Cracked or sinking walk, or no walk at all? We build a new concrete sidewalk on a firm, packed base with clean, straight edges.
Concrete sidewalk building in Riverview, FL means digging out and packing the ground into a firm, even base, then pouring, finishing and curing a new walk on it, so it sits at the height and slope it was planned for.
Most calls start with a walk that's cracked, tipped or sinking, or a worn dirt path where a walk should be. Old walks usually fail from underneath, because the dirt was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled and took the concrete with it. The price moves with the walk's length and width, how much old concrete comes out and how much base work it needs.
The pour is the short part of the job. The schedule turns more on the base, the weather on pour day and the time the concrete needs to cure before you use it. If your address needs a permit, that can add time at the start, and we handle that side for you. Your written estimate spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for.
A sidewalk looks simple, and most of what makes it last happens before the concrete truck shows up. These are the parts I look at first on any walk.
The subgrade, the ground the walk sits on, decides more than anything whether the walk stays flat. We dig out soft dirt and roots and pack what's left into a firm base, because concrete poured on loose fill settles as the fill does, and that's where most sinking, cracked walks start.
A sidewalk should shed rain into the yard, not hold it or send it toward your house. Before we set forms, I check where water runs now and where it'll run once the new walk is in, since pooling water on a walk or against the house is much harder to fix after the pour.
Most walks get a broom finish, a light texture dragged across the wet surface so shoes grip when it's wet. It's plain on purpose, because a walk takes rain, sprinklers and foot traffic, and a slick troweled surface gets slippery. If you'd like something dressier, we can talk that through at the estimate.
From the first call to the day we pack up, here's who does what, so you know what to expect at your house and when you'll hear from us.
Call (813) 471-5890 or fill out the form on this page with your address and a few words about the walk. We get back to you and set a time to come out.
I come out, measure, look over the ground and how we'll get equipment in, and ask what the walk needs to carry, like a mower or trash bins. Then you get a written estimate showing what's included.
Once you say go, we sort out the permit side for your address, then dig out and pack the base, set the forms, pour and finish the walk.
Before we pack up, I walk you through curing, so you know what the covering on the walk is for and what's safe to use while the concrete gains strength.
We start with the base, because that's what decides how the walk holds up. We set it to the height and slope you want, so the finished walk lines up with your door, your driveway and the yard, and we pack it before any forms go in. Then we set the forms and run a string line along them, since a wavy edge shows from the street for as long as the walk is there.
Where the new walk butts up to a driveway, a step or anything else fixed, we put in a joint, a gap that lets the two pieces move on their own so one doesn't crack the other. Down the length of the walk we cut control joints, shallow lines that give the concrete a planned place to crack as it shrinks instead of a random one.
Once it's finished, the walk stays covered and damp while it cures, because concrete that dries out too fast ends up weaker on top. We'll show you what to leave alone. If the walk ties into other work, like new garage floor concrete or a colored border from our decorative concrete work, it's worth planning the pieces together.
If the budget gets tight, I'd rather trim the finish than the base. Nobody sees the base on day one, which is why it's the first thing people want to cut, but a nice surface on a poorly packed base is only a better-looking crack later.
If only part of an old walk has sunk, we can take out just those sections, though new concrete rarely matches old in color. If the base is failing along the whole run, replacing it all usually makes more sense.
A straight walk is quicker to form and usually costs less. A curve can suit the yard better, but it takes more form work and more care at the edges, and that shows up in the estimate.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for a free estimate at your property. I come out, measure and look over the site, then you get a written estimate with no obligation to go ahead.
(813) 471-5890Who issues the permit depends on where your address sits. Hillsborough County Development Services handles permits across unincorporated Hillsborough County, and the county keeps a list of work that's exempt, saying anything not on it most likely needs a permit. Development Services answers questions about a specific project, so whether your walk needs one isn't settled until your address is checked.
You can look up your own parcel on the county's Map Viewer, which shows the rules that apply along with zoning and flood zone reports. When a county permit is issued, the required inspections happen during the work and are scheduled through the county's online portal. We check whether your address falls under the county or a city, and when the job needs a permit, we pull it and handle the paperwork.
We're based in Riverview and work across Hillsborough County and the cities around it. Around Riverview and Brandon, the sidewalk calls tend to look alike. There's a front walk that's tipped or cracked, a new path from the driveway to a side gate or the back patio, or a walk that has to tie into a fresh driveway.
I started this business in Riverview in 2013, after learning concrete as a helper on a small crew, hauling, setting forms and pulling screed. That's where I learned that what decides a walk is the base, the forms and the joints, the parts you can't see once it's done. Thirteen years in, that's still where I spend most of my attention on a job.
I come out myself to look over your walk and measure, and our own crew does the work with me running it. We're fully licensed and insured. If there's something I can't tell until the old walk is out, I'll say so instead of guessing, and I'd rather check a line one more time than explain a mistake later.
Your satisfaction, guaranteed. If your walk is sinking or you've been meaning to put one in, call (813) 471-5890 or use the form on this page. Have the walk's rough length and width and your address handy, and I'll set a time to come out and measure.
If your garage floor is cracked, stained or pitted, doing it around the same time as the walk keeps all the concrete work at your house on one plan.
When you want more than plain gray, decorative concrete adds color, texture or a patterned border, on the walk itself or the patio it leads to.
The cities below each have their own page, but they aren't the only places we pour. If you're nearby and don't see your city listed, give us a call and ask.
A concrete sidewalk in the Tampa area usually costs about $4.50 to $9.50 per square foot installed, including materials, labor and site prep. Where yours lands depends on the walk's size, how much old concrete comes out and how much base work it needs. Our estimates are written out so you can see exactly what's included.
National hot-weather concrete guidance says curing should start as soon as finishing ends and last at least 3 days. During that time the walk is kept from drying out under wet burlap and plastic sheeting, a liquid curing compound or water. Before we leave, we'll tell you what you can use and when.
Industry hot-weather guidance says to place and finish concrete outside the hottest part of the day when possible, which can decide what time your pour is scheduled. The same guidance limits water added on site to what the mix calls for, adds none to concrete over 1½ hours old, and calls for finishing without sprinkling water on the slab.
In Hillsborough County, work that needs a county permit, or that falls in a trade the state regulates, requires a valid contractor license. For state-regulated work, that license comes from the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation or the county. You can look up a contractor's license on HillsGovHub before any work starts.
Ask how they compact the base and whether they dampen it before the pour. An older Florida road-contract specification calls for placing concrete on moist base material, since dry ground pulls water out of the bottom of fresh concrete. Any crew should be able to tell you plainly how they handle it.
We take calls Monday through Sunday, 6 AM to 11 PM, so you can reach us at (813) 471-5890 after work or on a weekend, or use the form any time.
