Concrete Contractor in Dundas, ON

Concrete work we do in Dundas

We pour exterior flatwork for homes across Dundas, from the driveway at the curb to the patio out back. The work covers:

• Concrete driveways: new pours and replacements, built on a compacted granular base with the steel reinforcement a driveable slab needs.
• Walkways and paths: front walks, side paths, and the tight runs between a century home and the lot line down in the King and Sydenham core.
• Patios and slabs: backyard patios, garage and shed pads, and slabs on grade.
• Steps and porches: poured steps and landings, footed down past the frost line, with the guards and handrails the Building Code calls for on a raised entry.

we handle the pour. The Hammer Construction is licensed and insured, and we book the locates and confirm the grading before any base goes in. Every job starts with a free on-site quote, where we walk the lot, look at the slope and the access, and tell you straight what the pour involves. If your project leans toward pavers instead of poured concrete, we also lay interlock and patios, and we handle the excavation when a job needs the ground opened up and graded before the forms go in.

Do you need a permit for concrete in Dundas?

For most exterior concrete, no. At-grade flatwork, a walkway, a patio, a driveway, or a slab on grade, generally needs no building permit in Dundas. What still applies is the zoning side: setbacks off the lot lines, lot-coverage limits, and grading that moves water the right way. We confirm all of that with the City before we form anything, so there are no surprises after the pour.

A few things change that. Before we dig the base, the buried utilities have to be marked, so we book the locate request through Ontario One CallIt's free, and it's the law for anyone breaking ground in Ontario, a homeowner or a contractor, a single post hole or a full driveway. If you're putting in a new or widened driveway, a new entrance onto the road can need the City's sign-off, so we check that too.

Steps and porches are where Dundas's slope comes in. This is the Valley Town, and a lot of houses sit up off the street with a raised front entry and a run of steps to reach it. Two Building Code rules kick in there. Raised steps and porches need footings down to the frost line, about 1.2 m (4 ft) in this area, so they don't heave and pull away from the house over winter. And once the walking surface sits more than 0.6 m (24 inches) above grade, the Code requires guards and handrailsOn the steeper lots toward Sydenham Hill that threshold gets crossed fast, so we build the entry to meet it from the start.

Concrete that survives Ontario winters

Dundas concrete takes a beating that a slab in a milder climate never sees. The ground freezes and thaws over and over through the winter, and the road salt that keeps the hills drivable gets tracked and splashed onto every driveway and walk. Concrete that isn't mixed and finished for that will scale, spall, and crack within a few seasons. So we pour to the spec that actually holds up here.

For exterior flatwork exposed to freeze-thaw and de-icing salt, that means air-entrained concrete, 5 to 7 percent air, CSA Class C-2, around 32 MPa, with a low water-cement ratio. The air gives the water somewhere to go when it freezes, which is what stops the surface from popping off. We cut control joints no more than 2.5 m apart, about a quarter of the slab's depth, so the concrete cracks down in the joints where you won't see it instead of wandering across the surface. Anything driveable gets rebar or mesh for strength, and the whole slab goes on a compacted granular base so it's supported evenly from underneath.

Then we let it cure properly instead of rushing the forms off. Concrete gains its strength over days, not hours, and a slab that's cured right stands up to salt and frost far better than one that wasn't. Get the base, the mix, the joints, and the cure right, and a Dundas driveway or walk will take the winters for the long haul.

What working with us looks like

Here's how a concrete job runs with our crew:

1. Free quote. Send your details through the contact form, or call or text (647) 424-1148. We come out, walk the lot, and look at the slope, the access, and what's going where.
2. Layout and confirm. We lock the layout, confirm the setbacks and grading with the City, and book the Ontario One Call locates before we open the ground.
3. Base and forms. We excavate, lay and compact the granular base, set the forms, and add the rebar or mesh the slab needs.
4. Pour and finish. We place the air-entrained mix, finish the surface, and cut the control joints at the right spacing.
5. Cure and clean-up. We cure the slab, strip the forms, and leave the site clean, not a rutted lawn for you to deal with after.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or walkway in Dundas?

Usually not. At-grade flatwork like a driveway, walkway, or patio generally needs no building permit, though setback, lot-coverage, and grading rules still apply. A new or widened driveway entrance onto the road can need the City's OK, and any dig needs locates first. We confirm the permit and entrance side with the City before we start.

When do concrete steps or a porch need guards and footings?

Once the walking surface sits more than 0.6 m (about 24 inches) above grade, the Building Code requires guards and handrails. Raised steps and porches also need footings down to the frost line, about 1.2 m (4 ft) here, so they don't heave. On Dundas's sloped lots a raised entry crosses that height easily, so we build it to Code from the footing up.

What kind of concrete holds up to Ontario winters and road salt?

Exterior flatwork here should be air-entrained, 5 to 7 percent air, CSA Class C-2, around 32 MPa, on a compacted granular base, with control joints no more than 2.5 m apart. The entrained air and a proper cure are what keep salt and freeze-thaw from scaling the surface. We pour that spec on every exterior slab.

Will my Dundas concrete job need a conservation authority permit?

It can, depending on where your lot sits. Spencer Creek and the steep escarpment slopes put parts of Dundas inside Hamilton Conservation Authority regulated areas, and under Ontario Regulation 41/24 you need a permit before site alteration near a watercourse, floodplain, or steep slope. If your lot is close to those features, we check with the HCA and confirm before we break ground.

Can you pour concrete on a sloped or tight Dundas lot?

Yes, that's most of Dundas. We plan the access and the grade around the slope and the tight older backyards in the downtown core, form the slab to drain water away from the house, and stage the work so the pour goes in clean. We talk the access and the falls through with you at the free quote.

Get a free concrete quote in Dundas

Want a straight answer on your concrete? We'll come out, walk the lot, look at the slope and the access, and give you an honest quote with no pressure. The Hammer Construction is local, licensed, and insured, we book the locates and pour to the spec that stands up to Ontario winters and road salt, and we leave the site clean when we're done. Get a free quote through our contact form, or call or text (647) 424-1148.