Concrete Contractor in Watertown, MA - Slabs Built From the Base Up
Excel Newton Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Newton, MA. We build driveways, patios, steps, walkways and foundations for Watertown homes, and we cut or raise the concrete that's already there.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Watertown houses and driveways as we find them
Watertown sits just across the Charles from Newton, bordered by Waltham and Belmont, and its streets look a lot like the ones we've poured on around Newton since 2017. Most of the houses are older and close together, many of them two-families, with a driveway one car wide running down the side to a garage out back. The busy main roads turn into quiet side streets within a block or two. Nearly every house is lived in while we work. That suits us, because that's the work I moved to after years of pouring on new construction where nobody lived yet.
Because so much of the work here replaces old concrete, the new slab has to meet everything that stays: the garage floor, the bottom step, the city sidewalk and the neighbor's driveway an arm's length away. On these older, close-set lots, those edges set the height and pitch of the new concrete before anything else does.
Concrete work we do on Watertown properties
- Concrete driveway building
Many Watertown driveways are long, narrow strips beside the house. When yours has sunk or cracked, we dig it out and rebuild the base first.
- Concrete patio construction
A patio on a small Watertown lot has to drain away from the house and fit around fences and steps, so we set the slope first.
- Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a front walk or patio the look of stone or brick, which suits older Watertown houses. It's one slab, with no loose pieces to settle.
- Concrete sidewalk building
We replace front walks and side paths that have cracked, tipped or lifted at a tree root, so you get an even path to your door.
- Garage floor concrete
Detached garages behind Watertown houses often have thin, cracked floors poured years ago. We break them out and pour a new slab on a packed base.
- Decorative concrete
Color, exposed stone or a scored pattern can dress up a front entry or a back patio without changing how the slab is built underneath.
- Concrete retaining walls
Where a yard steps down or a driveway cuts into a slope, we build a wall that holds the soil and lets water drain out behind it.
- Concrete floor installation
Basement floors in older houses are often thin or broken. We pour new floors for basements, workshops and additions, and we pack and level the base first.
- Concrete pool decks
A pool deck needs a surface that grips wet feet and slopes water away from the pool. We fit it to the tight backyards common here.
- Concrete steps construction
Front stoops on older Watertown houses often crack, chip or pull away from the house. We rebuild them with even step heights that are easy to climb.
- Slab foundation building
For a garage, an addition or an outbuilding on a slab, we dig out, pack the base and set the steel that goes inside before the pour.
- Foundation installation
When you're adding on to an older house, we pour the new foundation walls to line up with the old ones, so the addition sits level.
- Concrete parking lot building
Small lots behind shops and multifamily buildings in Watertown take steady traffic. We pour them thick enough for it and plan the drainage so water doesn't pool.
- Concrete footings
Decks, porches, additions and columns sit on footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight into firm ground. We dig them to the depth your plans call for.
- Foundation raising
When a corner of an older house has sunk and the doors stick or cracks run across the wall, we lift it back toward level and support it underneath.
- Concrete cutting
We saw openings for doors, drains and window wells, and we cut cracked sections out of a slab cleanly, so what's left stays sound and the dust stays controlled.
Get a free written estimate for your Watertown concrete
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out to look at the spot, and you get a free written estimate with no pressure and no obligation.
Call (617) 644-7325Permits, access and price on Watertown concrete jobs
In Watertown, building permits go through the city's Inspectional Services office, and the city requires one for most work done on or in a structure. Its list of exceptions doesn't mention driveways or patios, so that list alone doesn't settle the question for a slab on the ground. I check with the city before we start, and when a job needs a permit, we pull it in our name and set up the inspections. New construction, tear-downs and additions can need sign-off from Zoning or the Department of Public Works before the building permit comes through, so we plan the pour date for a new foundation or an addition slab around that approval. When you're comparing contractors, ask each one whether they're licensed and insured. We're fully licensed and insured, with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
The street matters too. Plenty of Watertown houses sit on narrow side streets with cars parked on both sides and a driveway squeezed between two houses, so before the pour I work out where the truck can stand and how far the concrete has to travel. That reach, how much old concrete comes out and how deep we dig and pack the base move the price most here. The permit and the curing time, the days a slab needs to harden before you use it, move the schedule. You'll see your own figure on the written estimate. We do the same work in Newton and Needham, but tight access is what we plan for most on Watertown jobs.
Why older Watertown slabs sink and hold water
Most of the cracked, tipped driveways and walks we see here were poured on subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, after someone raked it flat and left it loose. Loose dirt keeps settling for years, so the slab settles with it, cracks where it's weakest and starts holding puddles. On a replacement we dig past the soft fill to firm ground and pack a stone base in layers before any concrete goes in. That's the part of the job you can't see once it's poured.
On lots this tight, a driveway or patio often runs right up to the foundation, and if it pitches toward the house, every rain sends water at your basement. Before we set forms, we check where the water runs on your lot and slope the new slab away from the house.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Watertown
From the first call to the last walk around the slab, here's who you'll deal with and what you'll have in hand at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us what's going on with your concrete, and we'll set a time for me to come see it. Try to be home for the visit, because I'll want to hear how you use the space.
Walk the spot together
I look at the slab, the ground and where the water runs, then go over your choices with you right there. You get a written estimate that spells out the mix, the prep, the cleanup and who handles any permits, so you can compare it with any other quote line by line.
Prep, pour and protect
Once any permit or city approval is in hand, my crew and I dig out, pack the base and pour, and we protect your yard and house as we go. You don't need to be home for this part, and we leave a clear path past the work at the end of each day.
Walk the finished work
When we're done, I walk the work with you and show you how to care for it, including when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for the car. Bring any question you didn't think of at the start.
Questions about concrete work in Watertown
Does a concrete retaining wall need a permit in Watertown, MA?
Watertown lists a retaining wall less than 48 inches high among the exceptions to its building permit rule, so the wall's height is the first thing to look at. A taller wall isn't on that list. If your wall will come near or above that height, I check with the city's Inspector of Buildings before we set the forms.
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete slab for a small shed in Watertown?
The city lists building a shed under 200 square feet among its building permit exceptions, but that line covers the shed and doesn't say anything about the concrete pad under it. Before we pour a shed slab, I ask the Inspector of Buildings, and if a permit is needed, it goes in our name.
Who handles wetland permits in Watertown, MA?
Wetland permits and conservation questions go to Watertown's Conservation Commission, not the building permit office, and larger projects and special permits go to Planning & Zoning. If your yard is close to the Charles River or stays wet, mention it at the estimate so the question gets asked before a pour date is set.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Watertown, MA?
Most of the cost of a Watertown driveway comes from the work you can't see: breaking out and hauling away the old concrete, then digging to firm ground and packing the stone base. The finish comes next. A plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that keeps feet and tires from slipping, costs less than stamped or colored concrete. If you need to trim the budget, cut the finish and keep the base, because a fancy top on a soft base still sinks and cracks, and you can't fix the base later without tearing everything out.
How long do I have to stay off a new concrete driveway?
You can usually walk on a new driveway after a few days, and you'll keep the car off it longer. Concrete keeps gaining strength well after it looks hard, so a slab that takes weight too early can chip and crack at the edges. At the walk-through I'll give you the dates for your slab, since the thickness and the mix change them.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack, and will a new one crack too?
Concrete shrinks as it hardens, so almost every slab cracks somewhere, and good work decides where. We cut control joints, shallow grooves across the slab, soon after the pour so the cracks follow those lines, and the rebar, the steel bars inside, holds the pieces together. The ugly cracks usually come from shortcuts: joints cut late or skipped, a midday pour in the heat that leaves a weak, dusty top, or a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed.
Newton, MA
Plan your Watertown concrete project with us
Call (617) 644-7325 or use the form, and if you already have other quotes, I'll show you what to look for in each one before you choose.