Yards, Patios and Areaways
Concrete Replacement in South Slope, Brooklyn
Cracked yard slabs, sunken patios and crumbling areaway floors torn out and rebuilt on row house lots between 4th Avenue and the park.
- Old concrete broken out and hauled away
- New base and drainage to shed water
- Free visit and a written price
Which Concrete Fails First on a South Slope Row House Lot?
Usually it is the rear yard slab and the front areaway. Both are small, both sit against the building and both get little drainage. Water settles under the concrete, freezes and lifts it, and cracks open. Once the slab tilts toward the house, water follows it inside.
South Slope lots are narrow and deep. Brick and frame row houses sit on the front line, a small yard sits behind, and the ground rises toward Prospect Park. That slope matters, because water coming downhill collects in the low corner of a yard if the concrete has no pitch of its own.
- Rear yard slabs that tilt toward the house
- Cracked areaway floors below the stoop
- Patios with sunken, ponding corners
- Side walkways with heaved sections
- Garden level entry pads with broken edges
- Old patches that never matched the slab
Many walk up buildings have a shared yard or an alley strip behind them. Those slabs take deliveries and trash bins, and years of that wears them thin.
Slab Cracked or Sinking Behind Your Row House?
Photos of the yard or areaway are enough for us to tell you whether it needs a patch or a new pour.
How Is Old Concrete Replaced in a Tight Yard?
The crew breaks out the old slab by hand or with small equipment, hauls the debris away, rebuilds the base, sets forms and pours new concrete with a pitch that sends water away from the building. Most yard jobs can be done without heavy machinery.
Access is the first question on a row house lot. There is often no driveway or side gate, so material and debris may travel through the building or along a narrow passage. We walk that route at the visit and plan protection for floors and walls. Tell us if you have a finished garden level, because that changes the setup.
The base does most of the work you never see. Loose fill, old rubble or soil washed out by a leak all cause a new slab to settle. We remove what is bad and compact what stays. If water has been getting under the old slab, we look for the source, such as a downspout or a broken drain line, before we pour.
Cold weather sets the calendar. Concrete should not be poured onto frozen ground or left to freeze while it is young, so the best months for yard work on the slope are spring, summer and early fall. If your slab is failing now, we can still do the demolition and base work in a mild spell and pour when the weather allows.
The finish is a matter of choice. A broom finish is a safe surface in wet weather, and a smoother finish suits a patio. We talk it through and note it in the written price.
Where the Water Goes
Drainage and Slope in a South Slope Yard
Slope is the most useful tool we have. A yard that falls a little toward a drain, a downspout line or the alley sheds rain. A yard that is dead flat or leaning toward the wall holds it. Because the neighborhood rises toward Prospect Park, many lots drain in the same direction, and we set the new slab to work with that.
South Slope is inland, and it has no particular flood exposure beyond heavy rain sewer backups. That makes surface drainage more important, not less. When a storm fills the sewer, water that cannot leave your yard quickly stays close to your foundation wall.
Areaways under the stoop are a special case. They are small and deep, with a drain that clogs. We check the drain, clear it and pitch the floor toward it.
Does Replacing Concrete in South Slope Need a Permit?
Work entirely on your private lot, such as a rear yard slab, generally does not need the DOT sidewalk permit. Work on the public sidewalk does. Structural work and changes to walls can need Department of Buildings permits, so confirm with the city before starting.
If your job runs from the yard to the sidewalk, we split the scope. The public part gets the DOT permit, which we file. The private part follows the rules for your lot. The estimate lists both so you can see what is being done where.
Sidewalk flags in front of your building are your responsibility too, and a cracked front slab often means a cracked sidewalk. If DOT has cited the sidewalk, read our notes on getting a violation cleared before you plan the rest of the work.
Reinforcement is another item that shows up in the price. Wire mesh or rebar helps hold a slab together over soil that moves, and we recommend it where the ground is soft or the slab will carry weight, such as a shared yard used for bins or a rear entrance used by a delivery cart.
We do not use one plan for every lot. A shallow patio behind a two family house is not the same as a shared yard behind a walk up with a boiler room door. We look at each one.
Why Us
What South Slope Owners Get from Us
Experience with tight lots
After 25+ years in NYC we have worked in yards with no gate and no room to spare.
Permits handled
We take care of the DOT sidewalk permit and any DOB permit the job calls for.
Plain explanations
You get a written price that lists demolition, base, drainage and finish as separate items.
Nearby
Concrete Replacement Near South Slope
We pour and replace concrete in the neighboring parts of Brooklyn as well.
FAQ
South Slope Concrete Questions
Look for cracks wider than a pencil line, sections that have sunk or heaved and water that pools near the wall. If the surface flakes and the base is soft, patching will not last.
Yes. We move materials and debris through the building or along whatever passage exists, and we protect the floors and walls on the way.
Yes. Pitching the slab and connecting it to a drain, downspout line or alley is a normal part of the job.
Many small yard jobs move faster than a sidewalk replacement because no DOT permit is needed for private work. Curing time still applies. The schedule is part of the written price.
Yes. We rebuild the floor, pitch it to the drain and check the drain line before we pour.
Yes. Call (718) 468-8803 to book a free look at your South Slope slab, walkway or areaway, with the price put in writing.
Free on site estimate
Rebuild Your South Slope Concrete
A free visit, a written price and concrete that drains away from your house.
Contact
Send Us Your South Slope Concrete Details
Describe the yard, patio or areaway and how we would reach it. Photos help us plan the visit.
- Call us(718) 468-8803
- HoursMon to Sat, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Free on site estimate with a written price
- Licensed and insured, 25+ years in business
- We handle DOT sidewalk permits
- Serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx
Get Your Free Estimate
Takes about a minute. No cost and no obligation.