Concrete Contractor in Belmont, MA - Driveways and Steps on a Solid Base
Excel Newton Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Newton. We pour driveways, patios, walkways, garage floors and foundation work for homes in Belmont, MA, and we dig out and pack the base before any concrete goes down.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Belmont homes, shared driveways and old ground
Belmont is mostly homes, and a lot of them are two- and three-family houses, so more than one household parks in the same driveway and climbs the same front steps. When we work here, we're usually fitting new concrete around a house people are living in, on a lot that's been dug into and patched for a long time. It's the same kind of street we work on next door in Watertown and Cambridge.
That shapes the job more than the concrete does. A shared driveway means we plan the pour around who needs to get a car out, and tired ground under an old slab usually has to come out and be packed again before anything new goes on top.
Concrete work we do on Belmont properties
- Concrete driveway building
Shared driveways on two- and three-family lots take a beating from more than one car, so we dig out the old base and pack new gravel before pouring.
- Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio here often sits right against the house, so we set its slope to carry rain away from your foundation instead of toward the basement.
- Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walkway the look of stone or brick, which suits older homes where a plain gray slab would look out of place.
- Concrete sidewalk building
We replace front walks that have heaved or chipped and give them a broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives your shoes some grip when it's wet.
- Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages often have cracked, sunken floors, so we break out the old slab, rebuild the base and pour a floor that drains toward the door.
- Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes let a new patio or step go with the brick, stone or trim already on your house, so the new work doesn't stand out.
- Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard drops toward the street or a neighbor, a poured wall with rebar, the steel bars that hold it together, keeps the soil where it belongs.
- Concrete floor installation
Basement and utility floors in older houses are often thin or broken, and a new slab gives you a flat, solid surface to store things on or finish.
- Concrete pool decks
A pool deck takes bare feet and splashing water all summer, so we slope it away from the pool and give it a texture that isn't slick underfoot.
- Concrete steps construction
Front steps on houses with more than one household carry a lot of traffic, and we replace crumbling ones with poured steps set on a solid footing.
- Slab foundation building
For an addition, garage or shed on a Belmont lot, we pour a slab foundation on dug-out, packed ground so the building sits level from the start.
- Foundation installation
When an addition needs new foundation walls, we form and pour them with the steel and footings the plans call for, even on tight lots.
- Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind shops and apartment buildings take steady traffic, so we build them on a deeper base and a thicker slab than a home driveway gets.
- Concrete footings
Porch rebuilds and new decks on older houses need footings, the concrete pads under the posts or walls, poured deep and wide enough to carry the load.
- Foundation raising
When a corner of an older house or garage has settled, we raise it back toward level and support it from below so the weight sits on firm ground.
- Concrete cutting
We saw-cut clean lines in existing slabs so a new section of flatwork, the driveways, walks and patios that lie on the ground, ties in neatly.
Get a free written estimate for your Belmont job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to look at the spot myself, and the written estimate is free, easy to compare, and comes with no obligation.
Call (617) 644-7325What working in Belmont means for your concrete job
Belmont's Building Division issues building permits for any work beyond ordinary repair, and the repairs it lists as exempt are things like painting or replacing a few shingles, so a new slab is a question we put to that office before we book a pour. Work that uses heavy equipment, which here means anything bigger than a shovel, also needs a Street Opening Permit from the Engineering Department, and widening or resurfacing an existing driveway each has its own application. When a job needs a permit, we pull it in our name and set up the inspections, and your start date waits on that approval. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor registration and their Belmont business license, which the Licensing Officer issues.
Most of what moves the price is in the yard in front of you: how big and thick the slab is, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, how close the truck can get on a tight or shared driveway, and the finish you pick. If your driveway meets Somerset Street, which Belmont treats as a scenic road, a new or wider opening through a stone wall needs the Planning Board's approval first, so we plan for that early. The schedule turns mostly on permits and on the curing time before you can use the new concrete, your written estimate puts your own number on it, and it's the same work we do in Dedham and the other cities around Newton.
Why Belmont slabs sink, crack and hold water
With two or three households on a lot, one driveway carries several cars and the front steps take everybody's traffic, and an old slab under that load usually shows it as cracks, chipped edges and a sunken patch by the garage. Most of that starts in the subgrade, the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, which on older lots was often just raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled and took the concrete down with it. That's why we dig to firm ground and pack a new base in layers before we pour. If the budget's tight, the base is the last thing I'd cut, because you can't see it on day one, but a fancy surface on a bad base just cracks sooner.
Water is the other half. When a slab falls toward the house, rain sits against your foundation, so we check where the water runs before we set the forms. On new homes and substantial renovations of one-, two- and three-family houses, Belmont's stormwater and erosion bylaw applies too, which makes drainage a rule there and not just good sense.
What to expect when you hire us for concrete in Belmont
Here's how a Belmont job goes from your side, from the first call to the day I walk the finished work with you.
Call and set a visit
You call (617) 644-7325 or send the form, and we pick a time for me to come see the spot. It helps if you're home so you can show me how you use the driveway or yard.
Walk the spot with me
I look at the old slab, the ground and where the water runs, ask how you use the space and go through your choices right there. You then get a free written estimate that spells out the mix, the prep, the cleanup and who handles any permits, so you know what each part costs before you decide.
We dig, pack and pour
Once any permits are in place, my crew and I dig out, pack the base, set the forms and pour, and I'm on site with them the whole way. We protect your yard and house as we go and leave a clear way past the work at the end of each day.
Walk the finished work together
When the job's done, I walk it with you and show you how to care for the new concrete. You'll know when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for your car.
Questions about hiring a concrete contractor in Belmont
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Belmont, MA?
A Belmont driveway is priced on its size and thickness, how much old concrete and soft ground has to come out, how easy it is to reach, and the finish, so your number comes in a free written estimate after I've seen it. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and a tight or shared driveway where the truck can't get close adds labor. If something has to give, I'd keep the money in the base and save the fancier finish.
How long does new concrete take to cure before I can park on it?
You'll be off a new driveway longer than you'd be off a new walk, because concrete keeps curing, slowly getting stronger as it holds its moisture, well after it looks dry, and a car weighs far more than a person. I give you the day for foot traffic and the day for your car when we pour, since it depends on the mix and the conditions that week. If two households share the driveway, we work out where everyone parks before we set a date.
What causes concrete driveways and walks in Belmont to crack?
Most cracks in old Belmont slabs come from a base that settled and from control joints, the grooves cut across a slab so it cracks there in a straight line, that were cut late or never cut at all. A pour in the midday heat can also leave a weak, dusty top that chips. Concrete still shrinks, so I won't tell you a slab can't crack, but with a packed base, the right slope, joints cut on time and a cooler pour, a crack usually lands in a joint where you won't notice it.
Does a concrete contractor in Belmont need to be registered with the state?
Often, yes, because Massachusetts requires Home Improvement Contractor registration for certain work on existing, owner-occupied homes with one to four units, which covers a lot of Belmont houses. The registration number has to appear on the permit, the contract and the contractor's ads, and on a job estimated at $1,000 or more the state requires a written contract with certain terms in it. Registration isn't the same as a Construction Supervisor License, which some projects need, and you can check a supervisor's license on the state's site.
Do I need a building permit for a shed slab in Belmont?
For the shed itself, the Building Division's guidance says one under 150 square feet needs only a certified plot plan, and one over 150 square feet needs a building permit as well. So pick the shed before we size the slab, since the shed is what decides the paperwork. If a machine bigger than a shovel is coming in to dig, the Street Opening Permit we mentioned earlier comes into it too.
Do I need approval for concrete work in Belmont's Historic District or near wetlands?
Yes, the Historic District Commission has to approve any exterior work in Belmont's Historic District, and new steps, walks or a driveway are outside work. If your property falls under the Wetlands Protection Act or the Rivers Protection Act, the Conservation Commission has to approve the construction too. Those approvals come before the pour, so tell me at the estimate if either might apply to your house.
Newton, MA
Call about your Belmont concrete job
If you call before the old slab is torn out, I can see how it failed, and that tells us what the new one needs underneath.