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Serving Brookline, MA and surrounding areas. (857) 340-2193
Serving Brookline, MA and surrounding areas. (857) 340-2193
BKL Brookline Concrete serves Somerville homeowners and property owners with concrete contractor services including sidewalk building, driveway replacement, and patio construction on the city's triple-deckers and century-old two-family homes. We pull permits, work in tight city lots, and respond to every inquiry within one business day.
Somerville sidewalks take a beating every winter. Freeze-thaw cycles, tree root pressure from mature street trees, and clay soil movement combine to heave and crack concrete sidewalk slabs in just a few seasons. Our concrete sidewalk building work includes proper base preparation and root barrier when necessary, so the replacement holds up longer than the surface it replaced. We handle the city permit and any required street opening coordination.
Somerville driveways are often shared between two properties or so narrow that only one car fits at a time. Many were originally paved with asphalt or brick and have been patched repeatedly over the decades. A concrete replacement outlasts asphalt by ten years or more in Somerville's freeze-thaw climate, and a properly compacted base eliminates the heaving that causes most driveway failures on this city's clay soil.
Even small Somerville backyards benefit from a poured concrete patio that creates a usable outdoor surface without ongoing maintenance. We design patios for Somerville's tight rear yards in Davis Square and Magoun Square neighborhoods, sloping surfaces away from the foundation to manage drainage on lots where water has limited places to go. On multi-family buildings, patios on the lower unit are one of the most practical exterior upgrades a property owner can make.
Front steps on Somerville's triple-deckers and older two-family homes were often built in the early 1900s and have cracked, settled, or become a tripping hazard over time. We replace failing entry steps with reinforced concrete built to match the existing landing height and riser dimensions. This is one of the most direct safety upgrades available on an older Somerville property, and it visibly improves the street presence of the building.
Somerville's oldest homes still carry original brick or fieldstone foundations, many of which are no longer structurally adequate or no longer meet current code. Foundation replacement on a multi-family property means coordinating work that affects multiple tenants and units. We work through the Somerville Inspectional Services Department permit process and design foundations appropriate for the city's frost depth and clay soil conditions.
Somerville is one of the most densely populated cities in the country, with roughly 80,000 people in just 4.2 square miles. Most of the housing stock was built before 1940, which means foundations, driveways, walkways, and steps on a typical Somerville property are between 80 and 130 years old. That age, combined with the city's density, creates conditions unlike anything a contractor who works primarily in the suburbs will have dealt with.
Somerville averages around 48 inches of snow per year. The freeze-thaw cycle from December through March is the primary driver of concrete failure across the city. Clay-heavy glacial soil throughout the Greater Boston area holds water near foundations and expands when it freezes, pushing concrete slabs up from below. This is why a Somerville driveway or sidewalk that looks fine in October can crack and heave by April.
Somerville's triple-deckers and multi-family homes add a layer of complexity that single-family suburban work does not. Shared driveways, adjoining foundations, tenant-occupied units, and properties with no side clearance all require a contractor who plans carefully and works precisely in confined spaces. Permitting through the Somerville Inspectional Services Department is non-negotiable for structural concrete and sidewalk work.
Our crews pull permits from the Somerville Inspectional Services Department regularly and have worked on properties across the city since the company was founded. We know from experience that Somerville sidewalk work often requires a separate street opening permit from the Department of Public Works when work extends into the public right-of-way, and we handle that coordination so homeowners do not have to navigate two permit offices.
Somerville is a city of neighborhoods with distinct characters. Davis Square's walkable streets have narrow Victorian-era lots where staging space is minimal. Union Square, transformed by the arrival of the Green Line Extension, has a mix of older two- and three-family homes alongside newer development. East Somerville has denser working-class triple-deckers on streets that carry heavy traffic from McGrath Highway and the Sullivan Square area. Near Tufts University, properties mix student rentals with long-term owner-occupied homes.
We also serve neighboring Medford, which borders Somerville to the north, and Cambridge, which borders Somerville to the south. Projects near these city lines can draw on a single crew familiar with all three municipalities' permit processes.
Reach us by phone or the contact form and we respond within one business day. We never quote Somerville projects over the phone — access and base conditions vary too much to estimate remotely.
We visit the property to assess access, soil and base conditions, the existing surface, and drainage. Your written quote covers demolition, permitting fees, materials, and labor, with no items added later.
We file with Somerville Inspectional Services and the DPW if a street opening is required. Permit approval typically takes one to three weeks. You do not need to track the permit status yourself.
On-site work takes two to four days for most residential projects. Restrict foot traffic for 24 to 48 hours and vehicle use for seven days after the pour. We handle the final city inspection and walk you through the finished surface before we leave.
We visit every Somerville site before quoting, handle all permit filings, and work in the tight lots that this city is known for. Responses within one business day.
(857) 340-2193Somerville is a small city of about 80,000 residents packed into 4.2 square miles, making it one of the most densely populated places in the United States. It sits directly north of Cambridge and just two miles from downtown Boston. The Green Line Extension now connects Davis Square and Union Square directly to the MBTA system, making the city more accessible than ever while drawing new residents and investment.
Somerville is defined by its triple-deckers, three-story wood-frame buildings with one unit per floor that were built in large numbers from the 1880s through the 1920s. These buildings make up a large share of the city's housing stock in East Somerville, Magoun Square, and Winter Hill. Davis Square and the areas nearest Cambridge tend to have slightly smaller-scale two-family homes and rowhouses. True single-family detached homes are relatively rare. Most home values in Somerville now exceed $700,000, and long-term owners have strong incentives to maintain their properties well.
Somerville borders Medford to the north and Cambridge to the south. We serve all three cities regularly, which means the same crew that knows the Somerville permit process also understands the differences across the city lines when a project is near either boundary.
New driveway installation built to last through New England winters.
Learn moreCustom concrete patios designed for outdoor living and entertaining.
Learn moreDecorative stamped patterns that mimic stone, brick, or slate at a fraction of the cost.
Learn moreSafe, code-compliant sidewalks poured for residential and commercial properties.
Learn moreDurable garage floor slabs that resist oil, moisture, and heavy loads.
Learn moreStructural retaining walls that prevent erosion and define outdoor spaces.
Learn moreInterior and exterior concrete floor pours for basements, shops, and warehouses.
Learn moreSolid concrete steps and stoops built to the exact dimensions you need.
Learn moreMonolithic and post-tension slab foundations for new construction.
Learn moreCommercial concrete parking lots engineered for heavy traffic and longevity.
Learn moreFoundation lifting and leveling to correct settling and restore structural integrity.
Learn morePrecision cutting for expansion joints, utility access, and demolition work.
Learn moreServing these cities and communities.
Call or send a message and we respond within one business day. We visit every Somerville site before writing a quote.