Concrete contractor in Hoboken, NJ - slabs, stoops and walks built for tight lots
Premium Hoboken Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Hoboken, NJ. We pour and repair steps, sidewalks, patios and garage floors, and we're known for the awkward jobs, like tight backyards, old stoops and cuts inside a finished home.
Hoboken houses sit close, and so does the work
Hoboken is where I started, pouring steps and patching walks for neighbors on weekends, and it's still a big part of what we do. Most of the houses we work on here are older brick rowhouses and brownstones built shoulder to shoulder, with a stoop out front, a short run of sidewalk and a small yard out back, mixed in with newer condo buildings and shops along the busier streets. Up the hill in Union City the lots look a lot alike, so what we learn on one block carries over to the next.
That shapes almost every job here. There's rarely room for a truck at the back of a lot, so yard work usually means carrying or pumping concrete through a hallway or alley, and the old stoops and walks often sit on a base nobody has looked at in decades.
What we deal with on every Hoboken job
Concrete work that needs a permit here goes through Hoboken's Construction Code Office, which issues the permits, enforces the state construction code and does the inspections. Some jobs need zoning, historic or health approvals first, and plans signed and sealed by a New Jersey architect are required for most projects, though on a single-family house you can draw your own plans for your own use, and those steps are usually what stretch a schedule. The city also can't issue a home improvement permit to a contractor who isn't registered with the state, so that's worth asking about when you compare bids. We're fully licensed and insured, and we check with the office on what your job calls for, pull the permits that fall to us and tell you early if plans or another approval have to come first.
Getting concrete to the spot is the first thing I look at, because narrow streets lined with parked cars and backyards with no side access decide where the truck sets up and how far we carry. That access, along with tearing out old concrete, how much base work the ground needs, the size and the finish you pick, is what moves the price, and the schedule turns mostly on city approvals and the cure, the days new concrete needs to gain strength before you load it. My visit and estimate give you the numbers for your job. We meet the same tight blocks next door in Jersey City, and the occasional Hoboken concrete driveway or garage apron gets the same base work as a backyard patio.
Concrete work we do in Hoboken
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Old bases and runoff drive most calls here
A lot of the concrete in Hoboken is decades old, and when a stoop tips, a walk sinks or a slab starts chipping, the cause is usually underneath it. We dig out to the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, pack a new base and set rebar, the steel bars that hold concrete together, in steps and slabs that carry weight. On a stoop tied to an old building we look at how it meets the house too, because patching the front while the back keeps moving only puts the next crack off.
Water is the other half. The city has a whole flood plan it calls Rebuild by Design, and while your patio won't change what the street does in a storm, it can stop sending water toward your foundation. We check where the water runs before we set forms and pitch the slab away from the house.
An on-site estimate for your Hoboken concrete job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out to your Hoboken property myself, look the job over, ask my questions and give you a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
How a Hoboken concrete job goes once you call
Call or send the form
Call (201) 502-5351 or send the form and tell us what's going on, whether it's a sinking walk, a cracked stoop or a new patio. We set up a time for me to come see it.
I look the site over
I come out myself, measure, check how the water runs and ask plenty of questions about how you use the space. Then you get my estimate and the reasons behind each part of it.
We line up city steps
Once you say go, we sort out the city side of the job before anything else. Any approval the city needs has to be in hand before we pour, so that step usually sets the start date.
We dig out and build the base
Our crew lead runs the job from here, starting with tear-out and digging down to firm ground, then packing the base in layers. It's the part you'll never see, and I'd rather spend an extra hour on it than explain later why a slab cracked.
We pour, cure and clean up
We pour, finish and cut control joints, the grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, then let it cure. We tell you when it's safe to walk on and when it can take a car, and we leave the site clean.
Stoops, walks and slabs
Hoboken concrete questions we hear most
How much does a concrete job cost in Hoboken?
Your price comes from the site visit, because in Hoboken access usually moves it more than anything else. A backyard behind a rowhouse can mean carrying or pumping concrete through a hallway or alley, and tearing out old concrete or rebuilding a bad base adds to it. If the budget's tight, I'd go with a plain broom finish, the light texture that gives a wet slab some grip, before I'd cut a corner on the base you'll never see.
Do I need a permit for concrete work in Hoboken?
As a general rule, the city requires a permit for new construction and additions, and for changes that affect how a building is used or the ways out of it. An older state summary lets routine upkeep go ahead with no permit or inspection, though the work still has to meet code. If you're not sure where your job falls, the city's Construction Code Office can help decide, and we check with them before work starts.
How do I check that a concrete contractor is allowed to work in Hoboken?
Ask for their New Jersey home improvement registration, because that's the credential that counts here, not a city license. The state requires anyone in the business of making or selling home improvements to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and state law overrides city rules that license contractors, apart from rules on water, sewer, utilities and land use. Hoboken's own business license types don't include contractors.
Where can I find the flood map for my Hoboken property?
The city says the current flood map for Hoboken is on the FEMA website, and its flood map page points you there. It's worth a look before a new patio or walk goes in. Bring it up when I come out, since it can change how we plan the drainage.
How long does new concrete need to cure before I can walk or drive on it?
Walking on it comes first and driving on it takes longer, because a car puts far more weight on the slab than foot traffic does. Curing is the wait while concrete gains strength, and how long it takes turns on the mix and the slab, so we give you both dates for your job before we leave. Rushing it is how a good slab gets marked or cracked early.
What causes old concrete stoops and sidewalks in Hoboken to crack and sink?
Most of the time it's what's underneath, usually a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or water running under the slab and washing it out. Cracks also show up in odd places when control joints were cut late or skipped. We dig to firm ground, pack the base, pitch the slab so water runs off and cut the joints on time, so a crack, if one comes, lands in the groove.
Tell us about your Hoboken job and your house
A few details about the house and the spot help me plan the visit, so call (201) 502-5351 or send the form.