Question 1

Does Bloomfield require a permit to replace a concrete driveway apron or sidewalk panel?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Bloomfield Township requires a permit for any work on the driveway apron — the section between your property line and the public sidewalk — and for replacement of public sidewalk panels. The apron must be poured to the township's thickness and pitch specifications. If the project touches or modifies the existing curb cut, Essex County DPW may also be involved depending on whether the fronting road is a county-maintained street. Roca & Associates handles the permit application and builds to township standards so the work passes inspection cleanly.

Question 2

My front steps have pulled away from the house and are starting to tip. Can they be fixed, or do they need to be replaced?

Accepted Answer

In most cases on Bloomfield's older homes, the right answer is replacement rather than repair. Original concrete steps on pre-1960 construction were almost never set on a frost footing, which means they have been heaving and settling for decades. Patching or shimming a stoop that has lost its footing is a short-term fix — the movement will continue. Roca demolishes the old structure, forms a new continuous footing set below New Jersey's 36-inch frost line, and pours new steps in place. That is the repair that stays level at the door threshold rather than pulling away again after the next hard winter.

Question 3

What type of concrete mix do you use for Bloomfield driveways, and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

We specify 4,000-to-4,500 PSI air-entrained ready-mix concrete with 5 to 7 percent entrained air for all exterior flatwork in Bloomfield. The air entrainment is the critical specification for this climate: tiny air bubbles distributed throughout the paste give water room to expand when it freezes inside the slab, which prevents the surface scaling that destroys unentrained concrete after a few NJ winters. Bloomfield's heavy use of road salt on residential streets makes this especially important — chloride salts accelerate freeze-thaw surface damage on concrete that was not air-entrained at the time of the pour. Using the correct mix from the start is the single highest-value decision in a concrete driveway installation.