Concrete sidewalk building in Covina CA - a walk that stays flat and drains away
Cracked, lifted or crumbling walk? We dig out, pack the ground and pour a new sidewalk that's even underfoot and sheds water.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into building a new concrete sidewalk in Covina?
The short answer: Concrete sidewalk building in Covina, CA means tearing out the old walk if there is one, preparing the ground, then forming, pouring and finishing a new concrete walk so it sits even and sheds water. On a public sidewalk, add time for a city permit and inspection before we can start.
Most people call because a section has lifted, cracked through or started holding water, and they want it fixed before someone trips. The price mostly turns on how many square feet you need, how much old concrete and root has to come out, how easy it is to get equipment to the spot, and whether the walk is the public one by the street or a path in your yard. The schedule turns on that last part too, because on a public walk we pull the permit as the licensed contractor and the city has to inspect before we break ground. Your written estimate lists what your job includes, so you can see where the money goes.
How do you know your sidewalk needs replacing?
A slab lifted at one edge
One panel sits higher than the next, usually because a tree root has pushed up under it or the ground under the low side has settled. It gets worse as the root grows, and that raised lip is what people catch a toe on.
Cracks running all the way through
A thin crack along one of the cut lines is normal, but a crack that splits a panel and keeps widening usually means the ground underneath has moved. Once the pieces start shifting on their own, a patch won't hold and the broken edges start to crumble.
Water sitting on the walk
Puddles that stay after the sprinklers shut off mean the walk has sunk or was poured without enough slope to carry water away. Standing water softens the ground under the slab so it keeps settling, and a walk that tips toward the house sends that water to your foundation.
How we build a concrete sidewalk
We break out the old walk and haul it off, then dig out the roots, broken pieces and loose fill so the new slab isn't sitting on anything that will rot or shift. Next we pack the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, because a base that's only raked level settles after the first wet winter and takes the concrete down with it. We set the forms so water runs toward the yard or the street and away from the house, and on a walk inside your yard I lay it out along the line you actually walk. We pour early in the day, since concrete poured in the midday heat dries too fast on top and turns weak and dusty later. Then we give it a broom finish, a light brushed texture so it isn't slick when it's wet, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack instead of a random one. After that we keep everyone off it while it cures, the wait while the concrete gains its strength. If the budget needs trimming, I'll cut from the finish before I cut from the base, because you can redo a surface but a bad base means tearing the whole walk out.
A sidewalk often ties into other concrete around the house. If the walk leads to a garage with a cracked or sunken floor, it makes sense to look at garage floor concrete while we're set up, and if you want color or a pattern on a path through your yard, that's our decorative concrete work.
Public sidewalk by the street
This suits you when the damaged walk runs between your yard and the curb, because that strip is city land and the work runs under a city permit. We replace a few panels or the full run, held to the city rules covered further down.
Walkway inside your yard
This suits a path from the driveway to the front door, along the side of the house or out to a back gate. The layout is yours, so we can follow the way you walk, widen it where you carry things through, and finish it plain or decorative.
What happens when you call about a sidewalk in Covina?
Here's how a sidewalk job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, including the city steps that set the start date when the walk is a public one.
- Step 01
Call and talk through the job
You call or send the form, and we talk through where the walk is, how big it is and what's wrong with it. Then we set a time for me to come out.
- Step 02
I measure and write the estimate
I walk the job, measure it and check where the water goes. You get a written estimate that lists what's included, so you know what you're paying for before anything is scheduled.
- Step 03
We handle the permit and inspection
If the walk is public, we pull the permit and book the city's start inspection at least a week before the start date, because Covina asks for that much notice. Only then does your job go on the calendar.
- Step 04
Pour day and the final walk
I'm on site for the pour, and on a public sidewalk the city limits our work to between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. When we finish, the city inspects again and we walk the finished job with you before we call it done.
Concrete sidewalk building in Covina's public right-of-way
The sidewalk between your yard and the street sits in the public right-of-way, the strip of land the city controls, and the City of Covina requires an encroachment permit, its written okay, for any construction there. The city says that permit has to be obtained by a state-licensed contractor, the City Engineer reviews the application, and some jobs need extra paperwork depending on the work, so we put it together and pull the permit in our name. The work is held to the city's standards and the published public works specifications, and any concrete we remove gets saw cut and replaced to match the color, finish and scored lines of the walk beside it, so your new panels blend in with the old ones. Before any of that, we check whether your address is under the city or the county, because that decides which office we deal with. For a walk inside your yard, the city rules I've read speak to its right-of-way, so we ask the city's engineering division before we price it.
On older walks around Covina, most of what we tear out was lifted by roots or sank where the ground underneath was never packed, so our time goes into the digging and the base, not just the pour. We see the same thing on jobs in West Covina and Glendora, and we build those walks the same way.
Get a written estimate for your new sidewalk
We get back to you within one business day to set a time, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation. I come out, measure the walk and give you a written estimate that lists what's included. Send the address, the rough square footage and whether the walk is by the street or in your yard.
Why Covina homeowners call Covina Concrete
The owner writes every estimate
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and a crew I've worked with for years does the forming, pouring and finishing. I'm on site for the pour, so the person who priced your walk is the one watching it go in.
Licensed and insured for city work
We're fully licensed and insured. That's what lets us pull a Covina right-of-way permit in our name and set up the city's inspections for you.
Concrete full time since 2013
I came over from landscape installation and learned concrete from the finishers I used to hire, and we've done it full time since 2013. Years of grading yards taught me to look at where the water goes before anything else.
On a sidewalk, how long it lasts comes down to the base you won't see once it's poured, so that's where I'd rather spend your money. We're based in Covina and work in the cities around it across the San Gabriel Valley, so send us the address and we'll tell you what your walk needs.
Sidewalk questions Covina homeowners ask
Do I need a permit to replace the sidewalk in front of my house in Covina?
Yes, Covina requires an encroachment permit for any construction in its public right-of-way, which is where the sidewalk by the street sits. We pull it and book the inspections as part of the job. For a path inside your yard, we check with the city before we price it.
Who can get a sidewalk permit from the city of Covina?
The city says work in its right-of-way needs a permit obtained by a state-licensed contractor, so plan on hiring one for a public sidewalk. Ask anyone who bids your job whether they'll pull it, and we pull it ourselves when the walk is public.
How long does it take to get a new sidewalk built in Covina?
On a public sidewalk, plan on at least a week between booking the city's start inspection and the first day of work, because Covina asks for that much notice. The rest of the schedule depends on the permit paperwork and the weather.
How much does a new concrete sidewalk cost in the Los Angeles area?
An installed concrete sidewalk in the Los Angeles area usually runs about $3.50 to $8.50 per square foot, covering materials, labor and site prep. Where yours lands depends on the size, how much old concrete and root comes out, and whether it's a public walk with a permit. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own walk.
How do I report a city tree that lifted my sidewalk in Covina?
Call Covina Public Works at 626-384-5220, because the city takes reports of sidewalk uplift and other hazards from city-owned trees. If you're planning to replace the walk anyway, mention the tree when you call us so I can look at the roots during the estimate.
What happens if my street is in a Covina moratorium area?
You'll have one more step before work starts, because the city requires a pre-construction meeting with the Public Works Inspector for jobs in a moratorium area. The city asks applicants to check for that before applying, so we look it up before we submit your permit.
Other concrete work near your sidewalk
Garage floor concrete
When the floor inside your garage is cracked, stained or sinking, a new slab gives you a flat, solid surface to park on and work on.
Decorative concrete
Colored or patterned concrete turns a plain path through your yard into one that suits your house and garden, with the same packed base underneath.
Call about your sidewalk after work
We answer (626) 412-8840 until 11 PM every day, so you can call this evening with the address and where the walk runs.