Concrete contractor in Rutherford, NJ - solid slabs for older homes and tight lots
Premium Hoboken Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Hoboken that takes jobs up in Rutherford, pouring driveways, patios, walks, steps and garage floors, and replacing old slabs that have cracked, sunk or started holding water.
Rutherford's older houses sit close on narrow lots
The Borough of Rutherford is mostly older single-family and two-family houses on tree-lined streets, with a small downtown of shops and apartments around Borough Hall. Coming up from the cities we work in down by the river, it feels quieter and more settled, a lot like North Arlington a short drive south. Front stoops, side walks, long driveways and detached garages out back are what we're usually called to look at here.
The lots are narrow and the houses sit close, so on a lot of jobs the first question is how we get concrete to the back of the lot without crossing your neighbor's walk.
Working in Rutherford: permits, price and timing
Permits in Rutherford come from the borough's building department, the Building & Zoning office in Borough Hall, which you can reach at (201) 460-3010 or permit@rutherfordboronj.com. A building permit is generally needed to build, alter, repair or remove a structure, and the borough handles the building, grading and trade permits as one package, so on that kind of job the permit sets the start date, not us. We check with the office on what your job calls for, pull the permits that fall to us and tell you early if drawings or another approval has to come first, and we're fully licensed and insured.
We work out of Hoboken and take jobs across the cities around it, from Jersey City out to Kearny and up to Rutherford. What moves the price on a job here is mostly its size, how much old concrete has to come out and how deep we dig before we hit firm ground. The schedule turns on the borough's approval and on curing, the wait while fresh concrete hardens before you can put weight on it, and your own figure comes from the estimate I do at your house.
Concrete work we do in Rutherford
- 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
Older slabs here usually fail from underneath
A lot of the walks, stoops and garage floors here have been down for decades, and when they sink or split it's usually the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, that gave out because it was raked level and never dug out and packed. That base is the part nobody sees on day one and the first thing people want to cut when the budget gets tight. It's the last place I'll cut, because a nice finish on a soft base cracks just the same.
We also get calls here from owners adding a room, rebuilding a back porch or putting up a new garage, and those jobs start with footings and a foundation that have to be right before anything sits on them. Our foundation installation work covers that part, and it's the kind of job where a building permit generally comes into it.
Get a free estimate for your Rutherford concrete job
We get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out to your house in Rutherford myself, look the site over, ask plenty of questions and give you a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
What happens when you call us about a Rutherford job
Call or send the form
Call (201) 502-5351 or fill in the form with a few lines about the job, and a photo if you have one. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
Walk the site with me
I look at the old concrete, the ground, where the water runs and how a truck gets in, and I ask a lot of questions about how you use the space. Then you get an estimate for the work, with the reasons behind it.
Line up the borough approvals
We pull the permits that fall to us, and the borough says applications for patios, retaining walls and similar yard work need a survey of your property, so dig yours out if you have one. The building department can take up to 20 business days after a complete submittal, though it's usually less, and work starts once the permit is approved, paid for and issued.
Dig, form and pour
Our crew digs out to firm ground, packs the base and sets the forms, and we plan the pour for the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't dry too fast and turn weak and dusty. Rebar, steel bars tied in a grid inside the slab, goes in where the slab has to carry weight.
Cure, clean up, hand over
Our crew lead runs the job through cleanup and tells you when it's safe to walk on and when to drive on, because curing is a slow wait while the concrete gains strength. Driving on it too early is how a new driveway picks up its first cracks.
Driveways, patios, walks and steps
Rutherford concrete questions, answered
Do I need a permit for a concrete patio or shed slab in Rutherford?
Yes, a patio needs a zoning permit under the borough's building permits and zoning FAQ, and all your hard surfaces together, patio, driveway and walks, are held to 25% of the lot. A shed up to 200 square feet needs only a zoning permit unless it needs a slab, so ask Building & Zoning what a slab adds. We measure your lot against that 25% at the estimate, before you pick a size.
Does a concrete retaining wall in Rutherford need a building permit?
Only once it's over 3 feet tall, the borough's FAQ says, and then it needs a building permit plus a detailed drawing of how the wall will be built. A wall under 3 feet needs a zoning permit only. A taller wall holds back a lot of soil and water, so we plan the footing and the drainage behind it before the drawing gets made.
How do I book a building inspection for concrete work in Rutherford?
Call the Construction Department at (201) 460-3010, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., at least 48 hours before you want the inspection. They do inspections within three business days of the time you ask for unless they tell you otherwise. We book early enough that the crew isn't left waiting on it.
Who issues dumpster permits in Rutherford for a concrete tear-out?
The borough's Clerk's Office issues dumpster and POD permits, and street opening permits too. Old concrete is heavy and bulky, so a dumpster at the curb is common on a tear-out. We sort out at the estimate whether you'll need one and who pulls it.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Rutherford, NJ?
Your price comes from the estimate at your house, because a driveway here is priced on how we reach it as much as on its size. A narrow side driveway running back to a garage can mean pumping or wheeling the concrete in instead of pouring straight off the truck, and that adds crew time. A broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and shoes grip, costs less than stamped or colored concrete.
Will my new concrete slab crack like the old one did?
It can still crack, because concrete shrinks as it hardens, but we cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell it where to crack, so any lines run straight and stay tight. The wide cracks and the sinking come from a soft base or water sitting under the slab, so we pack the base and set the slab to fall away from your house.
Call us about your Rutherford concrete job today
Call (201) 502-5351 or send the form, because what decides how your slab holds up is in the ground, and I'd like to see it.