Concrete patio construction in Newton MA - a patio that drains away from your house
Patio cracked, sinking or holding puddles by the door? We build a new one on a packed base, pitched to drain away from your house.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into building a concrete patio in Newton?
Concrete patio construction in Newton means digging out the spot, building a packed base and then pouring and finishing a ground-level slab shaped so rain runs off and away from your house instead of sitting against the foundation. Done right, it gives you a flat, dry place for a table and a grill that's built for Massachusetts winters.
Most people who call me have an old patio that's cracked and tipping toward the back door, or a patch of lawn that turns to mud every time they use it. The price moves with the size, how much old concrete or dirt has to come out, how far the truck can get to the spot and the finish you pick. The schedule turns mostly on the weather and on getting the utility lines marked before we dig. If the patio meets the house at a door, we often build concrete steps into the same job, and your own number comes from the written estimate after I've seen the yard.
How do you know it's time for a new patio?
Cracks that keep spreading
Hairline cracks are normal in concrete, but cracks that widen, split the slab into tilted pieces or run in every direction usually mean the dirt underneath has moved. Patching those tends to buy a season, because the pieces keep shifting until someone fixes what's under them.
Puddles near the door
If water sits on the patio after rain or the slab leans toward the house, the pitch was wrong from the start or the slab has settled. Water parked against your house can work its way into the basement, and it wears on the concrete a little more every winter.
Flaking or chipping on top
When the surface peels off in patches and you start seeing the stones inside, water and freezing have been working on it. It usually spreads each winter, and once it's widespread, replacing the slab is often the more sensible fix.
How we build a concrete patio
Patios give out most where water sits, so I start on the ground with you, showing you where the water runs now and how we'll pitch the new slab away from the house. Then we dig out the soft dirt and any old concrete, pack a gravel base in layers over the subgrade, which is the soil the whole slab rests on, and set our forms to that pitch. We lay rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it does crack, time the pour to stay out of the midday heat so the top doesn't end up weak and dusty, and give it a broom finish, a light texture so it isn't slick when it's wet. Last we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along instead of across the middle. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather keep the base and skip a fancy finish, because a plain surface can be dressed up later and a bad base can't. And if gravel or pavers would suit your yard better than concrete, I'll tell you so.
A patio is often one piece of a bigger change to the yard. If you want the look of stone or brick, stamped concrete presses a pattern and color into the same slab. If you need a way to get there from the driveway or the side door, we can pour a concrete sidewalk at the same time so the two meet at the same height and pitch.
Plain broom finish
This suits most backyards and anyone who wants the most patio for the money, since it's the simplest surface to pour and the easiest to keep clean. It's grippy underfoot around a grill or a hose, too.
Stamped or colored surface
This suits a patio right off the back door where looks matter, because the pattern and color go into the slab itself. It costs more up front and needs more upkeep to keep it sealed and looking sharp.
Tearing out an old patio
This suits a yard where the old slab is cracked, sunk or tipping toward the house. We break it out and haul it away, then rebuild the base instead of pouring new concrete over an old problem.
Get a written price for your new patio
We respond within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the spot and give you a free written estimate at your property, with no pressure and no obligation.
Call (617) 644-7325What happens when you call about a patio in Newton?
Here's how a patio goes with us, from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know who you'll see and what you'll get.
Call us or send photos
Call (617) 644-7325 or send the form with the patio's rough size in square feet, a few photos of the spot and when you'd like it done. We set a time for me to come see it.
Walk the spot with me
I ask how you use the yard, show you on the ground where the water will run and go over your choices right there. You get a written estimate that spells out the mix, the prep, the cleanup and who handles any permits, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
We dig, form and pour
We protect your lawn, beds and siding as we go and leave a clear path to your door at the end of each day. Newton generally allows construction noise from 7 AM to 7 PM on weekdays and 8 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays, and Sunday work needs a permit approved by the Mayor, so we plan our days inside that window.
Walk the finished patio together
When it's done I walk it with you and show you how to take care of it. We haul away our forms and debris before we leave.
Why Newton homeowners call Excel Newton Concrete for patios
When you're ready, send me a note with the rough size in square feet, a few photos of the spot and when you'd like it done.
You'll see me at the pour
I come out to look at the job myself, and my crew does the work with me on site. The person who showed you the pitch on the ground is the one standing there when it's poured.
In business since 2017
We've been at this since 2017, nine years now, and I learned the trade pouring foundations and slabs on new construction. I explain every line of your quote in plain words, because once you know why a step is there, you can spot a shortcut in anyone's price.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. Ask for proof when you compare quotes, since a patio job puts a crew, a concrete truck and heavy tools on your property.
We place the Dig Safe call
State law says utility lines have to be marked at least 72 business hours before digging, not counting weekends or holidays, and grading counts, so we build that wait into your start date. Holding the Dig Safe ticket is our job as your contractor, though you're welcome to place the call for us.
Building a patio and the yard around it in Newton
Newton's Inspectional Services Department issues the city's permits for building and repairing structures and enforces the state building code, but it doesn't spell out whether a ground-level patio needs one, so that's the office to ask. I check with them before we start, and if your patio needs a permit, we pull it in our name and set up the inspections.
A lot of the houses we work on here are older, with back doors set close to the ground and yards that slope toward the foundation, so there's often less room to pitch a slab than people expect. In those spots we may step the patio down, dig the base deeper or lower the grade around it a little so the water has somewhere to go. Narrow side yards are common too, and we lay boards over the lawn when we wheel concrete to the back. We run into the same low doorways and tight access on jobs in Waltham and Needham.
Questions about concrete patios in Newton
How much does a concrete patio cost in Newton, MA?
A concrete patio in the Boston area usually costs about $6 to $15 per square foot, materials and labor included, and that's a fair guide for Newton. Where yours lands depends on the digging, the base, access for the truck and the finish, so your own number comes from the written estimate after I've seen the spot.
Does a concrete patio contractor need HIC registration in Massachusetts?
No, Massachusetts lists installers of ground-level patios among the home improvement work whose contractor doesn't need HIC registration. That means registration isn't the thing to compare on patio quotes, so ask about insurance, the base and the slope instead.
Can you pour a concrete patio in Newton when it might freeze?
Yes, as long as the fresh concrete is protected, because concrete that freezes early loses strength it would have gained and won't hold up. Trade guidance says to keep it from freezing until about two days after it's placed, so when a cold night is possible, we plan how it'll be covered or we move the date.
What is the best way to keep a concrete patio from flaking in a Massachusetts winter?
It starts with the mix, because an Indiana concrete trade group advises talking with your contractor or supplier about air entrainment, tiny air bubbles mixed into the concrete, for outdoor slabs in cold places like ours. It's decided when the concrete is ordered and can't be added after the slab hardens, so ask about it while you're comparing quotes.
What causes water to pool on a concrete patio and damage it?
Poor slope is the usual cause, and water that keeps sitting in the same low spots is one of the most common reasons the top of a slab flakes away. Sealer can't fix a bad pitch, and a slab that's settled enough to hold water may need repairs before it's worth sealing. Sealer also wears down, so the same group says to look your patio over every year and reseal when water stops beading or the slab darkens quickly when wet.
How do I care for a new concrete patio in its first winter?
Keep deicing salt off it, because new concrete needs time before it sees salt, even once it looks hard. Use sand for grip, shovel soon after it snows and skip harsh chemical deicers unless your contractor or the product's directions say otherwise.
Related services that go with a new patio
- Stamped concrete services
Pick this if you want your patio to look like stone, slate or brick without the gaps where weeds grow, with color and pattern set into the concrete.
- Concrete sidewalk building
Worth adding when you're crossing wet grass to reach the patio, since a poured walk from the driveway or side door gives you a dry, level path.
Cities where we build concrete patios
Excel Newton Concrete is based in Newton, Massachusetts, and we build patios in Newton and the cities around it. The 12 cities listed here, including Brookline and Watertown, each have their own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Newton, MA
Send photos of your patio spot
A few photos and a rough size let me plan the visit before I arrive, so email them to quotes@concretenewton.com or attach them to the form.