Concrete Contractors in Ghent, VA

Ghent homeowners looking for concrete contractors need a crew that understands old houses. Ghent, in Norfolk, Virginia, was planned in 1890 by J. P. Andre Mottu, who had come from the Netherlands, and Adolphe Boissevain. They renamed Smith's Creek after The Hague, and within a decade the neighborhood had spread across more than thirty blocks, with Mowbray Arch becoming a favored street for upper-middle-class homes. Most houses here date from the 1890s and early 1900s. We replace front walks, steps and stoops, pour patios and alley-side parking pads, and repair concrete that has cracked or heaved.

A listed historic district

The Ghent Historic District was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register on June 19, 1979, and to the National Register of Historic Places on July 4, 1980. It covers 77 acres with 184 contributing buildings, mostly residential, in Queen Anne Revival, Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival styles. The City of Norfolk also lists Ghent among its local historic districts and says development and alterations there require review and approval by the Architectural Review Board.

For a concrete job, that means front-of-house work should be planned with the board's process in mind. We can provide drawings, finish samples and a written scope so you have what you need to talk with the city's historic preservation staff before anything is torn out.

Built on filled marsh

Wikipedia notes that Ghent's marshland was filled during development and the shoreline reshaped. Filled ground can settle unevenly over a century, which is one reason Ghent walks and stoops so often tip, crack or pull away from the house. Mature street trees add root pressure on top of that. When we replace a walk or a stoop, we dig out failed base material, compact new stone and protect roots where we can, so the new work stays level longer than the old work did.

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Matching what is already there

On a Ghent house, the concrete is usually a mix of eras: a brick walk with concrete steps, an old stoop with a newer landing, a garage pad off the alley poured decades after the house. We look at each piece on its own and keep what is sound. New work gets a plain, well-finished broom or smooth surface, careful edge detail and joint spacing that lines up with the walk next door, which suits historic fronts far better than bright stamped patterns. Back patios are a different story, and decorative finishes can work well there.

What we do in Ghent

• Sidewalks and steps: front walks, stoops, porch steps and side paths
• Patios: back patios and courtyards on narrow lots
• Stamped concrete: decorative finishes for back patios out of the street view
• Driveways: alley-side parking pads and short driveways
• Garage and shed slabs: detached garage floors and shed pads off the alley
• Repair and replacement: heaved sections, trip edges, failed stoops and cracked landings

Tight lots and access

Ghent lots are narrow, parking is tight and many backyards are reached only from an alley. We plan truck access and the concrete route before the pour, protect plantings and brick, and keep the work area clean. If the job touches the public sidewalk or a driveway apron, Norfolk's Right-of-Way office handles the permit, and we arrange that before we schedule. Call (757) 520-4973 to set up a visit anywhere in Ghent.