Cracked, lifted or slippery walk? We lay out a new one around the roots, on a packed base, with a finish for wet days.
Concrete sidewalk building in Tiburon means digging out the topsoil and anything organic, packing a firm base, then pouring, jointing, finishing and curing a walk that sheds water away from your house and keeps its grip when it's wet.
Most calls start with a walk that's cracked, lifted by a root or holding a puddle by the front steps. If the new walk runs along the street, we sort out the Town of Tiburon's permit with you and don't start until it's in hand, because that review usually decides the start date.
The price moves with the size of the walk, how much old concrete and soil has to come out, how much base work the ground needs and whether a driveway crosses it. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and curing, which is the wait while the concrete hardens before you use it. Your written estimate spells out what's included for your walk.
An old walk usually fails underneath, not on top. These are the parts we spend the most time on, because each one decides whether the new walk ends up like the old one.
We dig out the topsoil and anything organic, then pack the fill under the walk, called the subgrade, which is what the concrete sits on. A base that's only raked level settles with the dirt over time, and that's when panels tip, crack and catch a toe.
Before we set forms, we look at where the rain runs now and where it'll run once the walk is in. A walk should shed water away from your house and leave no low spot where a puddle sits and soaks down into the base.
Concrete shrinks as it dries, and it'll crack somewhere. Control joints, the grooves you see across a walk, split it into panels and give those cracks a straight, planned line to follow. They only work when they're tooled or saw-cut early, so we don't leave them for later.
Here's who does what, from your first call to the walkthrough. Tiburon's permit conditions usually keep street-side work to 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, outside holidays, so that's when you'll see our crew.
Call (415) 429-4397 or use the form and tell us a little about the walk. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out and look.
I come out myself, look at the trees, the slope and the old walk, and ask how you'll use it. Then I measure and write up an estimate in plain words that spells out what's included.
Once you're ready, we sort out what the city or county asks for and wait for any permit in hand. Tiburon says routine permits usually come through in 5 to 7 business days. Then we dig out, pack the base, pour and finish.
When the work's done, we walk the new sidewalk with you and clean up. Curing comes next, while the concrete gains strength, so we'll tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and for any car crossing.
I start with the trees. Roots and soil that swells when it's wet can push a walk up over the years, and a stronger mix won't stop that, so a route that bends around the roots does more than extra strength. We'd rather spend the time on the line of the walk and the packed base under it than sell you a stronger pour.
On top, we give the walk a broom finish, a light texture dragged across the wet concrete so shoes grip, because a smooth troweled walk gets slick in the rain. When a budget gets tight, people want to trim the base since nobody sees it on day one. I'd trim the finish first, because a nice surface on a settling base still cracks.
Where the walk crosses a driveway, that stretch may need rebar, steel bars set inside the concrete to hold it together under a car's weight. If your walk leads to the garage, we can plan it alongside garage floor concrete, and if you'd like color or a pattern, decorative concrete can still be textured to grip on wet days.
A straight walk is the simplest to form and joint. A gentle curve around a tree takes more forming but keeps the walk off the roots, and when a big tree sits close, that's usually the one I'd pick.
A broom finish is plain and grips well when it's wet. A colored or patterned surface looks dressier and costs more, and we still texture it so it isn't slick, but the base under it matters just as much.
We respond within 1 business day. Estimates are free and on site, with no pressure and no obligation. After you send the form, we get back to you, and I come out, measure the walk and write up what's included.
(415) 429-4397In Tiburon, any work in a street, the public right-of-way or on land Tiburon owns needs an encroachment permit from Public Works, and that includes putting in a sidewalk. You or we can apply and pay through Tiburon's online permit portal, which also shows the current steps. For a walk wholly inside your lot, we check what the city or county asks for before anything starts.
Tiburon's permit conditions say work done without inspection won't be accepted, and neither will work that strays from the approved plans or from Marin County or Caltrans standards, so we build the inspection into your schedule. Replacement goes by full panel, score line to score line, a score line being the groove between panels, unless the inspector says otherwise. If one corner is cracked, plan on the whole panel coming out.
Around here we see a lot of walks lifted by trees and set on slopes where the water wants to run toward the house, so the route and the drainage come first. We're based in Tiburon and work in cities across Marin and nearby, from Novato down to Sausalito and over to Richmond, and in places like Mill Valley we check that city's rules for your job the same way.
I taught myself concrete on small jobs around my own place, then learned the rest next to people who'd been at it for years, and I started this business in Tiburon in 2020. I still come out to look at each job myself and write the estimate, and I'm on site with our crew while the work gets done, so the person who planned your walk is there when it's poured.
California's contractor license board has a concrete classification that covers forming, pouring and finishing flatwork, the trade's word for flat pours like walks, patios and driveways. We're fully licensed and insured. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. If you've got questions about roots, drainage or the permit, I'd rather answer them twice before we pour, so call (415) 429-4397 or send us a message.
When the new walk meets the garage, it can make sense to redo a cracked or sunken garage slab at the same time so the two line up.
If a plain gray walk isn't the look you want, colored or patterned concrete can dress up the entry while keeping a surface that grips.
Besides Tiburon, we build walks in the cities below and others around Marin. Pick yours to see how we work there and what the job usually involves.
Yes, if any of the walk is in the street, the public right-of-way or on land Tiburon owns, because Public Works issues an encroachment permit for sidewalk installation there. For a walk wholly inside your property, we check what the city or county asks for on your job. Either way, we don't start until any permit is in hand.
Tiburon says routine applications are usually granted within 5 to 7 business days. More involved projects go to the Town Engineer and can take longer, so check the current steps on the city's online portal when you plan. We set your start date around the review rather than guessing at it.
A concrete sidewalk installed in the San Francisco area usually costs about $5 to $12 per square foot, including materials, labor and site prep. Where yours lands depends on the old concrete coming out, the route and any driveway crossing. Our written estimate gives you the figure for your walk and what it includes.
Panels usually heave from root growth or settle from washout, failed fill or poor drainage, and the fix has to match the cause. Grinding down a raised edge only treats the symptom, so we find out what moved the panel and deal with that, whether it's a root, the base or the water.
Have a rough length and width for the walk, and know whether it runs along the street or sits inside your property, since that tells us right away whether Public Works is involved. Photos of the old walk and any big trees near it help too, and I'll take it from there when I come out.
Call (415) 429-4397 or use the form, and one visit will tell you whether the old route can stay or the new walk should bend around the roots.
