Concrete steps construction in Bothell WA - a solid, safe way up to your door
If your front steps are crumbling, tipping or pulling away from the door, we'll repair or rebuild them into a sound, safe entry.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What's involved in fixing or replacing concrete steps in Bothell?
Concrete steps construction in Bothell, WA, covers pouring new steps in place, setting precast steps or repairing worn ones at your entry, so the way into your house stays sound and safe to walk on.
Most calls start with steps that have begun to crumble, tip or pull away from the door, and the first question is whether they can be saved. The price turns on how many steps you have, whether the old ones have to be broken out and hauled away, whether new ones are poured or precast, and how they meet the door and any concrete sidewalk below them. The schedule turns on the permit question, the weather and curing, which is the wait while new concrete hardens enough to take weight, and the estimate gives you the number for your own steps.
How can you tell your concrete steps need work?
Chipped edges and flaking
When the top layer starts coming off in flakes or the front edge of a step breaks away, it's usually wear and winter weather working on the surface. If the steps underneath are still solid, this is the stage where a repair can hold, and waiting lets water into the damage so it spreads and starts catching heels.
A gap at the house
A gap opening between the top step and the wall, or a step down from the door that keeps getting taller, usually means the steps have settled or were never tied to the house. Water runs into that gap and freezes, so it tends to widen each winter until the step at your door becomes a real tripping point.
Cracks running all the way through
A crack you can follow clear across a tread or down the side, or steps that tip and rock underfoot, usually points to a base that washed out or was never packed properly. That's past what a patch can fix, and every season of waiting gives the steps more room to move.
How we approach concrete steps construction
I start by looking closely at your current steps, how they meet the house and what's under them, and I'll tell you honestly whether a repair will hold or whether they should come out. If they're coming out, we'll talk through poured and precast steps, and I'll explain why I lean toward poured steps that tie to the house, since they're formed to fit your entry and connected to it rather than set against it. Our crew then breaks out the old concrete, digs out and packs the subgrade, which is the ground the steps sit on, so it doesn't settle later, and builds the forms. We set rebar, the steel bars that help hold the concrete together, tie the steps to the house, pour, give the treads a broom finish, a light texture so they aren't slick in the rain, and let them cure before we clean up. The base is the part nobody sees on day one and the first thing people want to trim from a budget, so I'd rather spend your money there than on a fancier surface.
Steps attach to a foundation, so they often come up alongside other work. If you're adding a porch or a room that needs foundation installation, or a back entry going onto a new slab foundation, we'd rather plan the steps with it than fit them in afterward.
Poured-in-place steps
These suit most front and back entries where the steps sit right against the house, and they're what I usually recommend. We form them to fit your doorway and tie them to the house, so they're built as part of the entry rather than set beside it.
Precast steps
A precast set is made ahead of time and lowered into place, which can suit a simple, low spot away from the house, like a side yard or garden step. It goes in quickly, and I'll explain plainly where I think it fits your house and where it doesn't.
Repairing the steps you have
If the base under your steps is solid and the wear is on the surface or the edges, a repair can be the sensible choice. It costs less than a new set and keeps the job short, though it won't fix steps that are moving.
Get a written estimate for your concrete steps
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is free and done at your property, and once you have it in writing, there's no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Bothell, WA 98011
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about concrete steps in Bothell?
Here's how a steps job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
Call or send the form
You call (425) 384-1147 or send the form, and we get back to you to set up a time for me to come out. Please mention whether the steps are at the front or back door, since that helps me plan the visit.
I look at your steps
I come out, look at your steps and what's around them, and ask how you use that entry. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
We set a date and build
Once you're ready, we sort out any permit questions, set a date, and our own crew does the work. Noisy work like breaking out old concrete stays within the city's hours, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, with none on listed holidays.
We walk the steps together
When the steps are done, I walk them with you and explain how long to keep weight off them while they cure. If they go in close to winter, I'll also go over what's safe to put on them when it's icy.
Why Bothell homeowners call C&S Bothell Concrete Contractors for steps
The owner estimates and leads
I look at your steps and write the estimate myself, and our own crew does the work with me leading it on site. The person who made the plan with you is the one making sure it's followed.
In business since 2017
I learned concrete on flatwork crews, the ones pouring driveways, patios and walks, and on foundation crews around here before starting this business. Steps need both skills, because they sit on the ground like a walk but have to tie into the house like a foundation.
Licensed and insured for heavy work
We're licensed and insured. Breaking out old steps right against your house is heavy, close work, and you shouldn't be the one carrying the risk of it.
On steps, what lasts is the base and the way they meet your house, and that's where I'll spend most of my time at the estimate. When you're ready, please call (425) 384-1147 or send us a message to set up a visit.
Concrete steps and foundation work in Bothell
The permit question needs a clear answer before we set a date. Bothell takes all permit applications online through MyBuildingPermit.com, and the city's list of work that needs no permit names sidewalks, driveways and decks up to 30 inches above the ground but doesn't mention steps, so that list doesn't settle it for your job. I look at the permit side when I come out for the estimate, and the city's Permit Center is the place to ask. When one's needed, we can prepare and file it and plan the start date around it.
Freezing here is moderate, but it's real. The city's residential code puts the frost line, the depth the ground freezes to, at 12 inches, rates the weathering as moderate, and notes that weather like ours may call for stronger concrete than the structural rules alone would need. We plan the base and the mix with that in mind, and we see the same winter wear on entry steps in Kirkland and Woodinville.
Questions about concrete steps in Bothell
Should I pour new concrete steps or choose precast?
One national guide favors poured steps for cold climates and for steps attached to the house, and precast for freeze-free climates and budget replacements. Precast can cost less, but the same guide says it often pulls away from the foundation and heaves as the ground freezes and thaws. Since the ground does freeze here, that's worth weighing for steps right against your house.
Can my cracked concrete steps be repaired, or do they need replacing?
Often they can be repaired, if the damage is on the surface and the base is sound. The same national guide says flaking, chipped edges and hairline cracks can be fixed on a sound base, but steps that have settled, cracked through or pulled away from the foundation need more than a patch, because a patch would leave a fall hazard. I'll look at yours and tell you which side of that line they're on.
How much do concrete steps cost near Bothell?
Installing concrete steps in the Seattle area usually costs about $700 to $5,500 per job. That's the going range for the work in the area, not a quote, and where your steps land depends on what has to come out and what goes back in. The written estimate I give you after looking at your steps has the figure for yours, with what's included and what isn't spelled out.
How do I check that a concrete contractor is registered in Washington?
You can look any contractor up in the Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson, or Business tool from the state Department of Labor & Industries, L&I, before you hire. Washington requires all construction contractors to register with L&I and to be bonded and insured, so a contractor who doesn't show up there is one to ask questions of.
How do I keep new concrete steps from flaking in winter?
Start with an air-entrained mix and go easy on what you put down when it's icy. Entrained air is a network of tiny bubbles spread evenly through the concrete, and that empty space relieves pressure as the concrete freezes, so it's fair to ask any contractor whether the mix for your steps is air-entrained. A Michigan concrete trade group advises no deicers at all in the first winter, with sand for traction, and after that steering clear of magnesium or calcium chloride, fertilizer and water-softener salt.
How long does it take to replace concrete steps?
The building itself is usually the shortest part, and most of the time goes to the permit question, the weather and letting the new concrete cure before it takes weight. I'll go over the plan for your steps at the estimate, including when you can use them again and how to get in and out in the meantime.
Related concrete work for your entry
Slab foundation building
If a back entry or mudroom needs a slab under it, pouring that slab alongside new steps lets the two be planned to meet at the right height.
Foundation installation
When steps lead into a new porch or addition, the foundation under it decides where the steps tie in, so it's worth planning both in one visit.
Service areas around Bothell for concrete steps
C&S Bothell Concrete Contractors is based in Bothell, Washington, and works across the cities around it, including Shoreline and Redmond. Below are 12 of the cities we work in, and if you're not sure we come out your way, please just ask.
Send us a photo of your steps
If you send a photo of your current steps and tell us how many there are when you call (425) 384-1147 or use the form, I'll come to the visit already knowing what to look closely at.