Concrete Contractor in Derry, NH - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Solid Base
Quality Merrimack Concrete pours driveways, patios, walks, garage floors, steps and foundations for homes and businesses in Derry, NH. We dig out and pack the base before any pour, and I'm on site running our crew.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Derry driveways, patios and slabs as we find them
Derry is a short drive east of us in Merrimack, and the calls we get there look a lot like the ones from Londonderry and Hudson. Older houses close to the center of Derry often have driveways and walks that have been patched more than once. In the newer neighborhoods farther out, the first slab often went in fast along with everything else. We also pour for builders and small businesses here who need footings, a slab or a garage floor.
On most older lots, nobody can tell us what's under the old concrete until it's broken out. So I plan on digging out and packing a fresh base, and I tell you right away if what we find changes the plan, because the ground underneath decides how long a slab holds up far more than the finish on top.
Concrete services we bring to Derry properties
Concrete driveway building
When an old driveway has sunk by the garage or cracked across, we break it out, rebuild the base and pour one sized for your cars.
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio that holds puddles or tips toward the house gets torn out and repoured with the slope running away from your foundation.
Stamped concrete services
For a patio or front walk that should look like stone or brick, stamped concrete gives you the pattern on top of the same packed base underneath.
Concrete sidewalk building
Walks that have lifted into trip edges between the driveway and the front door get replaced with a level path and joints cut where they belong.
Garage floor concrete
Older garage floors that are chipping, cracked or sloped the wrong way can be broken out and repoured so water heads out the door, not toward the wall.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes help a newer house's entry or patio match its siding and stone, and we still put the base first.
Concrete retaining walls
On sloped yards, a poured concrete wall holds back the ground so you get a flat spot for a patio, a driveway or a garden.
Concrete floor installation
Basements, workshops and small commercial spaces get a flat interior slab poured over a packed base, finished smooth for whatever goes on it.
Concrete pool decks
Around a backyard pool, we pour a deck that sheds splash water away from the pool and the house, with a finish that grips wet feet.
Concrete steps construction
Front and back steps that have cracked, settled or pulled away from the house get rebuilt with even step heights and a solid footing under them.
Slab foundation building
For a new garage, shed or addition, we pour the slab it sits on, with the ground dug out, packed and checked before any concrete goes in.
Foundation installation
When you're building a house or an addition, we form and pour the foundation walls to the approved plans, so the framing starts on something square and level.
Concrete parking lot building
Small businesses and multi-family properties get parking areas poured thick enough for steady car traffic and graded so water runs to the drains.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions need footings, the concrete base that carries the weight down into firm ground, and we pour them to the depth your plans call for.
Foundation raising
If part of an older house has settled, we look at what's causing it first, then raise and support that section of the foundation.
Concrete cutting
We cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing slabs, so you can add a drain, a door or a new patio section without wrecking the rest.
Get a free concrete estimate for your Derry property
Call or send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the spot and leave you a free estimate on site, with no pressure to book.
(603) 377-5028- Based in
- Merrimack, NH 03054
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What we sort out on Derry jobs before the pour
In Derry, building permits come from the Town of Derry's Code Enforcement / Building department, and its list covers new houses, additions, garages, sheds and pools, so a slab or foundation for any of those goes through that office before we dig. Nothing starts until the permit is approved, which is why the paperwork usually sets the start date more than our calendar does. New houses, additions with added bedrooms and commercial jobs also need a separate plan review from the Derry Fire Prevention Bureau, which is one more sign-off to plan around. We'll help you find out which office handles your job and get the paperwork moving, and then we build to what they ask, because that call is theirs, not ours. When you compare contractors, ask who will actually be standing there for the pour. With us it's me, running our own crew, and we're licensed and insured.
The price of a Derry job moves with the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, how close the truck can get and whether the slab needs rebar, the steel bars that keep cracked pieces from pulling apart. The finish matters too, from a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives your feet and tires grip, up to stamped patterns. The schedule turns on the permit, on what we find once the ground is open and on curing, the days the concrete needs to gain strength before you use it. I give you an estimate for your own spot when I come out, the same way we run jobs around Merrimack, up in Manchester and down in Tyngsborough, MA.
Why Derry slabs crack, sink and hold water
Most of the cracked or sunken driveways we look at here weren't let down by the concrete itself. The trouble started in the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, when it was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the dirt kept settling for years and the slab followed it down. We dig down to firm ground, bring in base material and compact it in layers, and that's the part of the job I won't trim to save money. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you go with a plain finish over a good base than a fancy finish over a bad one, because you can change a finish later but you can't fix the base without tearing the slab out.
Water is the other thing we see, pooling on a patio or running down a driveway toward the garage door because nobody checked which way it would go. Before the forms go up, we watch where the water runs now and pitch the new slab away from the house.
How a concrete job in Derry runs once you call
Here's how it goes from your side, from the first call to the day we walk you around the finished slab.
Call or send the form
Tell us what you're thinking about, whether it's a new driveway, a cracked patio or a slab for a garage, and we'll get back to you to set a time. You don't need a size or a finish picked out yet.
I come out and look
I come out myself, look at the spot, check where the water goes and ask how you'll use it, and it helps if you're home so we can walk it together. You'll have the estimate in hand before I leave, and it's yours to think over.
We handle permits and prep
Once you say go, we get any permit paperwork moving, and on a Derry permit job the permit has to be paid and inspections booked at least 24 hours ahead, so we set the pour date around that. Then we break out the old concrete, dig down and pack the base.
Pour, finish and walk-through
I'm on site with our crew for the pour and the finish, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, at the right time. Before we leave, I tell you when you can walk on it, when you can drive on it and what to watch for over the first few weeks.
Questions about concrete work in Derry
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Derry, NH?
Derry's building permit list doesn't name driveways or patios, so check with the building office before the pour instead of assuming either way. If the concrete is part of something that is on the list, like a garage or an addition, it goes through the permit for that project. Applications are taken only online through Derry's permit portal, and we'll help you get yours started.
How do I check if my Derry property is in a flood zone before pouring a slab or foundation?
Enter your address on Derry's flood zone page and turn on the 100 Year and 500 Year Flood Zone layers to see where your lot falls. The building office can't write flood zone letters because none of its staff are land surveyors, though you can review its FEMA flood maps for Rockingham County there, which date from 2005. For an official answer, FEMA says its flood map viewer is the best place to start, and if your lot is mapped, tell me when I come out so we plan the slab with that in mind.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Derry, NH?
The cost of a Derry driveway comes down to its size and thickness, how much old concrete and soft ground has to come out and the finish you pick. Hauling away an old driveway adds to the price, and so does a long or tight driveway the truck can't easily reach. A broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete, while the base is the one place I'd tell you not to save, and I'll give you a figure for your driveway when I come out.
Which building code applies to a new foundation or slab in Derry, NH?
New Hampshire's state building code applies in Derry, and it's partway through a switch to newer editions. Permit requests filed through December 31, 2026 can go under either the older or the newer code, and from January 1, 2027 every request has to follow the newer one. If your foundation or slab is going in around the turn of the year, we'll check with the building office which code your plans follow before we form anything.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in Derry?
You'll be walking on a new driveway well before you can drive on it, so plan on parking somewhere else for a while, and I give you both dates on pour day. That wait is the curing we talked about above, and the thickness and mix of your slab change how long it runs. Driving on it early is the quickest way to crack an edge, so keep cars, delivery trucks and dumpsters off it until I say it's ready.
Will a new concrete driveway in Derry crack like my old one?
Any concrete can crack, but a new slab over a dug-out, packed base, with control joints cut on time, usually cracks along those joints where it doesn't show or spread. Most of the sinking and random cracking we're called to look at started with a raked-level base or with joints cut late or skipped. That's why we don't rush either one.
Merrimack, NH
Get your Derry concrete job on the calendar
The sooner I see the spot, the sooner you'll know whether the old base can stay or has to come out.