Concrete steps construction in Kirkland WA - built solid from the ground up
Steps rocking, flaking or pulling away from the house? We tear them out, pack the base and pour new ones that sit firm.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building new concrete steps in Kirkland?
Concrete steps construction in Kirkland means breaking out the old steps if you have them, getting the ground ready and either pouring solid steps in place or setting precast ones. The result is a firm, safe way in and out of your house. Most of the wait on a steps job is the concrete curing, not the building.
Most calls start with a stoop that's tipped toward the door, a step that rocks under your foot or a surface flaking off, and you're wondering whether to fix it or start over. The price moves with how many steps you have, whether old ones come out first, poured versus precast and how easy it is to get concrete to your door. The schedule turns on any permit your job needs and on curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before you put weight on it. If the front walk is in the same shape, that changes both. You get your own number in a written estimate once I've seen the site.
How do you know your concrete steps need replacing?
A gap at the house
A gap opening between the top step and the wall usually means the steps are settling on dirt that was never packed. Water runs into that gap toward your foundation, so the longer it sits, the bigger the job.
A step that rocks or tilts
When a step moves under your weight, the base under it has usually settled or washed out. It only gets worse, and a tipped step is the one somebody catches a heel on carrying groceries.
Flaking, chipping treads
A top layer peeling off usually points to a weak surface from the pour or ice melt eating at young concrete. Once it starts it keeps going, and rough, broken treads hold water and get slick.
How we build concrete steps
On a replacement we break out the old steps and haul them off, then dig past the loose dirt to the subgrade, the ground the steps sit on, and pack the base hard. We set forms so each tread sheds water away from your door, tie in rebar, the steel inside that holds the concrete together if it cracks, and pour. Then we give the treads a broom finish, a light texture so your shoes grip when they're wet, and let the concrete cure before anyone uses them. If the budget's tight, cut the fancy finish and keep the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and everybody sees it when the steps start to lean.
Steps usually lean on something else. On a new house or addition we can plan them with the slab foundation or the foundation installation so the steps and the house meet the way they should. If the sidewalk up to your door has heaved too, it's worth pouring on the same trip.
Poured solid steps
These suit you if you want the sturdiest steps you can get, formed on site to fit your entry. I'll tell you plainly this is the one I'd pick for my own house.
Precast steps
These suit you if you'd rather have steps made off site and set in place. Expect them to be hollow, and if that's fine with you, it's your call.
Steps and landing together
This suits you when the landing at the door has sunk along with the steps. Fixing one and leaving the other just moves the problem a few feet.
Get a written estimate for your new steps
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at your steps and send you a written estimate, free and with no obligation.
- Based in
- Kirkland, WA 98033
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about concrete steps in Kirkland?
Here's how a steps job runs from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and who you'll be dealing with at each point.
Call or send the form
Tell us your address, how many steps you have and whether you lean toward poured or precast. We get back to you to set a time for me to come look.
Look at the site together
I walk your steps and what they connect to with you and check which city or county office covers your address. Then I send a written estimate you can hold any other bid against.
Prep the ground, then pour
Once you're set, we dig out, pack the base and build the forms before the concrete arrives, then pour and finish. If your job needs a permit, we plan the start around the approval and the inspections.
Walk the finished steps together
When it's done, we walk the job with you and go over when the steps are ready for weight. We also cover how to treat them through the first winter.
Why Kirkland homeowners call Precision Kirkland Concrete for steps
I estimate it and pour it
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site with our crew when we pour. The person who told you what your steps need is the one making sure they get it.
Running this business since 2020
I learned on small pours and other people's crews before starting this business in 2020. Six years in, I'll tell you most step trouble starts under the concrete, so that's where I look first.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're licensed and insured. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the state, so ask any bidder for proof and look them up with L&I's contractor lookup.
On steps, the part that matters most is the part you won't see once it's poured. Ask for an estimate and I'll show you what's under your old ones.
Concrete steps, slabs and foundations in Kirkland
The City of Kirkland requires a permit before you build or repair a building, and its list of work that skips a permit names sidewalks, decks and driveways but not concrete steps. That list doesn't settle whether your steps need one, so check with the city before work starts. Those exemptions only count outside flood hazard, wetland, steep slope, shoreline and other critical areas, and you can run a Parcel Report with the city's Property Search Tool to see whether your address falls in one. If we're digging out an old stoop, ask whether the city's clearing and grading permit applies too, since it covers work that disturbs the ground. Applications go in online through MyBuildingPermit.com, and city staff review them for code and safety. We check which office covers your address before we start, and when your job needs a permit, we can file it for you or help you file it.
Around Kirkland we see plenty of front stoops that have settled away from the house and steps climbing from the street up to a raised door. The fix is the same on jobs in Bellevue and Redmond, a base dug out and packed hard and treads that shed water away from your door. We're based in Kirkland and take jobs across King County and south Snohomish County.
Questions about concrete steps in Kirkland
Are poured concrete steps stronger than precast steps?
Yes, solid steps poured in place are the stronger and more durable choice. Solid precast steps are rarely available, so precast usually means hollow. If you want the sturdiest steps, plan on a poured job, and if precast suits you better, we'll set them.
How much do concrete steps cost near Kirkland?
Installing concrete steps in the Seattle area usually costs about $700 to $5,500 per job. That's the going rate for the work around here, not a quote from us. Where your steps land in that range is what the written estimate is for.
What concrete mix holds up best to frost and deicers on steps?
Air-entrained concrete, which has tiny air bubbles worked into the mix, holds up better to freezing, thawing and deicing chemicals. Those bubbles also lower its strength, so it's a choice worth talking through. Ask any contractor whether their mix uses it, and I'll tell you what we're ordering for your steps and why.
How do I care for new concrete steps the first winter?
Keep deicers off them that first winter and use them in moderate amounts after that, which is what one concrete trade group advises along with curing the concrete properly. New concrete is still toughening up, and ice melt is hard on it. The same group suggests considering a breathable commercial sealer on new concrete, which we can talk over when we finish.
Should I patch flaking concrete steps or replace them?
Patch them if the steps are solid and you can live with the look, because repair material won't match the color or character of the old concrete and the patch will show. If the steps rock, lean or have pulled from the house, a patch on top doesn't touch the real problem, and new steps make more sense.
What causes concrete steps to pull away from the house?
Usually it's a soft base underneath that settles and lets the steps tip away from the wall. Steps set on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed go down with that dirt. Water running toward the steps speeds it up, which is why we look at where the water goes before we form anything.
Work that often goes with new steps
Slab foundation building
Building a house or addition on a slab? Planning the entry steps along with the slab foundation means the steps and the floor they meet line up from the start.
Foundation installation
When new steps rest against a new foundation wall, we work out how the two meet during the foundation work, so the steps aren't fighting the house later.
Concrete sidewalk building
If the walk leading up to your steps has heaved or cracked, pouring a new sidewalk on the same visit gives you one even path to the door.
Areas we build concrete steps in
Precision Kirkland Concrete is based in Kirkland, WA, and the 12 areas below each have their own page, from Woodinville to Kenmore. We take jobs in plenty of nearby cities that aren't listed, so if yours isn't here, call and ask.
Kirkland, WA
Get a price on new concrete steps
If you've pulled a Parcel Report for your address, have it handy when I come out, because it tells us early whether your lot sits in an area the city treats differently.