Concrete steps construction in Piedmont CA - a solid entry that fits your house
Cracked, sinking or crumbling front steps? We build new poured or precast concrete steps planned around your entry, your lot and your schedule.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What's involved in replacing concrete steps in Piedmont?
Concrete steps construction in Piedmont means taking out tired or failing steps and building new ones on a base we dig out and pack. The new steps are either poured in place with wooden forms and steel inside, or made at a plant as precast steps and set in place.
Most calls start with steps that have cracked across a tread, chipped at the edges or sunk until there's a gap at the door, and sometimes water pools on the landing every time it rains. The price moves with how many steps you need, how wide they are, whether there's a landing, how much old concrete has to come out and how easily we can reach your entry. The schedule turns mostly on whether we pour or set precast, and on any city review the job needs. After I see your steps, I'll send you a written estimate with your own figure.
How we build concrete steps
I start by helping you choose between poured and precast steps based on your entry, the room we have to work in and how soon you need to use them, and for an unusual shape, poured steps are usually where we land. Then our crew breaks out the old steps and digs down to the subgrade, the ground the steps sit on, and packs a firm base, because steps set on raked-in dirt settle and tip toward the house. Precast steps go onto that same base and are set and secured there. For poured steps, we set the forms so the landing falls away from your door, and we pour early in the day so the heat doesn't leave a weak, dusty top. The base is the part nobody sees once we're done, and it's often the first thing people want to trim from a budget. I'd rather spend there and keep the finish simple, the same way a plate in a kitchen is only as good as the prep behind it.
Steps usually meet the house at its foundation, so we look at what they'll sit against. If you're adding a room on a new slab, we can plan the steps alongside our slab foundation building work so they meet the finished floor. When the wall behind the entry needs new support, our foundation installation work comes first, before new steps go against it.
Poured in place steps
These suit an entry with an odd shape, a curve or a landing that wraps a corner, because poured steps can be built to any size, shape and layout, while precast steps come in standard sizes. They also suit tight lots, since all we need to bring in is a concrete truck to pump the concrete to the spot.
Precast steps
These suit a standard entry where you'd like the steps back in use quickly, because they're made at a plant and set in place rather than built on site. They need large machinery to deliver and install, so there has to be room for it to reach your door.
Concrete steps in Piedmont and the city's review
The City of Piedmont issues site improvement permits for exterior projects, and exterior site stairs are on its list of examples. Most above-ground exterior changes in Piedmont need design review approval first. When a project needs design review or zoning approval, the city requires a building permit even if the work wouldn't ordinarily need one, so we build that review into your schedule from the start. If the work reaches into the public right of way along the street, or sends more stormwater to the street, the city also requires an encroachment permit from Public Works. We handle the application and the paperwork, I'll tell you up front which office it goes through, and when it isn't clear, we check with the city before we start.
Many of the homes here are older, and we often find steps poured against an old foundation on a base nobody packed, or an entry squeezed between the house and a garden wall. We see the same older houses and tight approaches on jobs in Oakland and Berkeley, and we plan the method and the tear-out around them the same way.
Why Piedmont homeowners call Piedmont Advanced Concrete for their steps
I look at every job myself
I come out to see your steps, give you the estimate and then work on site with our crew, who handle the forming, pouring and finishing. The person who measured your entry is there on the day it's poured, so nothing gets lost between the estimate and the work.
Licensed, insured and open about it
We're licensed and insured. California's Contractors State License Board has a concrete contractor class for people who form, pour, place and finish concrete, so it's fair to ask anyone quoting your steps about their license before you hire.
In business since 2020
I spent years in restaurant kitchens, learned concrete on a finishing crew here in the East Bay and started this business in Piedmont in 2020. Flatwork like walks, patios and steps is what we're best known for, along with the foundation and wall work older homes need.
Straight answers before we start
I'll tell you plainly what new steps can and can't do, and which city steps your job is likely to need here in Piedmont, before anyone breaks ground. Satisfaction guaranteed, and that starts with knowing what you're getting.
Steps carry everything you bring into the house, so what's under them matters more than the finish on top. When you're ready, tell us about your steps and I'll set a time to come out.
Request a quoteGet a free written estimate for your concrete steps
We reply to every call and message within one business day, and there's no obligation. Once you send the form, we'll set a time for me to come out, measure your steps and look at how we'll reach them. Then I'll send you a free written estimate.
What happens after you call about concrete steps in Piedmont?
Call or send the form
Thank you for getting in touch. Call (510) 738-1848 or use the form, and we'll set up a time for me to visit, so let us know if the steps feel unsafe now.
I visit and measure
I come out myself, look at the site and how we'll get to it, and listen to what you have in mind. You then get a written estimate, so you can weigh the price and the method before deciding anything.
City steps, prep and pour
Once you're ready, we line up any city steps, and then our crew preps the site, pours and finishes. Poured steps then need their cure time before you put them to use.
Cleanup and a final walk
We clean up the work area and haul off the old concrete. Then we walk the finished steps with you so you can ask about anything you see.
Frequently asked questions
How long until I can use new concrete steps?
Precast steps can be installed in one day in most cases, while poured steps take several days or even weeks before they're ready to use. That wait is curing, the time concrete needs to harden and gain strength. If you need your entry back quickly, we'll weigh that when we choose the method.
How much do concrete steps cost in Piedmont?
Poured concrete steps usually cost about $200 to $500 per step across the US, installed with materials and labor. That's a national figure rather than our price, so I measure on site and put your own number in a written estimate.
Do I need a permit to repair my concrete steps in Piedmont?
Check with the City of Piedmont before any repair, because its rules don't settle it in one line. The city says normal repairs that keep the same materials, design and size don't need design review, but it also says most construction projects and repairs need a building permit. When we do the repair, I check with the city before we start.
Will my new concrete steps crack like the old ones?
New steps can still crack, but most of what breaks up old steps is something we can control. Inside poured steps we place rebar, steel bars that hold the concrete together, and on wider landings we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give a crack a straight place to form instead of a random one. All of that sits on the packed base described above.
What is the best way to keep concrete steps from getting slippery?
A broom finish is the best way to keep concrete steps from getting slippery. It's a light texture dragged across the fresh concrete that gives shoes some grip when the steps are wet. A smooth trowel finish looks clean but gets slick in the rain, so on outdoor steps I recommend the broom texture.
Can new concrete steps match my existing walkway?
We can tie new steps into an existing walk, but the color usually won't match right away, because fresh concrete is lighter than a walk that's weathered for years. The difference usually softens as the new concrete ages. If the walk itself is cracked or uneven, concrete sidewalk building at the same time can give you one even surface.
Related concrete work for your home
Slab foundation building
If you're adding a room on a slab, planning the slab and its entry steps together lets the top step line up with the finished floor at the door.
Foundation installation
When the wall behind your entry is cracked or settling, new foundation work gives the steps something solid to sit against instead of moving with an old failing wall.
Piedmont, CA
Send us a few photos of your steps
Photos of the current steps, a count of how many there are and a note on how we'd reach your entry help me come to the visit ready with the right questions.