Concrete contractor in Portsmouth, NH - solid base work for older homes and tight lots
Portsmouth Concrete Works is a concrete contractor in Portsmouth, NH. We build driveways, patios, walkways, steps, garage floors and foundations here, and we like the sloped yards and tight side lots that take some figuring out.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Concrete work across Portsmouth's older and newer neighborhoods
The short answer: Portsmouth Concrete Works is a concrete contractor based in Portsmouth, NH, and I started the business here in 2017. Most of our work in the city is homeowners replacing a cracked or sinking driveway, adding a patio or walkway, rebuilding front steps, or putting in a slab for a garage or addition. Builders and property owners call us too.
In the older parts of the city, houses sit close together and close to the street, so a driveway or walk often runs down a narrow side yard with a foundation on one side and a neighbor's fence on the other. Farther out, the lots open up and we see more two-car driveways, garage floors and backyard patios. We cross the river to Kittery and head down the coast to Rye for the same kinds of jobs.
What changes the job most here is what's already in the ground. On an older lot I usually find a slab poured over loose fill or old stone, so we open it up, dig out what won't hold and rebuild the subgrade, the packed ground the new slab sits on, before we talk about finishes.
What older homes and sloped lots do to concrete here
A lot of the concrete around older Portsmouth houses has simply outlived the ground under it. We see front steps pulled away from the foundation, walks that tip toward the house and driveways cracked into plates, often poured thin with no rebar, the steel inside a slab that holds cracks tight, and nothing packed underneath. Patching that kind of slab rarely lasts, so I'll usually tell you it's time to break it out and start from the base.
Tight side lots and sloped yards bring the water question. When a lot falls toward the house or a roof dumps onto the drive, the first thing I ask is where the rain goes now, because water pooling against a foundation or under a slab is where I see most trouble start, and we set the pitch to carry it off before we set a single form.
Concrete services for Portsmouth homes and properties
Concrete driveway building
When a driveway has sunk at the garage or cracked into plates, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour one that sheds water.
Concrete patio construction
For a backyard patio on a small city lot, we size the slab to the space you've got and pitch it so rain runs away from the house.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk beside an older house the look of brick or stone, without loose pavers shifting and heaving over the years.
Concrete sidewalk building
A front walk that's tipped or broken gets dug out, packed and poured with a broom finish, a brushed texture that gives shoes some grip.
Garage floor concrete
If your garage floor is pitted, cracked or holds water by the door, we break it out and pour a new floor that drains toward the driveway.
Decorative concrete
Colored and textured finishes make sense on an entry or patio people see first, and we put them on a base we've dug out and packed ourselves.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped Portsmouth yard, a poured retaining wall holds back the soil and gives you a level spot for a patio, parking pad or garden.
Concrete floor installation
For basements, workshops and outbuildings, we pour interior floors that sit flat, with the base and prep under them done before the truck arrives.
Concrete pool decks
Around an in-ground pool, we pour a deck with a textured top for bare feet and a pitch that carries splash water off into the yard.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have pulled away from the house or crumbled at the edges get replaced with new poured steps set tight to the foundation.
Slab foundation building
For a garage, shed or small addition, we build the slab foundation from the dug-out, packed base up through the poured and finished floor.
Foundation installation
When you're adding on or building new, we form and pour foundation walls, working around tight lot lines, neighboring houses and existing utilities.
Concrete parking lot building
Owners of a small lot behind a building or a shared drive call us to replace broken pavement with concrete built for daily parking.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions sit on footings, the concrete pads that carry the weight into firm ground, and we set them where the plans call for.
Foundation raising
When part of an older house has settled, we work to bring the foundation back up and give it firm support underneath before other repairs start.
Concrete cutting
We cut openings, trenches and clean edges in existing slabs when a drain line, a doorway or a new section has to tie into old concrete.
Get a free written concrete estimate for your Portsmouth property
Send your Portsmouth address and a few lines about the job, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I'll come out myself and give you a free estimate at your property, in writing. There's no pressure to book.
Working in Portsmouth: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Building permits in Portsmouth come from the city's Inspection Office, which handles new construction and general renovation. Its list of work that may need a permit names new garages, decks, pools, additions and demolition, so when the concrete is part of one of those, the permit gets settled first and that review sets when we can pour, and since the list doesn't name driveways or patios, I ask the office about those before we set a date. The city doesn't issue its own business license, and the City Clerk's page points you to the State of New Hampshire, which does. If your job includes patio lights or power to a new garage, that wiring needs a licensed New Hampshire electrician, and you can check one with the state electricians' board. We're fully licensed and insured, and we help pull together the sketches, site plans or drawings the office asks for.
What moves the price here is mostly hidden: how much old concrete and loose fill has to come out, how thick the slab is and whether it gets rebar, how far we wheel concrete when the truck can't reach the back of a tight lot, and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on any permit review and the time of year, and your written estimate spells out the price for your job. On the narrow older streets near downtown, getting the truck close is part of the plan, and we do the same work across the river in Eliot and the cities around it.
How it works when you call us in Portsmouth
Here's how a concrete job in Portsmouth goes with us, from your first call to the day we haul the forms away, with any city review placed where it lands in the schedule.
- Step 01
Call or send us a message
Call (603) 956-1034 or use the form with your address and what you have in mind, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home, because I'll have questions about how you use the space.
- Step 02
I walk the site with you
I come out myself, look at the old slab, the slope and where the water runs, and ask how you'll use the space. Then I send a written estimate, so you see the full price before you decide anything.
- Step 03
Settle permits and pick a date
We sort out any permit questions and pick a pour date with the season in mind. If your house is in the Historic District and the work is part of new construction, an addition or an exterior change, it needs a separate Historic District Commission application, and since the Commission meets once a month, that adds at least a month.
- Step 04
We prep, pour and clean up
Our own crew digs out and packs the base, pours, finishes and cuts the control joints, grooves that give the slab a chosen place to crack, and I'm on site for the pour. When we leave, the forms and debris go with us and you'll know how long to stay off the new concrete.
Questions Portsmouth homeowners ask about concrete work
Does a small concrete repair need a permit in Portsmouth, NH?
It might, and the city's guidance doesn't settle it for concrete, so we ask before we start. The city's permit FAQ says ordinary repairs like painting, insulating or fixing windows, doors or siding need no application unless the total cost is over $3,000, but concrete isn't on that list, and a repair that cuts or alters a bearing support, such as a footing under a porch post, doesn't count as an ordinary repair at all.
Which building code applies if I file a permit in Portsmouth before the end of 2026?
Through December 31, 2026, a permit request can use either the older or the updated state building code, and from January 1, 2027, every request has to follow the updated one. If your filing could slip into January, it's worth checking which code your drawings follow before you submit.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Portsmouth, NH?
We price each driveway from a site visit, and the written estimate gives you the number for yours. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored concrete, and a wider or thicker slab with rebar costs more. If you need to trim the budget, cut the finish and keep the base, because nobody sees the base on pour day, and a fancy top on a poorly packed base cracks and settles like the one you're replacing.
What causes concrete driveways and patios to crack or sink?
Most cracking and sinking starts under the slab, where the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settles as the dirt does. Joints cut late or skipped let cracks run wherever they like, and a pour in midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top. We pack the base, plan pours away from the midday heat and cut the joints on time, and while any slab can still crack, those joints give it a place to do it.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?
You're usually off a new driveway for several days, walking on it well before you can drive on it, and I'll give you the dates for your slab before we pour. That wait is curing, the time concrete needs to harden and gain strength, and driving on it early is how a good slab gets marked or cracked, so on a tight Portsmouth lot, plan where the cars will go in the meantime.
Do I need city approval if the concrete truck has to use the sidewalk in front of my Portsmouth house?
Yes, using a city sidewalk or other public way for building repairs or permitted construction first needs an application through the Inspection Department. On tight downtown lots where the truck or pump can't get off the street, we plan for that before we set the pour date so nobody's waiting on it.
Call about your Portsmouth concrete project today
Our hours run until 11 PM on weekdays and 9 PM on weekends, so call (603) 956-1034 after work or send the estimate form with your address and a few lines about the job.