Concrete sidewalk building in Richland WA - a walk that holds up to winter
Cracked, sunken or flaking walk out front? We pour a new sidewalk on a packed base, with a mix made for freezing weather.
R&S Richland Concrete Construction is a concrete contractor based in Richland. We build driveways, patios, steps and foundations across the Tri-Cities and the cities around it, and concrete sidewalk building is a steady part of that work. We like explaining why concrete does what it does, so you know what you're paying for before anything gets poured.
- Owner measures every walk in person
- Base dug out and packed firm
- Site cleaned up before we leave
Concrete sidewalks built for Richland winters
A sidewalk is a path made for people on foot, usually along the street, so walkers have their own surface apart from the cars. Most calls we get for concrete sidewalk building in Richland, WA start with a walk that's cracked, sunken at one slab or flaking on top, and often the honest answer is to pour new.
Price moves with the walk's size, how much old concrete comes out and how much base digging it needs, and the schedule turns on weather and any permit your address needs, all of which your written estimate lays out. We'll also talk about a mix made for a walk that freezes, and about going easy on salt, since how you clear ice shows up in the surface years later.
- Tear-out and haul-off. We break up the old walk and haul the pieces away, so the new slab starts on open ground instead of rubble.
- Layout and forms. We mark the route and set forms to the width you want, lining the walk up with your steps, driveway and gate.
- Rebar where it helps. Rebar is steel set inside the slab that holds the pieces together if a crack forms, and we decide on site whether your walk needs it.
- Broom finish. After the pour we drag a broom across the wet surface for a light ridged texture that gives shoes some grip in the rain.
Sidewalk work we take on
We build new walks, replace worn ones and add paths where your yard needs them, from the front door out to the side gate and the back patio.
New front walks
A path from the driveway or street to your front door, laid out for the way you actually come and go and wide enough to feel comfortable.
Sidewalk replacement
We tear out cracked, sunken or flaking sections and pour new ones, matching the old walk as closely as fresh concrete beside old concrete allows.
Side and back paths
Walks to the side gate, the trash cans or the back patio, so you're not crossing mud or gravel every day of the year.
Colored or patterned walks
A walk with color, a stamped pattern or a different finish falls under our decorative concrete work, and we can plan it at the same visit.
If your job isn't listed here, from a short walk to the shed to a new garage floor, just ask and we'll talk it over.
Why a sidewalk is worth building right
A walk you use every day should stay flat and shed water for years. The base is hidden the day we pour, so it's the first place people look to save money, and it's the last place I would.
- Base before finishIf the budget's tight, put the money into digging out and packing the subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, before any fancy finish.
- Slope away from the houseWe set the walk to fall slightly away from your house, so rain and snowmelt run to the yard, not toward your foundation.
- Joints cut on timeControl joints are shallow grooves that give shrinking concrete a straight place to crack, and they only work if they're cut in time.
- Patience while it curesCuring is the wait while new concrete gains strength, and using the walk too soon can mark or weaken the surface.
How a sidewalk job runs
I come out and measure
You call, and I come out myself to walk the route, measure it and talk through your options right there in your yard.
Written estimate and plan
You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, and I'll go over every line. We plan the pour around what the walk and the season call for.
Pour day and walk-through
I'm on site with our crew for the work, and before we leave I walk you through caring for the new concrete while it cures.
Why Richland homeowners call us for walks
I care most that you understand what you're paying for. When you know why we slope a walk or cut joints where we do, you can judge the work for yourself.
The reason behind each step
Ask why we cut a joint in one spot and not another, and you'll get the answer in plain words, twice if you want it.
Straight talk on unknowns
Some things, like what's under an old walk, I can't know until it's torn out, and I'll say so up front instead of guessing.
Satisfaction guaranteed
That's our promise on every walk we pour. When you're ready to talk about yours, call (509) 581-2407 or use the form below.
Building sidewalks in Richland and nearby cities
Permit applications and inspections in Richland run through the city's online permitting portal, and we confirm whether your walk needs a permit for your address, then sort it out before work starts. On home jobs of $1,000 or more, the state requires contractors to give you its disclosure notice, and we do.
A county soil survey found a seasonally high water table is a problem in only a few soils around here, but it also says each project still needs testing at its own site. So I check the ground under your walk before we plan the base, the same way we do in Kennewick and West Richland.
Tell us about your sidewalk
Send your address and the walk's rough length and width, or call (509) 581-2407. We'll reply within one business day to set up your free, no-obligation estimate on site.
Call (509) 581-2407Sidewalk questions we hear in Richland
How much does a concrete sidewalk cost in Richland?
Installing a concrete sidewalk usually costs about $12 to $14 per square foot across the US. That's a national market figure, not our price, so your own number comes from the written estimate I put together after looking at your walk.
How does a concrete sidewalk hold up to freezing and salt?
A walk holds up to freezing best when the mix has entrained air, tiny bubbles spread through the concrete that give the pressure of freezing water somewhere to go. Salt is the other half, because surface flaking, called scaling, is the most common frost damage and it's tied to de-icing salt. We cover both before the pour.
Will my new concrete sidewalk crack like the old one did?
Some cracking is normal because concrete shrinks as it cures, but control joints give those cracks a straight line to follow instead of a random path across the walk. When a walk cracks badly, it's usually a base that settled or joints cut late, and those are the two places we don't cut corners.
Does a concrete contractor need to be registered in Washington?
Yes, Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the Department of Labor & Industries, and state law requires them to be bonded and insured. Contractors must put their registration number on estimates, so you can look it up through L&I before you hire. We're licensed and insured.