Barry Gallant, a paving, concrete, and masonry worker based in Manchester, New Hampshire, says the region’s freeze-thaw cycle is the single biggest factor in whether local paving and concrete work holds up over time.
MANCHESTER, NH / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2026 / New Hampshire winters are hard on anything built outdoors. Gallant has spent his career working on driveways, walkways, and concrete surfaces around Manchester and the wider Hillsborough area, and he says the weather is never really finished with the job once it’s done.
“People think the work ends when the crew leaves,” Gallant says. “Around here, the ground is still working on it long after that. Water gets into small cracks, freezes, expands, and pushes everything apart. That happens every winter, year after year.”
That freeze-thaw pattern is why Gallant says the preparation underneath a surface matters more than what people can see on top.
What Gets Overlooked
Gallant says homeowners and property managers often judge paving and concrete work by how it looks the week it’s finished, not by how the base was built.
“A smooth surface right after the job doesn’t tell you much,” he says. “What tells you something is how it looks after two or three winters. That’s when you find out if the base was done right.”
He points to drainage as one of the most common problems he sees in the area. Manchester’s mix of older neighborhoods and newer development means water doesn’t always move the way it should around a property.
“If water sits where it shouldn’t, it’s going to find a way into the pavement or the concrete,” Gallant says. “Then the cold does the rest of the damage. A lot of cracking and heaving that people blame on bad materials is really a drainage problem.”
Local Ground, Local Habits
Gallant has worked in general labor, landscaping, masonry, and concrete over the years, and he says that range of work gives him a clearer picture of how a property functions as a whole, not just one surface at a time.
“A driveway doesn’t exist by itself,” he says. “It’s connected to the grading around it, the soil underneath, and how water moves across the whole lot. If you only look at the pavement, you miss what’s actually causing the problem.”
He says that mindset matters more in New Hampshire than in places with milder winters, because the margin for error is smaller.
“In a warmer climate, a small mistake underneath might not show up for a long time, if ever,” Gallant says. “Here, the ground will test it every single year. Manchester doesn’t give bad work anywhere to hide.”
What He Tells People to Watch
Gallant says there are a few signs residents in the area can watch for themselves between seasons.
“Small cracks that show up after the first hard freeze are worth paying attention to,” he says. “So is water pooling in the same spot more than once. Those are usually early signs, not just cosmetic ones.”
He also says settling near the edges of a driveway or walkway, where it meets the lawn or a foundation, is worth a look.
“Edges move first,” Gallant says. “If you catch a problem there early, it’s usually a smaller fix than waiting until it spreads.”
Decades of the Same Weather
Gallant was born and raised in Chester, New Hampshire, and has lived in the state his entire life. He says that long exposure to the same climate has shaped how he approaches every job.
“I’ve watched the same freeze-thaw cycle do the same thing to pavement and concrete for a long time,” he says. “You start to see patterns. The ground here doesn’t change. The work has to account for that every time, not just when it’s convenient.”
He says that outlook is less about following a set method and more about paying attention to what the climate has already shown him, job after job, winter after winter.
About Barry Gallant
Barry Gallant is a paving, landscaping, concrete, and masonry worker based in Manchester, New Hampshire. He has worked in general labor and blue-collar trades across the Hillsborough area for most of his life, after starting full-time work during his high school years. Gallant was born and raised in Chester, New Hampshire, and has lived in the state his entire life.
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SOURCE: Barry Gallant
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