Concrete Sidewalk Building in Lafayette LA - a smooth, level walk to your door
Tripping over a cracked, heaved walk or a muddy path? We build a new concrete sidewalk on packed ground, sloped so water runs off.
What does it take to build a concrete sidewalk in Lafayette?
Concrete sidewalk building in Lafayette means laying out the path, digging it out, packing a firm base and pouring a walk that gives you a level, dry way from the street or driveway to your door.
Most people call us when the old walk has cracked and heaved, holds puddles after every rain, or was never poured and the path to the door is mud. B&R Lafayette Concrete Construction is fully licensed and insured, based in Lafayette and working in the cities around it, and I learned this trade on forms and grade work, so I start with the ground. The price mostly follows the walk's length and width and how much digging and base work the path needs, and the schedule turns on the permit check for your address and the weather on pour day, so your written estimate lists what's included and what isn't.
What happens after you call us about a new sidewalk?
Call or send the form
When you call or send the form, we set a time that suits you for me to come out and see the spot. We answer from 6 AM to 11 PM on weekdays and 8 AM to 9 PM on weekends, so an evening call is fine.
I visit and write the estimate
I see the spot, ask how you'll use the walk and look at where water goes, because a walk that drains toward the house causes trouble. You get a written estimate that lists what's included and what isn't, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
We check the permit first
Before anything is scheduled, we check with the permit office for your address. Once that's settled, we set the pour for a day the weather allows.
Our crew builds the walk
On the work days our crew lead runs the job with our finishers, and I come by to check the work and answer your questions. When the walk is finished, we clean up and tell you when it's ready to walk on.
How we build a concrete sidewalk, and the work that connects to it
Before we form a walk, I like to walk the path with you to spot trees, ditches and utility lines, because Lafayette's sidewalk standards route walks around them and it's far easier to move a line on the ground than in concrete. Our crew then digs out the soil and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, because a walk poured on raked dirt settles with the dirt. We set the forms so the walk falls away from your house, pour it and give it a broom finish, a light texture that keeps your footing when it's wet. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a chosen place to crack as it shrinks, and the city's standards space them about as far apart as the walk is wide. Heat and wind pull water out of fresh concrete fast, and a sunny, windy day calls for more care than a calm, humid one at the same temperature, so we plan the pour around the weather and take extra care while the walk cures, the wait while it hardens before you use it. If the budget is tight, I'd rather keep the money in the base than the finish, because nobody sees the base the day we pour, but a handsome surface on poorly packed ground settles anyway.
Where the walk crosses your driveway, cars will roll over it, so Lafayette's standards call for that stretch to be at least six inches thick or as thick as the driveway, whichever is greater, with expansion joints, small gaps that let the slabs move, on either side of the driveway, and we plan that stretch with your driveway in mind. If the walk leads to the garage and the floor in there is cracked or sinking, I can look at garage floor concrete on the same visit. And if you'd like more than a plain broom finish, our decorative concrete work can give the walk a color or pattern that suits your patio or entry.
Get a written estimate for your new sidewalk
Tell us roughly how long the walk will be, where it meets the driveway and any trees, ditches or utility lines along the path. We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation.
Sidewalk questions from Lafayette homeowners
How much does it cost to build a concrete sidewalk in Lafayette?
The cost of a new sidewalk depends mostly on how long and wide it is, how much soil has to come out and base go back in, and whether part of it crosses a driveway and has to be poured thicker. Roots, a ditch along the route or a tight spot for the crew add work, and a decorative finish costs more than a plain broom finish. I'll walk the path with you and put the cost in a written estimate that lists what's included and what isn't.
How do I get a permit to build a sidewalk in Lafayette, LA?
Permits come from the permitting division of Lafayette Consolidated Government, which handles them in the City of Lafayette and unincorporated Lafayette Parish, where most construction needs a permit before work begins. We check with the permit office for your address before any work starts, and when a permit is needed, we take care of the application and keep you informed.
Who can build a concrete sidewalk on my property in Louisiana?
Under state rules, a home improvement job over $7,500 and up to $50,000 has to be bid or done by a registered home improvement contractor or a licensed contractor. The state's licensing rules also have a specialty class for concrete work that covers sidewalks along with driveways, patios, curbs and foundations, so it's fair to ask anyone who bids how they're licensed. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm glad to answer that question at the estimate.
What causes a new sidewalk to come out weak when it's poured in hot weather?
Heat speeds up how fast the cement reacts and how fast water leaves the fresh concrete, which makes it harder to place and cure and can leave a weaker walk. That damage can't be fully undone later, so the care has to happen on pour day. Adding water to make a stiffening mix easier to work can lower its strength too, so it's worth asking any crew how they handle the mix on a hot day.
Can I put a fence where the sidewalk runs in a Lafayette subdivision?
No, owners in Lafayette developments may not build fences or other structures, even temporary ones, in the designated sidewalk servitude, the strip of the lot set aside for the walk. Anything built there is removed at the owner's expense. The city's standards also run the sidewalk across the full front of the lot, and corner lots with a street on more than one side are included.
How wide does a sidewalk need to be in Lafayette?
Lafayette's sidewalk standards set a sidewalk at least six feet wide where it runs next to the curb or the edge of the pavement, and at least five feet wide elsewhere. Those are the city's standards rather than a rule for every walk in a yard, so for a walk up to your door we settle the width with you on site and ask about it when we check with the permit office for your address.
Other concrete work near your walk
Garage floor concrete
A cracked, stained or sinking garage floor is often the next thing homeowners notice once a new walk leads right up to the garage door.
Decorative concrete
When a plain gray walk won't suit the front of your house, a colored or patterned finish can tie the walk to your patio, steps and entry.
Call to plan your new sidewalk
Call (337) 216-1997 or send the form while the path is still clear, because laying out the route before fences, beds or plantings go in saves moving them later.