Your sidewalk carries foot traffic, sheds water, and faces freeze-thaw cycles every winter. We pour sidewalks to code width and slope, with proper joint spacing and a broom finish that grips through ice. Every project includes a free written estimate and a firm schedule.
A sidewalk that lasts ten years looks the same as one that fails in two. The difference is in the details: base preparation, slab thickness, joint placement, and slope. When water sits on a slab or pools against the foundation, freeze-thaw cycles break it apart. When joints are spaced wrong, the slab cracks randomly instead of at the planned joints.
We start with a compacted gravel base, pour the slab to the right thickness with reinforcement, space joints so the concrete cracks where we want it to, and slope the surface away from your house. The broom finish provides grip without being slippery when wet.
If your existing sidewalk is failing in only a few sections, sidewalk repair can replace those spots. For widespread damage, a new patio or full walkway replacement is often the better choice. We also coordinate with any adjacent driveway work to ensure clean transitions.
Recent work
The sidewalk pour sequence
How We Build a Sidewalk in Portland
Mark the line and elevations
We stake the centerline, confirm the width with you and any city code, set the elevation at both ends, and verify the slope direction so water runs away from the foundation rather than toward it.
Prepare the subgrade
The path is excavated to depth, the soil is compacted, soft spots are removed and replaced, and a base of compacted gravel is laid to support the slab and allow drainage.
Set forms and reinforcement
Wooden or metal forms are set to the staked line and elevation, rebar or wire mesh is positioned at the correct height in the slab, and the base is screeded to plan elevation and slope.
Pour, finish, and cure
Concrete is placed and screeded flat, bull-floated smooth, then broom-finished for traction. Control joints are saw-cut on schedule, and the slab is protected during cure so it gains strength properly.
Water management and code compliance
Why Sidewalk Slope Matters More Than You Think
A sidewalk poured level holds water on top until it freezes and spalls. A sidewalk sloped toward the foundation feeds water into the basement. The slope has to be just right, and it has to go in the right direction. We confirm the slope with you before forming and verify it during the pour.
City codes and HOA rules often specify width, thickness, and joint spacing. We pull those requirements before we start and build to them. If your sidewalk ties into a front entry step or an existing garage floor, we coordinate the elevations so there is no lip or trip hazard.
Width, thickness, joints, code requirements and when to repair versus replace.
A typical residential sidewalk is several feet wide depending on use and any local code; we confirm the dimension with you and any city or HOA requirement before forming. Custom widths for specific uses (a wider entry walk, a narrower garden path) are common.
A standard residential sidewalk slab is a few inches thick over the prepared base, reinforced with mesh or rebar. Sidewalks that will be driven over (a vehicle crossing) get poured thicker; we adjust based on the use you describe.
You can usually walk on a new sidewalk within a couple of days, but vehicles or heavy loads should wait longer for the concrete to gain full strength. Our crew leaves the schedule with you so you know when each load is safe.
Most old sidewalks crack because joints are spaced wrong, the base is wrong, or the slab is too thin. Correctly jointed slabs crack where the joints tell them to, which is invisible. We size joints to the slab and the conditions.
Yes, often. If only specific sections have failed, sidewalk repair can replace those sections to match the surrounding slab. Where most of the walk is failing, a full replacement is usually the better value.
Homeowner reviews
What Portland Homeowners Say About Their Sidewalks
Replaced our 30-year-old sidewalk that had four broken sections. New slab is straight, sloped right, broom finish has held grip through two winters with road salt. Worth doing once and properly.
Z. B.
Portland
★★★★★
New build sidewalk, exactly to code width, exactly to the engineer's elevation. Tie-in to the driveway was clean, no lip, water leaves the slab. Trades were impressed with the precision.
Y. J.
Vancouver
★★★★★
They explained why our old sidewalk kept cracking, joints were spaced wrong. New one has joints in the right places and zero random cracks after a year. The lesson was free.
W. M.
Hillsboro
★★★★★
Long entry walk with two slope changes done in one pour. Clean joint pattern, level transitions, even broom finish across the whole length. Looks built into the house.
X. D.
Gresham
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Concrete Guides & Articles
Practical reading on planning, finishes and caring for concrete in Portland.
