Get matched with top concrete driveway pros in Howland, ME

There are a variety of hooks available you can use to hang your Christmas lights on concrete without drilling unsightly holes. Attaching hooks on gutters or using construction adhesive in a caulk gun are two options that work very well for getting hooks to stay up all season.

In most cases, you will need a building permit for cement work on your property. You need a permit for any project that adds a permanent foundation on your property—which, in most cases, includes even a flat slab of concrete poured directly on the ground. Building permits for concrete projects usually cost between $100 and $500, although this can get higher for larger projects. You can always ask your cement company if a permit is necessary for your project, and the expert will typically pull the permit for you to save you time and energy.

If you're only working with a gravel pad, and there is no concrete foundation, you might be able to upgrade to a concrete slab, but you’d have to speak with a professional concrete expert to confirm and get pricing. If you have a concrete foundation or cement block walls around the area where you want to build flooring, you might be able to pour a new concrete floor over the existing one to forgo repairs. Again, speak with a concrete expert or foundation company to see if this is an option.

Concrete houses cost 10% to 20% more to build than stick-built homes, and maintenance on home systems is more invasive and expensive due to pipes and wires being buried in concrete. Concrete homes can also look more industrial and less comfortable if you don’t cover the concrete with finishing materials. It’s also more challenging to make changes to concrete, so reframing doors and windows or building home additions will cost more. Concrete needs time to cure, too, so the timeline to build a house out of concrete is a bit longer.