The public sidewalk out front
When the city walk in front of your house is broken, we rebuild it to meet the street and plan the permits and truck parking that come with it.
Concrete sidewalk building in Somerville MA - a walk built for freeze and thaw
Cracked, heaved or crumbling walk out front? We dig it out, rebuild the base and pour a new walk that sheds water.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What rebuilding a sidewalk involves in Somerville
Concrete sidewalk building in Somerville means taking out a cracked or heaved walk, rebuilding the ground under it and pouring a new one that sheds water, whether it's the public sidewalk along the street or the walk up to your door.
Most calls start with a walk that's lifted at a joint, sunk in one spot or holding a puddle after rain. That usually traces back to what's under it, like loose dirt that was raked level and settled, or water that worked under the slab and froze.
The price moves with the size of the walk, how much old concrete and soft ground has to come out, and how easy the spot is to reach on a tight lot. The schedule turns on the weather and, for a walk that meets the street, on city permits, which we check on early and file when they're ours to file. I come out, measure and send you an estimate for your walk.
The same person start to finish
I come out to look at your walk myself and I stay on the job through the pour, so you aren't explaining the plan again to someone new.
The plan before the pour
Concrete is hard to undo once it's down, so I walk you through the base, the slope and the joints before we pour, and you can ask anything.
A clean site and calm neighbors
A sidewalk job happens in full view of the street, so we keep the mess contained and leave the site cleaner than we found it, with your neighbors still on good terms.
How we dig, pour and finish a new walk
We start by breaking out the old walk and digging down to firm ground, then packing in a new subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, so it doesn't settle the way loose dirt does. Before the forms go in, I check where the water runs and pitch the walk so it falls away from the house. That base is the part you can't see on day one, and it's often the first thing a tight budget cuts. I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because a nice surface on soft ground cracks just the same.
We pour early enough to stay out of the midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, and we give it a broom finish, a light texture that gives your shoes grip when the walk is wet. Control joints are shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, so we cut them while the concrete is still fresh instead of letting it pick its own spot. Curing, the wait while the concrete hardens, usually means a day or two before you walk on it and longer before anything heavy goes across. If you'd like color or a border, that's decorative concrete, and if the walk runs to a garage with a tired slab, we can look at the garage floor concrete on the same visit.
A walk that reaches the street means a concrete truck parked out front, so we plan where it sits and when it arrives along with the pour. Parking it on the public way falls under the city's street permit, which also calls for a traffic management plan, and the city allows construction weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., so the pour and finishing have to fit inside those hours. We're based in Somerville and work across the cities around it, where narrow streets make that planning matter. Before we leave, I tell you how to handle ice that first winter without hurting the new surface. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Sidewalks and walks we build
A front walk to your steps
The walk from the sidewalk to your door takes the most foot traffic, so we pitch it to shed water away from the steps and the foundation.
A side path to the yard
A narrow walk along the house to the back yard or the bins often sits in shade and stays wet, so where the water goes matters as much as the pour.
Separate entrances on rentals
Small landlords often need a walk to a second or third unit's door, and we plan the work so tenants can still get in and out while it cures.
Get a free on-site estimate for your walk
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure, talk the job through with you and then send the estimate, with no obligation to book.
Have the address and rough size
Send the address and a rough size in square feet, even a guess from pacing it off, so I come out knowing what to look at.
Tell us if it meets the street
Let us know if the work reaches the public sidewalk, because that brings city permits and truck parking into the plan from the start.
No pressure to book
The estimate is free and there's no obligation, so take it, compare it with other quotes and call back when you're ready to decide.
Concrete walks, steps and finish examples
Example photos of broom-finished walks, borders, steps and colored or stamped surfaces, so you can point at what you like when we talk.
Sidewalk questions we hear from Somerville owners
Straight answers on cost, city permits, the right concrete, timing the pour and caring for a new walk through its first winter.
How much does a concrete sidewalk cost near Somerville?
A residential concrete sidewalk in the Boston area usually costs about $9 to $23 per square foot installed, and that covers materials, labor and site prep. Where yours lands depends on its size, how much old concrete and soft ground comes out, and how hard the spot is to reach. I measure on site and send you an estimate for your walk.
Do I need a city permit to rebuild the sidewalk in front of my house in Somerville?
Yes, for the public sidewalk. The city requires a Curb Cut/Sidewalk Construction permit to reconstruct a sidewalk, and a Street Occupancy permit for any construction on the public right of way. Applications go in online, a payment link follows once the permit is approved, and work starts only after it's issued. We file what's ours to file and tell you what to bring for the rest.
What kind of concrete should a sidewalk quote list?
Look for air-entrained concrete, which national concrete guidance says to order for concrete that sees severe freezing and thawing, like a walk outside through a Massachusetts winter. It has tiny air bubbles mixed in that give freezing water room to expand. Check that each quote names it before you compare prices, so you're comparing the same walk.
When is the best time to pour a concrete sidewalk in Massachusetts?
Mild weather is best, because the same guidance urges caution about placing outdoor concrete in late fall, winter or early spring. The risk is a hard freeze soon after the pour, while the concrete is still soaked with water. If your walk has to go in during the cold months, plan the pour around a mild stretch, and we'll watch the forecast with you.
Can I put salt on a new concrete sidewalk the first winter?
It's best not to, since the guidance advises skipping deicing chemicals the first winter and using them in moderate amounts after that. Plan another way to deal with ice that first season, like shoveling early before snow packs down. From the second winter on, go easy on whatever you spread.
Does a sidewalk contractor in Massachusetts need state registration?
For work on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, Massachusetts requires contractors to register as Home Improvement Contractors. The state also lists work that doesn't need registration, including ground-level patios, driveways and landscaping, and homeowners working on their own home. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm glad to go over that when I come out.
Other concrete work that goes with a walk
Send us your sidewalk's address and size
Call (617) 284-0921 or send the form, and mention any spot where water pools or people trip so I look there first.