Concrete Contractor in Nashua, NH - Driveways and Patios Built on a Solid Base
R&S Manchester Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Manchester, NH. We pour driveways, patios, walks, steps and slabs for homes in Nashua, with our own crew and me on site.
Nashua: river city, water to plan around
Nashua sits where the Nashua and Merrimack Rivers meet, and with the old canal, the brooks and the ponds, water is never far from a job here. We come down from Manchester for everything from tired front walks at older homes near downtown to two-car driveways and backyard patios in the newer neighborhoods farther out. It's the same kind of work we do in Amherst and Windham.
That water shapes the job more than the house does. On a lot that stays wet after a storm, the soft ground comes out before any concrete goes in, and the slab gets pitched away from the house, because concrete follows whatever it's sitting on.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Concrete jobs we take on in Nashua
Concrete driveway building
Many Nashua driveways sink or puddle because what's under them was never prepared right. We rebuild the base and pitch the new slab away from the house.
Concrete patio construction
Backyards near the brooks and ponds can stay wet into spring, so a patio has to shed water. We check where runoff goes before we set the forms.
Concrete sidewalk building
Front walks on older Nashua homes heave and crack into trip edges. We tear them out and pour a new concrete sidewalk on a packed base.
Concrete steps construction
Old front steps tend to pull away from the house as the ground under them settles. We rebuild them on proper footings so each step sits even.
Garage floor concrete
Older detached garages often have cracked, pitted floors pitched the wrong way. We break out the old slab and pour a new one that drains toward the door.
Concrete retaining walls
Sloped yards near the water can wash out where a bank isn't held back. We build concrete walls on footings and give water behind them a way out.
Working in Nashua: permits, access and the pour
Permits in Nashua go through the city's Department of Building Safety, which reviews permit applications and inspects the work it permits. Before any job here, we check with that office and help you gather what it asks for. If a permit is needed, we either handle it or walk you through it, depending on whose name the office wants on the application. Any review has to come before the pour, so that check goes first on the schedule. After that the schedule turns on the weather and on curing, the days a new slab spends hardening before it can take weight. We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to see proof before we start.
Access is the next thing I look at, because a lot of Nashua's older streets have tight lots and short driveways where a mixer truck can't back up to the forms. On those jobs we pump the concrete through a hose or wheel it in. That, along with the size of the slab, how much old concrete comes out and the finish you pick, is what moves the price, and I write all of it into your estimate so you see what you're paying for. Our crew does the same work in Londonderry and up in Auburn, and I'm on site with them.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Nashua concrete job
Fill out the form or call (603) 314-3764, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to Nashua myself, walk the property with you and write up what the job includes. There's no obligation to book.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Ideas for your Nashua concrete project
Nashua concrete questions, answered
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete driveway or patio in Nashua, NH?
Check with the city's building department before you pour, because whether a permit applies depends on your job, and we make that check with you before any work starts. The department reviews permits for work like building an addition, altering a structure, or demolishing or moving one. If your job needs one, the application asks for a plot plan drawn to scale or a site plan, and we'll help you put that together.
Do I need a permit for a shed slab in Nashua?
The shed itself needs a Land Use Permit from the city at any size, though a shed under 200 square feet needs no building permit. That application includes a plot plan showing where the shed will sit, so settle on the spot before we form the slab. Tell me the shed's size when you call, and I'll plan the slab around it.
How do I get a permit for a slab or foundation in a Nashua flood zone?
If the structure sits in the flood hazard zone, an Elevation Certificate has to be completed before the city will issue the building permit, so plan for that step up front. On the city's flood map, any zone starting with an "A" has a 1% chance of flooding in a given year. Flooding can also happen outside those zones because of local drainage problems, which is why I look at where water collects on your lot during the estimate.
Which building codes apply to concrete work in Nashua, NH?
Nashua follows the New Hampshire State Building Code, which applies statewide and uses the 2024 International codes, including the residential code, with state amendments. Through December 31, 2026, a permit request can follow either the 2021 or the 2024 codes, and starting January 1, 2027, every permit request follows the 2024 list. Any changes Nashua makes on its own are limited to administrative matters.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Nashua?
What a Nashua driveway costs comes down mostly to how much has to be dug out and rebuilt underneath, so I price it on your property instead of guessing over the phone. If the budget's tight, I'd go with a plain broom finish before I'd skimp below the slab. A broom finish is the light brushed texture that gives shoes and tires grip. Nobody sees the base on day one, but it decides whether the driveway sinks, the same way prep on a restaurant line decides the plate and plating is the quick part.
What causes concrete driveways and patios in Nashua to crack and sink?
Most cracking and sinking starts under the slab, where a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed settles with the dirt and takes the concrete down with it. Water running toward the house adds to it. So does a pour in midday heat, which leaves a weak, dusty top, and so do control joints, the grooves that give a slab a straight line to crack along, when they're cut late or skipped. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pour early in the day and cut the joints on time, so any crack has a joint to follow.