Sterling Auburn ConcreteSterling Auburn Concrete

Concrete contractor in Auburn, ME - driveways and slabs built to sit flat

Sterling Auburn Concrete is a concrete contractor based in Auburn, Maine. We pour driveways, patios, garage floors and foundations across the city, and most of our time goes into the base under each slab.

Request a quote(207) 707-4423
New concrete driveway leads to an open garage, bordered by a lawn and autumn landscaping.
  • Licensed and fully insured.
  • Free on-site estimates.
  • Replies within 1 business day.

About Auburn, ME

Auburn is where we're based, and the concrete work here comes in two kinds. Close to downtown we see older houses with narrow driveways, worn walks and front steps that have been patched more times than anyone can remember. Further out the lots open up, with long driveways, detached garages and the odd barn that needs a floor, which is how I started out, pouring a barn floor on my family's farm.

A lot of our calls also come from next door in Lewiston, where the houses and the ground look much the same. On both sides the ground freezes hard and thaws wet, so every job we do starts with what goes under the slab.

Services in Auburn, ME

  • Concrete driveway building

    Most cracked driveways here sit on a thin base that heaved with the frost. When we do concrete driveway building, we dig that base out and pack a proper one first.

  • Garage floor concrete

    Older garages here often have a floor that's cracked, sunk or holding puddles of snowmelt. We break it out, fix the base and pour a slab that drains toward the door.

  • Concrete steps construction

    Front steps on Auburn's older houses take years of salt, shovels and frost, and the edges usually go first. We tear out the old set and pour new steps on solid footings.

  • Concrete footings

    Builders and homeowners adding a garage or an addition on Auburn's bigger lots need footings, the concrete feet that carry weight to firm ground. We dig, form and pour them to the plan.

  • Concrete patio construction

    Plenty of Auburn backyards have a patch that turns to mud every spring. We grade it so water runs away from the house, then pour a patio slab on a packed base.

  • Concrete cutting

    Old basements and garages here often need a doorway, a drain line or a damaged section cut out. We saw-cut it clean and straight so the rest of the slab stays sound.

Permits, price and timing for concrete work in Auburn

In Auburn, permits for concrete work go through two city departments, Permitting and Code Enforcement and Public Works, and which ones your job needs is their call, not mine. Before I book a job here I check with them, and when a permit is called for, we handle the application, so your pour date gets set around their answer. Business licenses in the city go through the City Clerk's Office, and we're licensed and fully insured.

Most of the price sits in work you never see once the job's done. How much old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how deep the soft ground goes, how big and thick the slab is and how close a truck can back up all move the number, and a long driveway on a rural lot like the ones we pour out in Turner or Poland adds up differently from a short one near downtown. The weather and the curing, the days new concrete needs to gain strength before you load it, set the rest of the timeline, and my written estimate gives you the figure for your own job.

Auburn, ME properties and local conditions

Auburn ground freezes hard every winter and goes soft every spring, and that's what wrecked most of the slabs we tear out here. When the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, holds water, it swells as it freezes and lifts the concrete, then drops it unevenly in mud season, which is how you end up with a driveway that rocks, a walk with a lip on it or a patio tipping toward the house. So we dig out the soft stuff, pack the base in layers and check where the water will run before a single form goes in.

The older houses closer to downtown bring their own trouble. Walks and steps there have often settled toward the foundation, so rain and snowmelt run straight at the basement wall. When we replace them we slope the new concrete away from the house, because a slab that sends water to your foundation is one you end up paying for twice.

Get a free on-site estimate for your Auburn concrete job

Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time, and I'll come out to your Auburn property myself to look at the job. The estimate is free, it's done on site, and there's no obligation to book.

How a concrete job goes when you call us in Auburn

  1. Call or send the form

    Call (207) 707-4423 or use the form, tell us what you've got, and we'll set a time for me to come out to your place in Auburn. It helps if you're home, because I'll want to hear how you use the driveway or patio.

  2. I measure and write it up

    I look at the old concrete, measure, check where the water runs and ask what the slab has to carry, whether that's a pickup, a boat trailer or a grill. You get a written estimate showing what the job needs, so you're not guessing at the number.

  3. Permits checked, base built first

    Once you say go, we check what the city needs for the job and set a pour date that suits the work and the weather. The base gets dug out and packed before any concrete truck shows up.

  4. We pour, cure and walk it

    I lead the crew through the pour and the finish, we cut the joints, and the slab cures properly before you put weight on it. Before we pack up, I walk the finished job with you.

Frequently asked questions

Which city office takes my permit application for a concrete job in Auburn, ME?

Building permit applications go to the city's Permitting and Code Enforcement department, and applications for drive entrances, fill, excavation and storm water drainage connections go to Public Works. Both are listed on the city's permits page, and a completed paper application goes back to the right department at Auburn Hall, 60 Court Street. Either department can tell you which permits your project needs.

Does Maine's building code apply to a foundation or slab for my house in Auburn?

Yes, Maine's statewide building and energy code applies to all buildings constructed or renovated in the state, no matter how big the city is, so a foundation or house slab that's part of a new or renovated building falls under it. The state sends code questions to your local code office, which in Auburn means starting with Permitting and Code Enforcement. For new low-rise homes, the code's standards also include one on radon control options, which matters to anyone pouring a house slab.

How do I spot a fake permit invoice from the City of Auburn?

An emailed invoice that asks you to wire money for a permit, an application or an inspection is a scam, because the city says it asks no one to wire funds and wants people to ignore those instructions. Real permit fees can be paid through the city's SmartGov portal, where you can also see applications and inspection results. If something looks off, check it there or call the department before you pay anything.

What makes a concrete driveway in Auburn cost more or less?

The base and the finish are the two big choices you control, and if something has to give, cut the finish and keep the base. A plain broom finish, the light texture that gives tires and boots grip on ice, costs less than stamped or colored work, while skimping on digging and packing saves money on day one and usually shows up as cracks a few winters later. I put every piece of it in writing after I've seen your site.

Will a new concrete slab in Auburn crack like my old one did?

Concrete cracks a little no matter who pours it, so the real question is where, and we decide that ahead of time. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, while the concrete is still young, and we add rebar, steel bars that hold the pieces together, where a slab needs it. Your old one most likely cracked because its base moved or its joints were cut late or skipped, and that's the part we fix first.

How long does a new concrete driveway take before I can drive on it?

You can usually walk on new concrete after a day or two and drive a car on it after about a week, longer for heavy trucks or in cold weather. Curing, the slow hardening after the pour, goes wrong if the slab dries too fast or freezes, which is why we're picky about pour dates in Auburn's spring and fall. I'll give you both dates for your slab on the day we pour.

Service areas

Explore the services

Auburn, ME

Get your Auburn concrete job on the list

The ground here only lets us dig and pour for part of the year, so call (207) 707-4423 or send the form now and your base goes in while the weather's on your side.

Request a quote(207) 707-4423
(207) 707-4423Request a quote