Is your sidewalk cracked, lifted by roots or holding puddles? We dig out, pack the base and pour a new walk that sits even.
Concrete sidewalk building in Auburn means taking out a cracked, lifted or crumbling walk, or starting fresh, and pouring a new one on a packed base, so the walk along your street or up to your door sits even and sheds water.
Most calls start with something you can see. A section has heaved where a root pushed up under it, a corner has broken off, or water sits in a low spot after rain. Usually the cause is underneath, in a base that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so the dirt settled and took the slab down with it.
The price mostly follows the size of the walk, how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging the base needs and the finish you choose. The schedule turns on whether your job needs a permit and on curing, the time concrete needs to harden before it takes weight. Your written estimate lists what's included, such as taking out the old concrete and cleaning up afterward.
A sidewalk looks simple, but three things decide how well it holds up: what's under it, what's growing beside it and where the water goes. Here's how I'd think about each one on your property.
The subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, matters more than anything you'll see on top. We dig out soft ground and pack a firm base so the walk doesn't sink as the dirt settles. A walk poured on raked, loose soil is usually the one that turns uneven again.
Rigid concrete doesn't give when roots grow. Iowa State's extension service says concrete pavers, bricks, rubber pavers or asphalt make room for roots better, which lowers the risk of cracking and buckling near a tree. If a big tree sits right beside your walk, those are worth weighing against concrete before you decide.
Before we set forms, we look at which way water moves across your yard. A walk should shed rain toward the lawn or the street, not back toward your house, and a low spot left in the pour is where puddles sit and slick patches form later.
From the first call to the final walk-through, here's who does what, so you know who you'll be talking with at each stage of your sidewalk job.
Reach us by phone at (253) 275-5460 or through the form and tell us a little about the walk. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out and see it.
I look over the old walk, any nearby trees and where the water runs, and I check whether your address falls under the city or the county. Then I write up an estimate that lists what's included.
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit paperwork. Our crew lead runs the work, taking out the old concrete, packing the base, setting forms, pouring and cutting joints, and I check in while it's underway.
When the crew has finished and cleaned up, I walk the new sidewalk with you, answer your questions and go over how long to keep feet and wheels off it while it cures.
If there's a tree close to the walk, I talk with you about what cutting its roots could mean for it before anyone picks up a shovel, because once a big root is cut there's no putting it back. Then we take out the old concrete, dig out the base, pack it firm and set forms to the line and slope we agreed on.
Control joints are the straight grooves cut across a walk, and they give the concrete a planned line to crack along. I lay them out so any cracking lands where it's meant to, and we cut them on time. We also avoid finishing in midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, and we give the surface a broom finish, a light texture that helps your footing when it's wet.
If something has to give in the budget, I'd rather it be the finish than the base, because a plain walk on a well-packed base usually outlasts a fancy one on loose dirt. When you do want color or a pattern, our decorative concrete work can add it, and the same base and joint care goes into our garage floor concrete jobs.
A broom finish is plain, gives good grip and costs the least. Stamped or colored concrete costs more and looks dressier, which suits a front walk people see every day more than a side path to the trash bins.
If only one or two panels have lifted and the base under the rest is sound, we can replace just those. When the whole walk is settling, patching usually just moves the problem a little farther down the line.
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look at your walk. The on-site estimate is free, you'll have it in writing, and there's no pressure to book.
(253) 275-5460The city engineer runs Auburn's right-of-way use permit, which covers using a specific spot in the public right-of-way for a set period. When the city reviews one, it may ask for a certificate of insurance, a traffic control plan, a performance bond or other city permits such as a building permit. When your job needs that permit or another one, we handle the applications.
The city also makes the owner whose land borders a sidewalk responsible for keeping it clear of debris, moss, snow and ice, at the owner's own expense. That's one more reason I'd put the money into a walk that sheds water and has a good broom texture, since it's easier to sweep and safer underfoot for years.
We're based in Auburn and do the same sidewalk work in Kent, Federal Way and the other cities around it. Many of the calls we get are for front walks that have lifted beside a street tree or settled after years on a thin base.
I come out myself to look at your walk and write the estimate, so the person pricing the job is the one who's seen what's under it. I grew up fixing things on a farm, learned concrete on other people's crews and started this business in Auburn in 2013. Our crew lead runs the work on site, and I check in while it's underway.
We're licensed and insured. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the Department of Labor & Industries, to be bonded and insured, and to put that registration number on any bid or ad, so you can look for it on each bid you get. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
If you'd like me to look at your sidewalk, call (253) 275-5460 or send our estimate request form. Tell us where the walk is, roughly how long it runs and whether there's a tree near it, and I'll come out ready to talk through what your job really involves.
If your walk leads to a garage with a cracked or pitted floor, it makes sense to look at both while we're already set up at your house.
When the front walk is the first thing visitors see, colored or patterned concrete can tie it to your entry, porch or patio instead of plain gray.
We're based in Auburn and build sidewalks for homeowners across the cities around it. Find your city below, and if you don't see it, call and ask, since these aren't the only places we work.
In Auburn, repairing or replacing the sidewalk is the job of the property owner whose land borders it, unless the city engineer decides otherwise. That includes damage from trees or plants on your own lot. If you believe the city or someone else caused the damage, you notify the city engineer in writing, with documentation of the cause.
A concrete sidewalk or walkway in the Seattle area usually costs about $8 to $15 per square foot. That's a general range for the area, not our price, and where your walk lands depends on the old concrete, the base work and the finish. Your written estimate gives the figure for your job.
Some cracking is likely, because no one can keep concrete from cracking entirely. Well-designed control joints control and minimize it, so cracks tend to follow the joint lines instead of wandering across a panel. It's fair to ask any contractor how they'll lay out the joints on your walk, and I'm glad to show you during the site visit.
That depends on which roots the new walk would cut. Removing a tree's major or buttress roots, the big ones that hold it up, severs a large share of its root system and can lead to dieback in the branches and crown, or the tree's death. The same extension guidance adds that root barriers can steer roots down and away from a walk.
You can walk on it once it has cured enough to bear weight, and I'll tell you when that is for your walk when we go over the finished job. Curing is the time concrete needs to harden and gain strength, and stepping on it early can mark the surface for good. Keep bikes, carts and anything with wheels off it a while longer.
Clear the walk and the strip of yard beside it of planters, bins and hoses, and tell us about any sprinkler lines or lights buried nearby. Plan another way in and out of your door while the old walk is out and the new one cures.
Call (253) 275-5460 or use the form any day of the week, since we answer into the evening on weekdays and weekends alike.
