Concrete sidewalk building in Orinda CA - a walk that sheds water and grips when wet

Most folks who call me have a walk that's heaved, cracked or holds puddles, or a row of stepping stones they're tired of mowing around. The price mostly turns on how long and wide the walk is, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much digging the slope and the trees call for, and whether the walk crosses the driveway. The schedule depends more on the city's steps for work near the street and on the weather than on the pour itself, and your written estimate spells out what's included so you know what you're paying for.

I start by walking the route with you, looking for low spots that would hold water and trees whose roots could push the walk up later, because where the walk goes matters more than how thick it is. Then our crew digs out the topsoil and roots and packs any loose fill, since the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, has to give even support all the way along, including where the walk crosses a utility line or meets the driveway. We set the forms so water runs off the walk and away from the house with no dip in the middle, and we pour in the cool of the morning when we can, because a pour baked in midday heat tends to leave a weak, dusty top. We give it a broom finish, a light dragged texture that grips under wet shoes, so it isn't slick when it rains, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a place to crack, before it picks its own spot. Then it has to cure, staying damp and undisturbed while it gains strength, and I'll tell you when it's ready for foot traffic. When a budget gets tight, the base is the first thing folks want to trim because nobody sees it on pour day, but I'd rather spend less on the surface than skimp underneath, since a fence post is only as good as the hole you set it in.

A new walk often ties into other work. If the walk runs up to a garage whose floor is cracked or sunk too, garage floor concrete can happen while we're already set up. And if you'd like color or a pattern on the walk, decorative concrete is how we'd get it there.

If any part of your new walk sits in or right next to the right-of-way, the strip along the street that the city controls, Orinda Public Works requires an encroachment permit for that work. The city's list calls out driveways and frontage improvements but doesn't name sidewalks, so whether your walk needs one isn't something I'll guess at. I check with Public Works on your job before we start, and when a permit is needed, we pull it as your contractor and handle the paperwork and inspection calls for our part of the work.

Around Orinda we mostly meet walks on sloped lots with big trees close by, so we plan the slope and the base for water coming down from above, not just rain landing on the walk. We see the same kind of lots on jobs in Moraga and Lafayette, and since we work both sides of the hills, give us a call even if your city isn't on our list.