Concrete Contractor in Manchester, NH - Driveways and Patios Built From the Base Up
Quality Merrimack Concrete pours driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors and foundations for homes and businesses across Manchester, NH. I look at every job myself, and our own crew does the work from the dig-out to the finish.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Manchester homes, from tight city lots to newer streets
As a concrete contractor based in Merrimack, NH, we're in Manchester often, and it gives us the widest mix of work we see. Close to downtown it's older multi-family houses on narrow lots, with shared driveways, short front walks and steps that have been patched more than once. Farther out the streets open into single-family neighborhoods much like the ones next door in Bedford, and small businesses around the city call us about parking areas, slabs and sidewalks.
On the older lots, the first job is usually getting a tired slab out, and there's often little room to bring equipment in, so I plan access when I write the estimate. What's under an old driveway is something I can only judge once it's open, which is why we dig down to firm soil and build the base back up instead of pouring over whatever's there.
Concrete work we do for Manchester properties
Concrete driveway building
When an old driveway has sunk, cracked or pools water, we tear it out, dig to firm ground and pour a new one on a packed base.
Concrete patio construction
A back-yard patio gives a small Manchester lot a usable outdoor room, and we pitch it away from the house so rain doesn't sit against the foundation.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, which suits older homes where plain gray would look out of place.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older Manchester houses often lift or break at the joints, so we replace them with even sections nobody trips over on the way in.
Garage floor concrete
A cracked, dusty garage floor in an older detached garage can be broken out and repoured on a fresh base, ready for a car and a workbench.
Decorative concrete
Color, borders and textured finishes let a front walk or entry fit the house, and we keep the base work the same as any plain slab.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards on some Manchester streets leave little flat ground, and a poured retaining wall holds the soil back so you can level a patio or driveway.
Concrete floor installation
Basements, workshops and small commercial spaces get an interior floor poured flat and smooth, set on a compacted base with steel where the load calls for it.
Concrete pool decks
Around a back-yard pool, we pour a deck with a textured finish that gives bare feet some grip and slopes water away from the pool edge.
Concrete steps construction
Crumbling front steps are common on Manchester's older houses, and we form and pour new ones at even heights so every step feels the same underfoot.
Slab foundation building
For an addition, a garage or a new building here, we pour a slab foundation on a packed, level base sized to what will sit on it.
Foundation installation
Builders and homeowners adding on in the city call us for poured foundation walls, laid out to the plan and set on footings dug to firm ground.
Concrete parking lot building
Small businesses and apartment buildings with worn lots get a concrete surface poured thick enough for steady traffic and pitched so water heads to the drains.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions need footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight down to firm soil, and we dig and pour them to the plan.
Foundation raising
When an older house or porch has settled out of level, we raise it and set it on new concrete so the weight sits evenly again.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings for doors, trenches for drain lines and clean edges where an old slab meets new work, which matters on tight lots with neighbors close.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Manchester
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll 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
Working in Manchester, from permits to price
When a Manchester job needs a permit, it goes through the city's Building Division, which handles building permits, reviews plans and sends inspectors out to check the work. Whether your driveway or patio needs one is the city's call, so I don't guess. We ask before we set a pour date, help get any paperwork moving and build to what the city asks, and that review and inspection time is usually what moves a start date. The City Clerk's business licensing office is who tells a business whether its work here needs a city license, so that's a fair thing to ask any contractor about, and we're licensed and insured.
What moves the price here is the size and thickness of the slab, how much old concrete or asphalt comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground and how easy it is to get a truck to the spot on a narrow lot. On busier city streets I plan where the concrete truck parks and how the neighbors get by while we pour, the same planning we do next door in Goffstown and Hooksett. The schedule turns on our calendar, any permit review and curing, the days new concrete needs to harden before it takes weight, and the estimate I leave you on site puts your own figure on the price.
What wears out concrete on Manchester properties
Much of the concrete we look at in Manchester has been down a long time and patched more than once, and the sunken corners, wide cracks and puddles by the garage door are what bring most people to call. Patching a slab that has dropped only covers the trouble for a while, so when the ground under it has given way we take the old concrete out, compact the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, and build a packed stone base over it before we pour.
Multi-family houses and small businesses put more cars and more weight on their concrete than a single home does, so a driveway or lot there gets a thicker slab with rebar, steel bars that hold the concrete together if it cracks. I size that at the estimate, once I know what's parking on it.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Manchester
Here's how a Manchester job goes once you reach out, from your first call to the day the new concrete is yours to use.
Call or send the form
Reach us at (603) 377-5028 or through the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. It helps if you can be there for that visit, because I'll want to hear how you plan to use the space.
I come out and look
I walk the spot, check where the water runs and look at what's there now, old concrete, asphalt or lawn. You get an estimate before I leave, so you know the price before you decide anything.
Permits, prep and the pour
Once you say go, we get any permit paperwork moving and wait on the city's review and inspections where your job needs them, then dig out and pack the base. I'm on site with our crew for the pour and the finish, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, so any cracks fall in lines we chose.
Curing and handing it over
Once the finish is on, the slab is left alone to cure while it hardens. Before we pack up I'll walk you through how to treat it in the early weeks and what to watch for in the first months, like where water sits after rain.
Questions about concrete work in Manchester, NH
What do I need to apply for a concrete permit in Manchester, NH?
Many building permits for outdoor projects in Manchester call for a site plan, a scaled drawing of everything on your lot with the distances to the lot lines marked. You'll find the city's forms on its permit applications page, and we'll help you put the plan together if your job needs one.
How early should I request a Certificate of Occupancy in Manchester?
For a one- or two-family house, ask the city for your Certificate of Occupancy five business days before you need it, and for commercial work or homes with more than three units, ten business days ahead. The certificate only comes once every inspection on every permit tied to the project has passed, including other departments', and the paperwork is in, so an open inspection anywhere on the job will hold it up. That's worth planning for when we pour a foundation or slab for a new building.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Manchester, NH?
Your price is set by the size and depth of the work and the finish you pick, and I'll put a figure on it at the estimate once I've seen the spot. A plain broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip, keeps it lowest, while stamped or colored work, steps or a retaining wall add to it. If you need to trim the budget, shrink the slab or pick a simpler finish before you cut the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's what keeps the slab from settling.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You can walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you both days for your slab, since curing time varies with the mix and the pour. Driving on it too early can mark or crack a slab that's still hardening, so plan on parking on the street a little longer than you'd like.
What causes concrete driveways and patios to crack and sink in Manchester?
Most sinking starts under the slab, with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the concrete settles as the dirt does. Cracks in odd places usually come from control joints cut late or skipped, and a weak, dusty top often goes back to a pour finished in the midday heat. Concrete can still crack, so we dig to firm ground, pack the base, cut the joints on time and plan the pour for the cooler part of the day.
What is the best way to keep water from pooling by my house in Manchester?
The best fix is a slab that pitches away from the house, because a patio or walk that falls toward the foundation sends rain straight at your basement wall. On a tight Manchester lot there's often little room for the water to go, so I check where it runs before we set forms and sometimes add a drain or cut an old slab back to give it a path.
Merrimack, NH
Get your Manchester concrete job on the calendar
Reach us at (603) 377-5028 or through the form while you're still planning, because changing a layout or finish is easy on paper and hard once the forms are set.