Concrete Sidewalk Building in San Rafael CA - a walkway that sheds rain and isn't slick
Cracked or root-lifted sidewalk out front that people trip on? We pour a new one that drains, sits level and grips in the rain.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does it take to replace the sidewalk in front of my house in San Rafael?
Concrete sidewalk building in San Rafael means pulling out the broken panels in front of your house, rebuilding what they sit on and pouring a new slab that's sloped to shed rain and finished with a texture that isn't slippery when it's wet.
Most calls start with a panel that's cracked, sunk or pushed up by a tree root, and often someone has already caught a toe on it. What moves the price is the length and width of the run, how much old concrete comes out, whether roots or a soft base need dealing with, and how many driveway crossings the walk has. The schedule turns on city permit work, the weather on pour day and the days the slab needs before anyone walks on it, and the written estimate I send after the site visit lays out each step so you can see where the money and the time go.
How we handle concrete sidewalk building
Before anything else, I ask whether you're applying for the city's sidewalk cost share, so the paperwork and our contractor details line up before work starts. Then we saw-cut the edges, break out the old panels, dig down to firm soil and pack a gravel base, because the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, is what keeps a walk from settling with the dirt. We set the forms so the walk falls slightly away from your house and water runs off, pour early in the day so midday heat doesn't leave a weak, dusty top, and drag a broom across it for a light texture your shoes can grip in the rain. Control joints, the grooves that give the slab a place to crack where we chose, get cut on time and not days later. If the budget's tight, I'd spend it under the slab before I'd spend it on the surface, because nobody sees the base on day one and it's the one part you can't fix later without tearing the walk out.
A new sidewalk often gets people looking at the rest of their concrete. We pour garage floor concrete when the slab inside is cracked, out of level or wet underneath, and we do decorative concrete for the walk up to your door if you want color or a pattern there.
Replacing a few panels
This suits a walk where only a couple of sections are cracked or lifted and the rest still sit flat. We cut back to the nearest joint so the new panels line up with the old ones.
Rebuilding the whole run
This makes sense when most panels are broken or roots run the length of the walk. One continuous base and one slope from end to end usually outlast a string of patches.
A walk with a driveway crossing
Where cars cross the sidewalk, that section carries far more weight than the rest. We build it heavier there and often add rebar, steel bars inside the slab that hold it together if it cracks.
If a raised edge is already catching people's feet, call (628) 234-2042 now instead of waiting, because roots keep growing and the lip usually gets worse.
What happens when you call about a sidewalk in San Rafael?
Here's how a sidewalk job runs with us, from your first call to the day the forms come off. I'm there at every step, and our own crew does the work.
Call or send us a message
Send the rough length and width of the walk and a few photos by phone, email or our form, and tell us if you're applying for the city's cost share. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I measure and write it up
I come out myself, measure the run and ask what the walk has to carry, like a car crossing at the driveway or trash bins every week. You get a written estimate that lays out each step, so you can see what you're paying for before you decide.
We settle permits and layout
Before the pour we settle the permit, the layout and where the water goes. Those are hard to change once the concrete truck is on the street.
We form, pour and finish
Our crew builds the forms, pours, finishes and cuts the joints, and I'm on site from forms to finish. Then the walk stays taped off while it cures, the wait that lets concrete gain strength before it takes weight, and we tell you when it's ready for feet.
Get a written estimate for your San Rafael sidewalk
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure and send a free written estimate that lays out each step, with no pressure to book.
(628) 234-2042Concrete sidewalk building on San Rafael streets
The sidewalk out front sits in the public right-of-way, and the City of San Rafael issues the encroachment permits for using it, construction included. I check with the city whether your job needs one, and when it does we handle the application and the inspections. That work needs a traffic and pedestrian control plan, which shows how cars and people get safely past us while the walk is torn up. For city sidewalk repairs, the inspection report includes ADA accessibility requirements, so the slope and height of the new walk have to meet set standards, and we form to them instead of eyeballing it. When a tree stands in the right-of-way, the city's arborist decides what happens to it, so we wait on that call before we work around it.
We're based in San Rafael and take jobs from Petaluma down to Berkeley. Front walks here often share the block with mature street trees and driveways that cut across the sidewalk, and we see the same mix on jobs in San Anselmo and Mill Valley, so we plan each driveway tie-in before the forms go in.
Sidewalk questions we hear from San Rafael homeowners
What does a new concrete sidewalk cost in San Rafael?
Concrete sidewalk work in the San Francisco area usually costs about $6 to $10 per square foot, and that's the market's range, not our price. Where your job lands depends on the tear-out, the base and the crossings, so I'd rather measure than guess. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Who pays to fix the sidewalk in front of my house in San Rafael?
You do, because city code requires owners of lots next to or fronting a sidewalk to repair it and keep it safe at their own cost. So the walk out front is yours to budget for, though the city's cost share can take part of it off.
How does the San Rafael sidewalk cost share work?
The city splits the cost of repairing the sidewalk in front of your house 50-50 with you, up to $2,000 from the city. It needs a contractor licensed to do concrete work in San Rafael who pays prevailing wages, so ask about both before you sign, and check the details on the city's sidewalk repair page.
How long does a new concrete sidewalk need before you can walk on it?
One Michigan concrete industry guide says a sidewalk can open to traffic after 7 days of curing, or sooner when testing confirms its strength. Plan on keeping feet, bikes and carts off it for that first stretch. The same guide says a penetrating sealer, one that soaks into the surface, can go on after 30 days and typically needs redoing every three to five years.
What causes tree roots to lift a sidewalk, and how do you keep it from happening again?
Roots grow in the soil right under the slab and push it up as they thicken. Research on sidewalk damage found that gravel placed under the paving during construction reduces root growth right below it on well-drained sites, which is one more reason the base gets our attention. For a street tree, the city's arborist makes the call, as covered above.
Do I need a licensed contractor for a small sidewalk repair in California?
Usually yes, because the state contractor license board requires a license even on jobs under $1,000 when the work needs a permit of any kind or the worker hires others to help. Work on the sidewalk out front often involves a city permit, so check a contractor's license before they start. We're licensed and insured.
Related concrete work for your home
A cracked or damp garage floor makes a poor base for coatings or storage, and we can look at it on the same visit as the sidewalk.
If you want color, pattern or a different texture on the walk up to your door, decorative concrete gives it a finished look we still slope to shed water.
Send us your sidewalk measurements and photos
Call (628) 234-2042, email quotes@sanrafaelconcretecontractor.com or use our contact form, and include a few photos so I can spot roots and driveway crossings before I get there.