear case, but the department's list doesn't name driveways or patios, so on flat work like that I check with them before we start instead of guessing. When a permit is needed, we help line it up and walk you through it.
Can I pull the building permit myself in Winthrop?
You can if the work is on a one- or two-unit house you live in or plan to live in, but Winthrop's permit rules say you may then be liable for the contractors on your property, and you lose the protection of the Homeowners Improvement Contractor Law. Otherwise permits go to construction supervisors licensed by the state, so whoever you hire should be able to show you that license. In most cases I'd let the contractor pull it.
What hours can a construction crew work in Winthrop?
Construction can run from 7 am to 7 pm under Winthrop's noise by-law, so we plan the pour and the cleanup inside that window. On a hot day we'd rather pour early than at midday, because a top that dries too fast can turn weak and dusty later. Once a permit is issued, work has to start within six months and keep going until it's done, which is why I like to line up the permit close to when we can start.
Is my street in Winthrop at risk of flooding?
If you live in the low neighborhood around Belle Isle Marsh, along Morton Street, Belle Isle Terrace and Banks Street and up the side streets to Main Street, the Town of Winthrop says it's at risk of flooding from both stormwater and coastal surge. For a slab there, I look hard at where the water runs before we pour, and we pitch the surface so it sheds water away from the house instead of toward your foundation.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Winthrop?
The price comes down to the size of the slab, how much old concrete has to come out, how much soft ground we dig out and replace with packed stone, how close a truck can get on a tight lot, and the finish you pick, since stamped or colored work costs more than a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip. The schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit and on curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before you can walk or drive on it. I'll give you your own figure after I've seen the driveway, because what's under the old slab moves the number more than anything.
What causes a concrete driveway or walk to crack and sink?
Most of the cracking and sinking I see starts with the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, being raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settles as the dirt underneath does. Water getting under the edges, a slab pitched toward the house and joints cut late or skipped all make it worse. We dig out and pack the base, set the slope and cut the joints in time, which gives a new slab a far better start than the old one had.
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If your city doesn't have its own page here, call (617) 226-2081 and ask. We're based in Boston and work across the city and the cities around it.