Front steps cracked, crumbling or pulling away from the house? We build new precast or poured steps that fit your entry and feel solid underfoot.
Concrete steps construction in Boston means taking out worn or broken steps and putting in new precast or poured concrete steps that fit your entry, so you have a solid, safe way in and out of the house again.
Most people call us when the front steps have cracked across a tread, started crumbling at the edges or sunk and tipped away from the door, and by then patching usually just buys another season. At Heartland Boston Concrete Company, the price mostly turns on whether a standard precast set fits your opening or the steps have to be poured to size, how many steps there are and how much old concrete has to come out. The schedule starts with the permit, because we don't build until it's issued, and after that it's mostly the weather. When I come out for the estimate, I'll look at all of it and put a number on your own steps.
When you call, I come out to see your steps and give the estimate myself, and our own crew does the work with me running it. So the person who looked at your entry and told you precast or poured is the one on site.
We've been in business since 2017, nine years now, and I learned the trade beside older finishers who cared more about the prep than the finish. That's still how we work on steps, with the digging and packing getting the same care as the face you see.
We're licensed and insured. Steps sit right where your family, your guests and the mail carrier walk every day, so it's work you want done by a contractor who carries both. Ask me about either one when I come out and I'll go over it.
I want you to know what you're paying for before we break ground, so I'll walk you through the type of steps, the tear-out and the base work on site. Call (857) 770-0722 or use our estimate form to set up a visit.
Send us a few photos of your current steps, the address and whether it's a one- or two-family home you live in, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the steps and give you a free estimate on site, with no pressure to book.
In Boston, the permit for this kind of work comes from the city's Inspectional Services, which issues a Short-Form Permit for minor repairs or replacements that leave the structure and use of the house unchanged, and a Long-Form permit when either one changes. Which one your steps need depends on the job, so before work starts we check with the city about the permits your job may need and help you get the paperwork in order. Starting before the permit is issued can bring double the permit cost or a building code violation, so your schedule starts with the permit and we build once it's issued. Depending on the job, the permit may also need a zoning review from Planning and Zoning, Parks and Recreation approval if the house is within 100 feet of a park or parkway, or Landmarks Commission approval in a historic district, and any of those can add time before we start.
We're based in Boston and work across the cities around it, including Cambridge and Somerville. On a lot of older houses here, the front steps come down close to the sidewalk, and if the job has to close off part of the sidewalk or street for a while, the city has a separate permit for that. That application has to go in at least seven business days before the space is needed, so we plan it alongside the building permit.
Concrete step installation in Boston usually costs about $650 to $5,400 per project, and that range covers everything from a small precast set to larger poured steps. Where yours lands depends mostly on precast or poured, how many steps you need and how much old concrete comes out. I'll put a number on your own steps when I come out to see them.
A state guidance chart lists exterior stairs as work that calls for a Construction Supervisor License and Home Improvement Contractor registration. On one- and two-family homes, the state says a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional has to oversee construction, and the state rules include homeowner exemption language.
Only if you're doing the work yourself on a one- or two-family home you live in, under the city's Short-Form Permit rules. If you own a condo in a building with three or more units, the city says a contractor has to do the work.
For work estimated at $1,000 or more, Massachusetts rules require the registered contractor and the homeowner to have a written contract with certain required provisions. So on a step job that size, you can expect the contract before any work starts, with the permit lined up first as covered above.
A national guide puts the life of concrete steps at about 30 to 40 years with proper care and upkeep. A good share of that comes down to what's under them and how they're treated in winter, which is why we spend our time on the base.
General concrete guidance says to hold off on salt soon after the concrete goes in, and to use magnesium chloride and calcium chloride salts only when you need them for safety. That means planning your ice control before the first storm and saving salt for the days it's really needed. One research review ties better resistance to salt damage, the flaking you see on old steps, to the concrete mix, proper finishing and curing, and an air-drying period before deicing salts touch the surface, so it's fair to ask how each one is handled on your steps.
