Concrete driveway building in Boston MA - a slab that drains away from your house
Cracked, sinking or puddled driveway? We dig out, pack a real base and pour a slab that sheds water and carries your cars.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Concrete driveways we build and replace
Tear-out and replacement
We break out the old slab, find out why it failed, rebuild the base underneath and pour new. It suits a driveway that's cracked, sunk or holding water.
New and widened driveways
We build a driveway where there wasn't one, or add width beside an existing slab, starting with a dug-out, packed base and a plan for runoff.
What goes into a new concrete driveway in Boston?
Concrete driveway building in Boston means digging out to firm ground, packing a gravel base, grading it so water runs away from your house, then pouring and finishing a slab strong enough for your cars. Ironset Boston Concrete Construction builds them across Boston and the cities around it, and you'll need somewhere else to park for at least a week while the concrete cures, which is the wait while it gains strength.
Most people call us when the old driveway has cracked across, sunk at one end or started holding puddles, and usually the trouble began under the slab, not on top of it. The price moves with the size of the driveway, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base needs digging and packing, the thickness and the finish, so you get your own figure in a written quote after I've seen the site. The schedule turns on the weather, that week of curing and, if your driveway meets the street, the city's curb cut permit, which is why I ask about the street early so the paperwork doesn't hold things up.
Base, drainage and the driveway pour
On a driveway the base and the drainage do most of the work, so I look at where your water runs and why the old slab failed before we talk about the finish.
Dig out and pack the base
We dig down to firm subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, then lay gravel and pack it in layers so it holds under your cars.
Pitch it away from the house
We set the grade so rain and snowmelt run away from your foundation, and plan where it goes if a concrete patio sits alongside.
Form, reinforce and pour
We set forms, add rebar, steel that holds a crack together rather than stopping it, and pour before the midday heat.
Joints and finish
We cut control joints, grooves that give cracks a straight line to follow, then broom it for grip or press a stamped concrete pattern.
Why Boston homeowners call Ironset for driveways
Before I started Ironset in 2023, I spent years doing upkeep for a property management company, patching steps, walks and slabs on rental buildings around Boston and asking why they kept breaking. Now we build for the parts you won't see once the concrete is down.
I write the estimate and work the pour
I come out to look at your driveway and write the estimate myself, then I'm on site alongside our crew while they form, pour and finish it.
Licensed and fully insured for the work
Breaking out an old slab and pouring a new one brings heavy equipment onto your property, so we carry the coverage for it. Ask to see it when I come out.
Straight answers on slabs that keep failing
We're best known for the awkward jobs, like a slab that keeps cracking. I'll explain in plain words what I think went wrong and what we won't know until it's open.
What happens after you call about a Boston driveway?
I plan each driveway around how you use it, where you'll park while it cures and what the weather's doing, and if the job needs permits we line those up before anything gets torn out.
or call (617) 226-2081
Call or send the form
Call (617) 226-2081 or send the form below, and a short note on what's wrong with the driveway now helps me come prepared.
I look over the site
I walk the driveway, check where the water runs and ask what's gone wrong there before, because the old slab's failures tell me what the new one needs.
You get a written quote
The quote shows what goes under the slab, not just the finish. Our crew then forms and pours it, and I walk the finished driveway with you.
Get a driveway estimate that covers the base and drainage
Send your address and whether the driveway needs a new curb cut, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll then come out for a free estimate at your property, with no pressure to book.
Driveway questions we hear in Boston
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
Going from 4 inches to 5 adds about 20% to the concrete cost but nearly 50% to the weight the slab can carry, according to industry figures, so the extra inch is usually worth it. I'll talk it through with you at the estimate based on what parks on the driveway.
How long does a concrete driveway last in Boston?
A well-drained driveway on a properly packed gravel base can last 25 to 30 years, while the same driveway with drainage problems may need major repair or replacement in 10 to 15. That's general industry guidance, not a Boston rule, and it's the reason drainage comes first on our jobs.
Can concrete be poured in cold weather in Boston?
Yes, a cold-weather pour still gains enough strength and durability when it's properly mixed, placed and protected. Industry guidance counts it as cold weather work once the air drops, or is forecast to drop, below 40°F while the fresh concrete needs protecting, and colder days call for more protection. We plan the pour date and the cover around the forecast, and I'll tell you if I'd rather wait.
How do I protect a new concrete driveway from road salt?
Plan your first winter of deicing with your contractor, because new concrete holds up better to salt when it's had an air-drying period before the first application. Industry research also points to less water in the mix, enough air mixed in, and proper finishing and curing. If we pour late in the season, I'll go over with you when it's fine to start salting.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Boston?
You get your price in a written quote after I've seen the site, because the biggest variable, how much digging and base work goes under the slab, only shows up there. When a budget's tight, the base is usually what people want to trim since nobody sees it on day one, and it's the last thing I'd cut. I'd rather pour a plain broom finish on a solid base than a fancy surface on loose fill, because the base decides whether the slab stays flat.
Does a driveway contractor need to be registered in Massachusetts?
Yes, if the work is on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, the contractor must be registered with the state as a Home Improvement Contractor. The state's Home Improvement Contractor program handles complaints and offers arbitration when a homeowner and contractor can't settle a dispute, and its Guaranty Fund can pay eligible homeowners up to $25,000 on unpaid judgments against a contractor.
Other work that goes with a driveway
Concrete patio construction
If the backyard slab is cracked or tilting toward the house, a new patio built on the same kind of packed base gives you somewhere flat to sit.
Explore Concrete patio constructionStamped concrete services
When you want the driveway or walk to look like stone or brick, stamping presses a pattern into fresh concrete while keeping one solid slab underneath.
Explore Stamped concrete servicesGarage floor concrete
If the driveway runs into a garage with a cracked or uneven floor, redoing both lets us match the levels so water runs away from the door.
Explore Garage floor concrete
Concrete driveway building in Boston and nearby
If your driveway meets a city street, the curb needs its own permit. Boston's Commissioner of Public Works issues the permits to cut a city-controlled curb or connect a private driveway to a public way, and the city has you apply for that curb cut permit before applying to Inspectional Services for any permit that includes driveway construction. The plan you file has to be signed and stamped by a Massachusetts registered civil engineer or land surveyor, and city guidelines say a new driveway at a home should provide at least two spaces for every on-street space it takes away. We help line those permits up before work starts and tell you which office handles what, and when something isn't clear for your job, we check with the building office instead of guessing.
Off the street, the old driveways we break out around Boston usually tell the same story, a thin slab on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, and a pitch that sends water back toward the house. We see it on jobs in Somerville and Medford too, and the fix starts in the same place, below the surface.