Concrete Contractor in Watertown, MA - Slabs Built From the Ground Up
A&B Waltham Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Waltham that pours driveways, patios, sidewalks, steps, garage floors and foundations in Watertown, MA, and takes on the harder jobs like tight access, wall openings and house raising.
Watertown jobs start with permits. Then we check the ground.
We're based in Waltham and pour in Watertown the same way we do there and in Belmont, from driveways, patios and steps to garage floors and footings under an addition.
The City of Watertown asks for a building permit on most work done on or in a structure, so on a job here I settle the permit question before anything gets scheduled. Tight access or an odd job is welcome, since those are the ones I like working out.
I look before I price. Then we plan the pour.
Before I price a Watertown job, I look at how much old concrete has to come out, what the base needs, how you'll use the slab and how hard the spot is to reach, because those set the price. Whether a permit, surveyor or engineer is needed first sets the schedule, and the written estimate shows what's included.
- What the old slab has been sitting on
- Which way rain will run off it
- Where the new slab meets the house
Driveways are just the start. We bring every service to Watertown.
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
The base decides it. The finish just sits on top.
When the dirt under a slab is raked flat instead of dug out and packed, it keeps settling after the pour, and the concrete goes with it. Add a slab that tips water toward the house or joints cut too late, and you get cracks and pooling in places nobody chose.
On a tight budget, I'd rather spend it on the subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, than on a fancy finish, because a finish can be redone and a bad base can't. We slope the slab away from your house and cut control joints, grooves that tell cracks where to go, before the slab picks its own lines.
One call starts it. Here's how a Watertown job runs.
01. Call or send a message
Call or send a message about your driveway, patio, steps or wall, and we'll set a time for me to come look.
02. I come out and look
I walk the site with you, look at the ground and the drainage, and ask how you'll use the concrete, because that sets the thickness and the base.
03. You get it in writing
The estimate spells out what's included, and we line up any permits, surveyors or engineers the job needs before the pour goes on the schedule.
04. We pour and clean up
Our crew lead runs the work with me on site at the key steps, and we walk the finished job with you before we pack up.
Tell us about the job. We'll come out and look.
Tell us what you need poured and where. We reply within one business day to set up a free estimate on site, with no obligation.
(781) 622-9470Watertown isn't the only one. We work across the cities around Waltham.
- Waltham, MA
- Newton, MA
- Cambridge, MA
- Weston, MA
- Belmont, MA
- Lexington, MA
- Wellesley, MA
- Arlington, MA
- Needham, MA
- Burlington, MA
- Sudbury, MA
We're based in Waltham and work across the cities around it, including Cambridge and Arlington. If your city isn't on the list, call and ask.
Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Watertown concrete, answered. Start with the permit questions.
Read through the answers below. If your question isn't here, call (781) 622-9470 and ask.
Do I need a building permit for concrete work in Watertown, MA?
Plan on one if the concrete is part of a structure, like footings for an addition, because that's the work the city's permit rule covers. The rule doesn't name driveways or patios either way, so we check with the Inspector of Buildings at Inspectional Services and handle the permit steps for our part.
Does a small retaining wall or shed need a permit in Watertown?
The city lists a retaining wall under 48 inches high and a shed under 200 square feet as exceptions to its building permit rule. A taller wall or a bigger shed isn't on that list, so we plan for the permit from the start and tell you early if we need your signature or an engineer.
Who handles wetland permits in Watertown, MA?
The city's Conservation Commission handles wetland permits and conservation questions. If your job is near a wetland, tell me at the estimate, because that approval has to be sorted before the pour can go on the schedule.
Will a new concrete driveway in Watertown crack like my old one?
It can still crack, because concrete shrinks as it cures, the slow hardening that's also why you stay off it for a while, but the aim is to keep cracks in the joints where they barely show. That comes down to the base and drainage covered above, so that's where I spend the planning time.
Old slab sinking or cracked? Call us for an estimate.
Tell us what's there now and what you'd like in its place, on the phone or through the form, and we'll set a time to come look.
(781) 622-9470