Concrete contractor in Newark, NJ - driveways, walks and steps on a solid base
Premium Hoboken Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Hoboken, and we take jobs across Newark, replacing driveways, sidewalks, stoops, patios and garage slabs and cutting into old concrete when a job needs it.
Older houses, tight lots and a lot of stoops
Newark is a big city, and our jobs take us all over it, from the two- and three-family houses in North Ward neighborhoods like Forest Hill and Roseville to rowhouses and small mixed buildings near Downtown with a shop on the ground floor and apartments upstairs. A lot of it looks like what we work on next door in East Orange and across the Passaic in Harrison. The houses sit close together, a stoop drops to the sidewalk, and out back there's a narrow drive or a small concrete yard.
That shapes the job before we pour anything. Old concrete here has usually been patched more than once and often sits on fill nobody packed, and on a tight lot the tear-out goes by hand and wheelbarrow while the truck waits at the curb. So what's underneath and how we get to it decide more of the work than the size of the slab.
What working in Newark means for your job
In Newark the permit is the city's call, and its building department issues permits for building work on houses and commercial buildings alike. Because the state wants raised seals on plans, the city takes online applications only for tank removals, and everything else goes in at the office, so I build that trip into the schedule. I check with the city on what your job calls for, we pull the permits that fall to us, and I tell you early if plans or another approval have to come first. The city also requires every business working inside its limits to hold a city business license, and it won't issue one without a current Trade Waste permit renewed each year, so it's fair to ask any contractor about both.
Once the paperwork's settled, we work the way we do in Union City and back home in Hoboken. A concrete truck can't sit long on a narrow, busy block, so I plan where it parks and how the concrete gets from the chute to the back of the lot. The price moves with how much old concrete comes out, how hard the site is to reach, how much base the ground needs, how big and thick the slab is and the finish you pick. The schedule turns mostly on the permit and the cure, and the estimate is where you get your own number.
Our concrete work in Newark
- 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 concrete and tight lots need more groundwork
A lot of what we replace in Newark is old: stoops pulling away from the house, sidewalk squares heaved up by roots, and backyard slabs patched so many times nobody knows what's under them. When we take one out, I want to see what it sat on, because that usually tells me why it failed. Then we dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the new slab rests on, instead of pouring fresh concrete over the same problem, and we set rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it cracks, where it has to carry weight.
On a two- or three-family house the cost is often split between owners, and the first thing people want to cut is the base, since nobody sees it on day one. I'd rather keep the full base and go with a broom finish, a light swept texture that keeps the slab from getting slick, than put stamped concrete on ground that's going to move. A good base is the one thing you can't add later.
Get a free on-site concrete estimate in Newark
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out to your Newark property myself, look the site over, ask plenty of questions and give you a free estimate. There's no obligation.
How a concrete job runs when you call us in Newark
Call or send the form
Call (201) 502-5351 or send the form with a few lines about the job. We'll set a time for me to come look.
I walk the site with you
I look at the old concrete, where the water runs and how a truck gets in, and I ask a lot of questions. Then you get your estimate.
We line up the permits
Once you say go, we check with the city and pull the permits that fall to us. Most Newark applications go in at the office rather than online, so I plan the start date around that.
Dig out and pack the base
Our crew lead takes over on site, breaks out the old slab, digs to firm ground and packs the base in layers. We slope it away from the house and plan the pour for the cooler part of the day, because concrete that bakes in midday heat ends up weak and dusty on top.
Pour, cure and clean up
We pour, finish and cut the control joints, then leave the slab to cure, the wait while it gains strength. The crew cleans up, and I tell you when you can walk on it and when the car can go back.
Driveways, walks and patios
Newark concrete questions we hear most
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or sidewalk in Newark?
It can need one, so I check with the city before we set a date. Older state guidance says minor work, a category the state code rules define, needs a construction permit, while ordinary maintenance doesn't, though all work still has to meet code. For the current rules on your job, the city's building department is the place to ask, and we pull the permits that fall to us.
Can I apply for a building permit online in Newark?
For most jobs, no. Because the state requires raised seals on plans, Newark currently takes online applications only for tank removal permits, and everything else has to be brought into the office. Under older state guidance, minor work can start before the permit is issued once notice goes to the local code office, and that notice can be spoken, written or emailed.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Newark?
Your price comes from what I see on site, and the free estimate gives you that number. The tear-out and the base usually move it most, since an old slab over loose fill means more digging and more stone. Next come access on a tight lot, the size and thickness of the slab, any steel it needs and whether you want a plain broom finish or something decorative.
How long does new concrete need to cure before I can drive on it?
Usually you can walk on it after a few days, and the car waits longer, and I'll tell you the wait for your slab before we pour. Curing is the time the concrete spends gaining strength, and putting weight on it too soon is how edges chip and corners break. On a Newark block that often means parking on the street for a stretch, so plan for it.
Will a new concrete slab in Newark crack like the old one did?
It can still crack, because concrete shrinks as it dries, but it shouldn't break up and sink the way old slabs over loose fill do. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give a crack a straight line to follow, so it shows up where we chose. We cut them soon after the pour, because joints cut late or skipped are how cracks end up wandering across the middle.
What causes concrete sidewalks and driveways to sink in older Newark neighborhoods?
Most of the time it's what's underneath, not the concrete itself. A slab poured over dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed settles as that dirt does, and water running under it from a downspout or a slope toward the house speeds that up. When we replace one, we dig to firm ground, pack the base and pitch the top so water runs away.
Tell us about your Newark concrete job
Call (201) 502-5351, open until 11 PM weekdays and 9 PM weekends, or send the form tonight with a few words about the job.