Concrete sidewalk building in Novato CA - a walk that stays flat and drains right
A cracked, heaved or sunken walk that trips people and holds puddles? We pack the ground first and pour a walk that sits even.
Concrete sidewalks that give your house a steady path
Building a concrete sidewalk in Novato means getting the ground ready, then forming, pouring and finishing the walk. It's flatwork, the same kind of flat pour as a patio or garage floor concrete. Most calls I get are for a walk that's cracked, tipped up at a joint or holding puddles because it was never sloped to drain. The sinking ones usually lost the ground under them first.
A walk is only as good as the ground under it, so that's where our time goes. The base gets buried on pour day, which makes it the first thing people want to cut, and I'd cut the finish instead. Before the truck comes, I check the forms, the boards that hold the concrete's shape, because Caltrans guidance wants them checked for size and slope and a miss means tearing out a section.
Price moves with the square footage, how much old concrete comes out, how close we can get the truck and the finish you pick. A broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives shoes grip, costs less than decorative concrete. The schedule mostly turns on whether the work touches the public sidewalk or street, because that's where a city permit comes in. Your own number comes from the estimate.
Sidewalks built from the ground up
You get a walk on solid, packed ground, formed to the right size and slope, with a finish that gives your feet some grip.
- I look at every job and stay on site with the crew
- In business in Novato since 2023
- Licensed and insured on every sidewalk we build
- Backed by our satisfaction guarantee
How a sidewalk job runs
Call or send the form
Call (628) 209-1066 or use the form, and tell us what's wrong with the walk you have or where you want a new one.
I come out and look
I come out, check where water runs and give you an estimate. The city holds street-side work within 1,500 feet of a school until after 8:30 a.m. on school days.
Paperwork, prep and pour
Once you say go, we handle the paperwork, pour and walk the finished job with you. Blocking the sidewalk adds a traffic plan the city takes five working days or more to review.
Tell Alliance Novato Concrete about your walk
Send the walk's location, rough size in square feet and any nearby school. We reply within one business day and set up a free, no-obligation estimate at your house.
Sidewalk questions from Novato homeowners
What does a concrete sidewalk cost near Novato?
Concrete sidewalk in the San Francisco area usually costs about $6 to $10 per square foot, installed with materials, labor and site prep. That's the going rate in the area, not our price. I'll price your walk once I've seen it.
Who issues permits for sidewalk work in the public right-of-way in Novato?
The City of Novato Public Works Department, Engineering Division, issues encroachment permits, and you need one before any construction starts in the public right-of-way or a watercourse. Ask the division for its current terms. If your job needs a permit, we find out which office handles it, do the paperwork and put in writing who's pulling it.
Can a handyman build a small sidewalk in California?
Only if the job is small, needs no permit and they work alone. California's exemption for small unlicensed jobs rose from $500 to $1,000, but a permitted walk or one built with a hired crew calls for a licensed contractor. The state licensing board counts forming, pouring and finishing flat concrete as concrete contractor work.
How should the ground be prepared before pouring a sidewalk?
Caltrans guidance calls for watering and compacting the ground under a sidewalk so it has a stable footing, with soft or spongy spots dug out or left to dry first. The ground gets wet again right before the concrete goes in. When you compare bids, look for one that says how the crew will water and pack the ground.
Other concrete work we do
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Get Alliance Novato Concrete out to your walk
Call (628) 209-1066 or use the form, and I'll come out, tell you whether the walk touches city land and give you a free estimate.
