Concrete Contractor in Nashua, NH - Driveways and Patios on a Packed Base
Quality Merrimack Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Merrimack, NH. In Nashua we build driveways, patios, walks, garage floors, steps, footings and foundations for homeowners, builders and small businesses, with our own crew doing the work.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Nashua properties as we see them on jobs
Nashua packs a lot of different property into one city. Closer to downtown we see older houses on tight lots, with narrow driveways, short front walks and steps that have been patched more than once. Farther out it's mostly ranches, capes and newer colonials with two-car driveways and room for a patio, and mixed in with all of it are shops, offices and small businesses that need slabs, walks and parking areas.
We do the same work in Merrimack and across the river in Hudson, but older Nashua lots often leave less room for equipment and more old concrete to break out, so access and what's buried under the old slab shape a lot of our jobs here.
Concrete services we do for Nashua homes and businesses
Concrete driveway building
When a Nashua driveway has sunk at the garage or cracked through, we break it out, dig to firm ground and pour new on a packed base.
Concrete patio construction
We set patios for grills and tables out back, pitched so rain runs toward the lawn and away from your house on wetter Nashua yards.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, which often suits the older homes closer to downtown Nashua.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older Nashua lots heave and trip people up, so we replace them on a packed base with joints cut where cracks should go.
Garage floor concrete
We break out cracked, pitted or dusty garage floors in older Nashua houses and pour a new slab pitched to drain toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored or scored concrete lets a Nashua entry, walk or patio look finished without the upkeep of pavers that shift and grow weeds.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped Nashua yards often need a retaining wall to hold back soil beside a driveway or patio, and we plan for the water that collects behind it.
Concrete floor installation
Basements, workshops and commercial spaces around Nashua get interior slabs poured flat and level, with the base packed first so the floor has firm ground under it.
Concrete pool decks
A backyard pool deck in Nashua has to drain fast and grip wet feet, so we pitch it away from the water and finish the surface for traction.
Concrete steps construction
Crumbling front steps are common on older Nashua houses, and we rebuild them with steel inside and even risers so nobody catches a toe.
Slab foundation building
For garages, additions and small commercial buildings in Nashua, we pour slab foundations on dug-out, packed ground, set to the plans you bring.
Foundation installation
Builders and homeowners in Nashua call us for poured foundations under additions and new homes, with the forms checked twice before the trucks arrive.
Concrete parking lot building
Shops, offices and small businesses around Nashua get concrete parking areas built thick enough for daily traffic and pitched so water runs off instead of sitting by the door.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions in Nashua need footings that go down to firm ground, and we dig and pour them to the depth your plans call for.
Foundation raising
When an older Nashua house has settled and doors stick or floors slope, we look at what's under it first, then plan how to raise and support it.
Concrete cutting
We cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing Nashua slabs for new doors, drains or a patio tie-in, without breaking out more than the job needs.
Get a free on-site estimate for concrete in Nashua
Send the form or call, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at the spot and leave your 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 Nashua: permits, licensing and what sets your price
In Nashua, building permits go through the city's Department of Building Safety, which reviews applications to build or alter a structure and inspects the work it permits. Its list covers things like building an addition, altering a structure or tearing one down, and it doesn't settle a driveway, patio or walk on its own, so before we schedule a pour I'll help you check with the department what your job needs. If it needs a permit, the work waits until it's issued and we build to what the department asks. We're licensed and insured, and since I write every estimate and run every pour myself, you'll know who's responsible for your job.
We've worked out of Merrimack since 2013, and we pour in Nashua the same way we do in Amherst and the other cities around us. What moves your price is mostly what's under and around the slab: how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig to reach firm ground, the size and thickness of the slab, the steel inside it, how close the truck can get and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on any permit, the weather on pour day and the curing wait before you use it, and the estimate I leave on site gives you the price for your job.
Why Nashua driveways and patios crack, sink and hold water
Nashua sits where the Nashua and Merrimack Rivers meet, with brooks, ponds and the old canal running through it, and the city points out that flooding can happen outside its flood zones because of local drainage problems. For a slab, that means where the water goes matters as much as the concrete, so before we set forms I check where your yard drains and pitch the slab away from the house, because a patio or driveway that falls toward the foundation sends water right where you don't want it.
A lot of the sunken, cracked driveways we're called to look at here were poured on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, and when winter freezes and thaws that loose ground, the slab settles with it. We dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, and build a packed base on top before any concrete shows up.
How a concrete job in Nashua runs, start to finish
Here's what happens from your first call or form to the day you're back on your new driveway or patio, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (603) 377-5028 or send the form, and we'll find a time for me to come out to Nashua and see the spot.
I look at the spot myself
I walk it with you, ask how you'll use it, check where the water runs and leave you an estimate on site that spells out the base, thickness and finish, so you can see what you're paying for. It helps if you can be there, so we can settle the details in one visit.
We line up permits and prep
If your job needs a permit, we get the paperwork moving and the work waits until the city issues it. Then our crew breaks out the old slab, digs to firm ground, packs the base and sets the forms and rebar, the steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks.
Pour, finish and cure
I'm on site with our crew for the pour, the broom finish that gives the surface grip, and the control joints, grooves we cut so the slab cracks along a line we chose. Before we leave I tell you when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it, because curing, the days concrete needs to gain strength, decides both.
Questions about concrete work in Nashua
Do I need a permit for a concrete shed slab in Nashua?
A shed under 200 square feet doesn't need a building permit in Nashua, but the city requires a Land Use Permit for a shed of any size. That application includes a plot plan showing where the shed will sit, which you can read about in the city's permit FAQs, and we pour the slab right where that plan puts it.
How do I know if a flood zone affects my foundation permit in Nashua?
If the structure sits in a flood hazard zone, Nashua requires an Elevation Certificate to be completed before the building permit is issued. On the city's flood map, any zone whose name starts with an A marks ground with a 1% chance of flooding in a given year, so check your lot before the plans are final and we'll set the schedule around the certificate.
Which building code applies to a new foundation in Nashua right now?
New Hampshire's State Building Code applies in Nashua as it does everywhere in the state, and through December 31, 2026, permit requests can follow either the 2021 or the 2024 code editions. Starting January 1, 2027, all permit requests have to follow the 2024 codes, so if your permit request goes in after the new year, plan on those. We build to whatever the approved permit and plans call for.
What does Nashua need on a permit application for a garage slab or foundation?
The city's application asks for a plot plan drawn to scale, or a site plan, for every job except interior renovations. The building permit covers only the structural part of the project, and any plumbing, electrical or mechanical work gets its own permit, issued only after the building permit is out, as the city's permit requirements page explains. So a slab with drains or wiring in it needs those permits lined up in order.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Nashua?
The price of a Nashua driveway gets set at the estimate visit, once I've seen how much old pavement comes out and how far down firm ground is. If the number has to come down, I'd cut a stamped or colored finish before I'd cut the base, because the base is what keeps the slab from sinking, and you can't fix it later without tearing the driveway out. More on what goes into one is on our concrete driveway page.
What causes a new concrete driveway to crack in Nashua?
Cracks in odd places on a new driveway usually come from control joints being cut late or skipped altogether. Pouring in midday heat can also leave a weak, dusty top that chips later, so in hot weather we plan pours for cooler hours and cut joints on time, which steers the shrinking every slab does into the grooves where you'll hardly notice it.
Merrimack, NH
Plan your Nashua concrete job with us
If you call before the plans are set, I can check the drainage and the permit questions while there's still time to change the size or the spot.