Cracked, heaved or sinking sidewalk slabs trip people up. We dig out, pack a firm base and pour a walk that sits flat.
Concrete sidewalk building in Boston means tearing out a cracked or sunken walk and pouring a new one on a base that's been dug out and packed, so the walk sits flat, sheds water and stays safe underfoot.
Most people call us when a slab has tipped up at one edge, sunk in the middle or started holding puddles, and nearly every time the trouble is under the concrete, not in it. At Heartland Boston Concrete Company, the price of a new walk mostly comes down to its length and width, how much old concrete and loose fill has to come out, and whether a car crosses it anywhere, since that stretch gets built heavier. The schedule turns on the weather, the city's paperwork and curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before it can take weight. The estimate gives you the figure for your own walk, and if the steps up to your door are in rough shape too, we can look at concrete steps on the same visit.
I come out to look at your walk and give the estimate myself, so the person who measured it is the one answering your questions. Our own crew does the work with me running it, so the people pouring your walk are the people you've already met.
We've been in business since 2017. I started out pouring walkways and steps for neighbors on weekends and learned beside older finishers who cared more about the prep than the finish, and that's still where we spend our time on every walk.
We're licensed and insured. Before we start, I walk you through what you're paying for, from removal to the base to any crossing, and I'd rather explain something twice than leave you wondering. When you're ready, call (857) 770-0722 or send the form.
Send the form or call (857) 770-0722 and we'll reply within one business day to set a time to come see the walk. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, so there's no pressure to book. It helps to have the address, the walk's rough length and width, and any spot where a car crosses it ready.
When a job may affect a sidewalk, the City of Boston requires a sidewalk deposit and a permit, and permits to take up public space or dig up the road go through the city's Public Works department. Rather than guess what your job needs, before work starts we check with the city about the permits it may need and help you get the paperwork in order. If your house is on a private way, the residents along it are responsible for all upkeep of the street and sidewalk, so the walk out front is yours to keep in shape.
We're based in Boston and work across the cities around it, including Cambridge and Somerville. On a lot of older houses here, the walk we tear out was laid on raked dirt with no packed base, and a car has been cutting across one corner of it for years, which is usually why that corner sank first.
A concrete sidewalk in Boston usually costs about $9 to $23 per square foot, which is the going rate in the area, not a quote from us. Where your walk lands in that range comes down to removing the old one, how much base work it needs and whether a section has to be built heavier for a car. The free estimate gives you the number for your walk.
On the city's own sidewalk projects, people can usually walk on the new concrete by the end of the day, while it stays roped off to harden. The city's crews take three to five days to build new sidewalks and ramps, which gives you a sense of the job, though a private walk can run differently. Driving over a crossing takes longer than walking on it, and we'll tell you when it's ready.
Once the sidewalk is rebuilt, the city inspects it, and if it passes, the deposit comes back minus administrative fees. Only the person or business named on the sidewalk deposit permit can get that refund, so if a contractor puts the deposit down, you can't apply for it yourself. That's why it's worth settling whose name goes on it before anything is filed.
If your walk will freeze and get ice melt every winter, an air-entrained mix is the one to ask about. That's concrete with air worked into it, and it holds up better through freezing and thawing and limits the surface flaking, called scaling, that ice-melt chemicals cause. Ask whether the mix in any quote you get is air-entrained.
Plan for the new concrete to be kept from freezing until about two days after it's placed, and ask how the crew will protect it through those first days. If the pour is late in the season, plan another way to handle ice that first winter too, because one concrete industry sheet advises keeping deicers off new concrete in its first winter. We'll go over both when we pick the date.
Yes, if your house is an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, the state requires anyone doing the work to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor. Massachusetts home improvement rules also call for a written contract with certain required terms on any job estimated at $1,000 or more, so expect one before work starts.
