Concrete Contractor in York, ME - Driveways and Patios That Shed Water
Portsmouth Concrete Works is a concrete contractor based in Portsmouth, NH, and we work in York, Maine, too. Our own crew builds driveways, patios, walkways, steps, garage floors and foundations here, and I'm on site for the pours.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
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Concrete work in York, harbor lots to wooded yards
The short answer: Portsmouth Concrete Works does concrete work all over York, Maine, from our base across the Piscataqua in Portsmouth. We build and replace driveways, patios, walks, steps, garage floors, retaining walls and foundations here, and I come out myself to look at each job before we put a price on it.
York has older houses on the closer-set streets of York Harbor and York Beach and bigger, wooded lots back from the shore. The calls we get here sound a lot like the ones from nearby Kittery and Eliot, such as a driveway that dips at the garage, a walk that has chipped apart or a shed slab cracked in three places.
Plenty of York houses have been added onto over the years, so we often find a newer slab poured against an older one, or a walkway sitting on whatever fill was handy at the time. Lots near the water or a wetland tend to stay wetter underfoot, and some slope toward the house more than you'd notice until it rains. That's why I start every York job by looking at what's under the old concrete and where the water goes, because a new slab only does as well as the ground and drainage we give it.
Why York driveways and patios settle and hold water
Water is the first thing I look for on a York lot. Many properties here sit close to the ocean or a wetland, and a single lot can carry more than one zone at once, with Shoreland, Flood or Watershed laid over the base zone, which shapes what we can dig and how we plan the drainage. A slab that falls toward the house sends water against the foundation, so we set the grade to carry it away and check where it ends up once it leaves the concrete.
The base is the other half. We dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pack the base in layers and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you trim the finish than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but you'll live with what it does for as long as you own the house.
Concrete services we offer York homeowners
Concrete driveway building
When a York driveway has sunk, cracked across the middle or sends water toward the garage, we tear it out, rebuild the base and pour new.
Concrete patio construction
For a patio off an older house, we set the slab to fall away from the foundation so rain runs into the yard, not your basement.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a patio or walk the look of stone or brick, which sits well beside York's older homes, on the same packed base as plain work.
Concrete sidewalk building
A front walk that's heaved or chipped into a tripping hazard comes out, and we pour new with a broom finish, a light texture for grip.
Garage floor concrete
If your garage floor is cracked, stained through or pitched the wrong way, we break it out and pour a new slab that drains toward the door.
Decorative concrete
Colored concrete, or a finish that shows the stone in the mix, dresses up an entry where plain gray feels flat next to the house.
Concrete retaining walls
On a sloped York yard, a concrete retaining wall holds the hill back so you get a flat spot for a patio or parking, with drainage behind it.
Concrete floor installation
We pour interior slabs for basements, workshops and additions, with a packed base and a vapor barrier underneath so ground moisture stays out of the room.
Concrete pool decks
A pool deck around a new or older pool gets a finish with some grip and a pitch that sends splash water away from the pool and the house.
Concrete steps construction
Front steps that have pulled away from the house or crumbled at the edges get rebuilt on footings, with even step heights so nobody catches a toe.
Slab foundation building
For a garage, shed or addition built on a slab, we dig out, pack the base and pour the slab and its thickened edges in one go.
Foundation installation
When you're building new or adding on, we form and pour the foundation walls with rebar, steel bars that keep cracks from spreading, laid out to your plans.
Concrete parking lot building
For a small business lot, rental property or shared drive that sees steady traffic, we pour thicker concrete over a deeper base and plan where runoff goes.
Concrete footings
Decks, porches and additions need footings, the concrete pads under the posts or walls, dug to firm ground so the structure above doesn't shift.
Foundation raising
If an older York house has settled and floors slope or doors stick, we look at what's under it before talking about lifting and supporting the foundation.
Concrete cutting
We saw-cut openings for doors and windows, take out a section of old slab for a drain line and cut clean edges where new concrete meets old.
Get an estimate at your York property
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit to your place in York. I come out myself, walk the spot with you and send a free written estimate, with no pressure to book.
Working in York, from the permit office to the pour
In York, building permits go through the Code Enforcement Office, and whether your driveway, patio or slab needs one is the Town of York's call, not mine. That's why I don't set a pour date until we have the answer, and any review the office does comes ahead of the pour. Before that we check what the office needs and help you pull together the sketches, site plans or drawings it asks for. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm happy to go through any of it with you at the estimate.
We run York jobs the same way we run them in Portsmouth and Exeter, with our own crew and me on site for the pours. What moves the price here is mostly what's under the surface and how hard it is to reach, meaning how much old concrete comes out, how deep we dig for a solid base, whether the truck can back up to the forms on a tight lot, the size and thickness of the slab and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the permit and the season, and the written estimate I send after the visit gives you the number for your own job.
How a York concrete job goes once you call
Here's how a job goes from your first call to a slab you can use, with the permit step placed where it falls for a York lot.
- Step 01
Call or send a message
Call or send the form, and we set up a time for me to come out to your York property. It helps to tell us roughly what you want poured and what's there now.
- Step 02
I walk the site myself
I look at the old concrete, the ground under it and where the water runs, and ask how you'll use the space, so it's best if you can be there. Then I send a written estimate that shows what drives the number, so you can decide without guessing.
- Step 03
Sort permits, pick a date
We settle the permit questions first, and on a Shoreland or flood zone lot we plan around that review from the start. The code office's review time sits ahead of the pour, so we pick the date once it's through, with the season in mind.
- Step 04
Prep, pour, finish, clean up
Our crew digs out and packs the base, and I'm on site for the pour, the finishing and the joint cuts, so you don't need to be home. We clean up before we leave and tell you when you can walk on the new concrete and when you can drive on it.
York concrete questions we hear most
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete patio or driveway in York, Maine?
If your lot is in York's Shoreland Zone or a 100-year flood zone, yes. Any earth moving in the Shoreland Zone needs a permit no matter how small, and that zone covers land within 250 feet of water bodies and wetlands and 75 feet from protected streams. In a flood zone, any man-made change to the property counts as development and needs a permit, and outside those zones the code office is the place to ask.
How do I apply for a building permit in York, ME?
You apply online through the Town of York's OpenGov system, which also takes permit payments and books inspections. The code office works by appointment only, with no walk-in hours, so start online and set up a time if you need to talk with a Code Officer.
How much does a building permit cost for a concrete job in York, Maine?
The Town of York charges $10.00 for every $1000.00 of the project's value, with a $50.00 minimum, and permits in the Shoreland and Flood Zones carry an extra fee. That fee is separate from the concrete work, and the written estimate from the site visit is where you'll see what your own job costs.
What causes a concrete driveway to crack and sink in York?
Most cracked, sunken driveways we open up sat on a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled right along with the dirt. Water running under the edge or toward the house speeds that up, and joints cut late or skipped let cracks land wherever they want. Getting those three things right is the honest answer to whether your new slab will crack like the old one.
How long does it take before I can drive on a new concrete driveway in York?
You can walk on it well before you can drive on it, and I give you both days before we pour so you can plan where to park. That wait is curing, the time the concrete needs to gain strength, and putting a car on it early is how a good slab gets marked or cracked. On a Shoreland or flood zone lot, leave extra lead time ahead of the pour for the permit.
Does a concrete pool deck in York need a permit?
A new swimming pool or hot tub needs a building permit in York, so plan the permit around the pool and ask the code office how the deck fits into it. For a deck on its own, the office decides, and the Shoreland and flood zone rules above still apply if your lot sits in one.
Get your York concrete job started
Our phone at (603) 956-1034 is answered into the evening and on weekends, so call while you're standing at the spot you want poured, or send the request form and we'll take it from there.