Steps sinking, cracked or tipping toward the door? We'll tell you if they can be fixed, then build a set that sits right.
With concrete steps construction in Calabasas, CA, we either rebuild a worn or sinking set of entry steps or repair the part that failed, so you end up with steps that sit on firm ground and shed water away from your door.
Most calls start with steps that have tipped, pulled away from the house, cracked or started holding water on the landing. Usually the cause is underneath, where the base settled with the dirt or water has been running toward the house. If the steps need replacing, there are two kinds to pick from. Precast steps are hollow units that go together faster and cost less. Poured steps cost more but can be built to a far wider range of sizes, so an entry that's an unusual size usually points to poured.
The price moves with how many steps you need, precast or poured, whether the old set has to be broken out, and how easy it is to get a crew and concrete to your door. The schedule turns on the weather around pour day, the wait while new concrete cures and anything the city asks for before work starts. The estimate I write after seeing your entry puts a number on your job.
You deal with me from the first look to the last of the cleanup, so the person who quoted your steps is the one standing there when they're poured.
I come out myself to look at the steps, the ground around them and where the water goes, and I listen to what you want for the entry. I started this business in Calabasas in 2020 after learning the trade on a crew, so ask me anything about the job while I'm there.
After the visit I write up an estimate that lays out the work we'd do on your steps, so you can compare it with anyone else's. Once you're ready, we sort out the paperwork and the prep with you.
California's contractor licensing board describes concrete contractor work as forming, pouring, placing and finishing concrete, and we're fully licensed and insured. I'm on site with our crew through the pour and the cleanup.
First I'll tell you whether your steps can be fixed or need replacing, and whether precast or poured suits your entry. New concrete rarely matches old exactly, so we talk about how the new work will look next to your walk or porch before we start. On a replacement we break out the old set, dig past the loose dirt and pack the subgrade, the ground the steps sit on, then set the forms and steel and pour. If something has to give in the budget, I'd rather keep the money in the base than in a fancier finish, because the base is hidden on day one and it's the part that decides whether the steps stay put.
If your steps are part of an addition or a rebuilt entry, we also do slab foundation building and foundation installation, so the steps and what they attach to get planned together.
Most of what keeps steps level happens before the concrete truck shows up, so here's the order we work in.
We remove the old steps and dig out the soft dirt under them, because raking loose dirt level is how steps end up sinking along with it. We also look at where water runs off the roof and the yard, since steps that pitch toward the house send it right at your door.
We compact the base in layers so it holds the weight, and on a precast job that packed base is what the set rests on. For poured steps we build forms, the wooden molds that shape each tread, with a slight pitch so rain runs off instead of pooling.
Rebar, the steel bars set inside the forms, holds the concrete together and keeps a crack from opening into a gap. We work the concrete into every corner of the forms so the edges come out full and solid.
We give the treads a broom finish, a light texture dragged across the surface so feet grip when it's wet, then let it cure, the wait while the concrete gains strength. Before we leave, we pull the debris and go over what to keep off the steps while they cure.
Tell us how many steps you have, send a photo or two, and say whether you're leaning toward a repair or a new set. We reply within one business day, then I come out to look at the steps and write up a free estimate, with no pressure to book. You can also call (747) 269-3817 or email hi@calabasasconcrete.com.
(747) 269-3817Across the US, installed concrete steps usually cost about $100 to $500 per step. That's a national figure, not our price. Your own number comes from the estimate after I've seen your entry.
Replacement is usually the more practical choice when the steps have settled, cracked through their full depth or drain toward the house, according to one contractor's guide. The same guide says a single damaged section may be repairable if the base, the drainage and the concrete around it are still stable. So the real question is whether the ground under the crack has moved.
Concrete steps usually last 30 to 40 years with proper care and upkeep, going by national figures. Care starts in the first days, because industry guidance says concrete that isn't cured properly can end up with shrinkage cracks, scaling and a flaking surface.
Concrete cured in place typically takes 7 to 28 days to reach full strength, according to industry guidance, so plan any other work around the entry with that wait in mind. Hot-weather guidance also says to pour at a time of day or night when the weather is favorable, so a heat wave can move the pour date. Keep kids and pets off wet concrete, because it's caustic and can cause third-degree burns after 2 hours of contact with skin.
In Calabasas, the city's Public Works department requires an Encroachment Permit for any work in the public right-of-way, meaning the street and the public land along it, and it inspects that work, so a job that reaches the sidewalk or curb can bring them in. Building permit applications go to the city's Building and Safety Division, which you can reach at (818)-224-2534 or BuildingSafetyInfo@cityofcalabasas.com. Whether your job needs a permit is up to the city, and we check with the office that covers your address before we start and work through what they ask for with you.
Once a permit is issued, only the people listed on it can request a building inspection, and the contractor or owner-builder has to confirm all the work is done before asking for one. That means the job has to be finished, not almost finished, before anyone asks for that visit. We're based in Calabasas and work across the cities around it, from Agoura Hills and Westlake Village to Malibu and Topanga, and if your city isn't on our list, call and ask.
Photos and a count of your steps let me see what's going on before I drive out, so call (747) 269-3817, email hi@calabasasconcrete.com or use our contact form.
If you'd like to talk through your steps before asking for an estimate, we're glad to answer your questions.
Tell us about your project