Need a doorway in a concrete wall or a strip of driveway taken out? We cut it straight and wet, with much less dust.
Concrete cutting in Portsmouth uses diamond-blade saws to make straight, controlled cuts in concrete. That might be a section of driveway or sidewalk, or a new door or window opening in a concrete or masonry wall.
Most calls start with something that has to change. A cracked or sunken piece of driveway has to come out before new concrete goes in, a walkway needs a clean edge, or you want a doorway through a garage or block wall. Each of those is a different cut. Part of my job at the estimate is telling you which method fits and why.
The price mostly follows what we're cutting, how thick it is and how much of it there is. The schedule mostly turns on whether a permit is needed, because a cut through a wall waits until that question is settled. Your estimate gives you the method and the price for your own job, so you're not guessing.
Tell us what needs cutting and where, and we'll set a time for me to see it. A few photos of the surface help me come out with the right questions.
I come out myself, ask how you'll use the opening or the space, and mark the cut lines with you, along with anything set inside the concrete near them. Your estimate tells you which saw we'll use, where we'll hook up water and power, and the price.
If a cut goes through a wall, I sort out the permit question before we schedule the saw. When a permit is needed, we pull it and book the inspections ourselves.
Our crew makes the cuts with me on site, and we leave the area the way we agreed at the estimate. Then I walk the finished work with you so you can check every line.
The surface decides the saw. For a driveway, sidewalk or floor, we use a walk-behind saw. For a wall opening, we bolt a rail to the wall and run a track-mounted saw along it, so the cut stays straight on a vertical face. A walk-behind blade only reaches so deep, so thick sections take more than one pass or a different method, and I'll tell you which at the estimate.
Work at the street end of a driveway or along a sidewalk can reach into the city's right-of-way, and digging or changing anything there needs the city's permission first. If it isn't clear whether a driveway, patio or slab cut needs a permit, we check with the city before work starts. You're also welcome to call Portsmouth's Permits & Inspections office at 757-393-8531, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. We do this same work across Portsmouth and in many of the cities around it.
The cuts we're asked for most often:
If one corner of a driveway or patio has cracked or sunk and the rest is sound, cutting that section out along clean lines and pouring new is usually the better buy. Sometimes the cracking runs across the whole slab, or the base under it has settled. The base is what the slab sits on. In that case I'll tell you plainly that a new concrete driveway or a new concrete patio is the honest answer, because a patch on bad ground tends to crack along the old lines.
A cut through a wall usually costs more than a cut across a slab, because the track saw has to be set up on its rail first. Some things add time. That includes thick concrete that needs more than one pass, and rebar, the steel set inside to hold it together. Long runs of cut and tight spots the saw can't reach easily add time too. Cleanup counts as well, so the plan for the slurry, the wet waste from cutting, and for hauling broken pieces away both show up in the price.
I learned concrete on a municipal crew, pouring sidewalks, curbs and steps to city standards. I started Advantage Portsmouth Concrete in 2013 to bring that same discipline to homes. On a cutting job, that means we protect what's around the cut, keep to the time we set with you and clean up the way we agreed.
I'd rather explain something twice than have you surprised later. Before we start, I'll tell you why we chose the saw, where the water goes and what the finished cut will look like. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. If that sounds like the right way to do it, please call (757) 731-7248.
Please have the surface type, where the cut goes, its rough size and a few photos ready, so we know what to bring.
Tell us what needs cutting and where, with photos if you have them. We reply within one business day, and I come out to give you a free estimate, with no pressure to book.
Yes. Portsmouth requires a building permit to alter a structure, and that includes cutting away any wall or cutting a structural beam. The city highly recommends that the contractor get the permit, since whoever gets it is responsible for the work and for scheduling inspections. A homeowner who pulls it for a contractor's work has to complete a notarized affidavit first. That's why we pull it ourselves.
Ask for wet cutting. OSHA says putting water on the blade when cutting concrete, brick or block substantially reduces the dust it makes. We cut wet whenever we can, and it's the first thing I'd ask any crew about.
Handheld core drilling is usually limited to openings no larger than 6 inches in diameter. The gear for bigger bits isn't standard equipment. If you need a larger round opening, please tell us the size when you call so we can plan the right method.
Settle it before the crew arrives. One industry spec for flat sawing puts proper disposal on the owner or contracting agency, and says collection and disposal should be agreed before work begins. I go over who handles it with you at the estimate, so nobody is sorting it out with a wet driveway in front of them.
There isn't one set price, because each cut is priced after I've seen it in person. The surface, the depth and the cleanup described in the cost section above all move the number. Your estimate gives you the price for your own cut.
In Virginia, the license class follows the contract value. A Class C contractor handles construction, removal, repair or improvement work on a single contract over $1,000 and under $30,000. The amount on your contract tells you which class to look for. We're licensed and insured.
We're based in Portsmouth and cut concrete in many of the cities around it, including Norfolk and Chesapeake. Choose your city below, or call if yours isn't listed.
