Concrete sidewalk building in McAllen TX - a walk that keeps its grip when it's wet
Tripping on a tilted walk or tracking mud across the yard? We build a new concrete path that sits flat and sheds water.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a concrete sidewalk in McAllen?
Concrete sidewalk building in McAllen, TX, means planning where the walk runs, digging out and packing the ground under it, and pouring a concrete path reinforced with wire mesh or steel bars, so you end up with a walk that sits flat, sheds rain and keeps its grip when it's wet.
Most people call us because the walk they have is lifting, sinking or holding water, or because there's a dirt path worn across the yard where a walk ought to be. The price mostly comes down to how long and wide the walk is, how much ground has to come out or be built up, whether an old walk or tree roots are in the way and what finish you want. The schedule turns on the weather, the cure, which is the wait while the concrete hardens, and, for a walk out by the street, the city's permit, which we help you line up. If the new walk meets your driveway, we plan the two together so water doesn't get trapped where they join, and I put all of it for your own walk in a written estimate once I've seen it.
How do you know your walk needs replacing?
A dirt path through the grass
When everyone cuts the same line across the yard, the grass dies and the path turns to mud every time it rains. It only gets wider, and the mud ends up on your floors, so that line is usually where the walk should go.
Slabs lifted by tree roots
A section tipped up near a tree usually means roots are growing under it and pushing. Waiting lets that edge climb higher until someone catches a toe, and the root keeps working on the next slab over.
Sunken sections and puddles
A walk that dips or holds water usually sits on dirt that was raked flat instead of dug out and packed, so it settles as the ground does. The low spots get worse with each rain, and water running toward the house instead of away from it is the bigger worry.
How we handle concrete sidewalk building
A walk holds up when its path and the ground under it are right, so I spend more time deciding where it runs than on anything else. We walk the route with you, watch where water goes, keep the line clear of big roots where we can, then dig down and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, so it doesn't settle with the dirt. We set forms so the walk falls slightly away from your house, lay in wire mesh or rebar, the steel that holds the concrete together if it cracks, and pour. The top gets a broom finish, a light brushed texture that keeps its grip in the rain, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack instead of letting it pick its own. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather keep the money in the base and go simpler on the finish, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it decides how the walk looks years from now.
A new walk often runs to a garage that's due for work too, and if your garage slab is cracked or sunken, it makes sense to price garage floor concrete on the same visit so the two meet at the right height. For a walk inside your yard where you'd like color or a pattern, decorative concrete can give it that, though the stretch by the street has its own rules, which I cover further down.
Plain broom-finished walk
This suits most front walks and side paths, because the brushed texture grips when it's wet and it's the simplest walk to build and keep up. It also leaves more of your budget for the ground underneath, which is where I'd want it.
Colored or textured garden path
This suits a walk inside your yard that's as much about looks as getting from the gate to the door. It costs more, so we still settle the base first and make sure the finish you pick has grip in the rain.
Get a written estimate for your new sidewalk
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure the route and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- McAllen, TX 78501
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about a new sidewalk?
Here's how a sidewalk job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through, and where the city's permit and inspections fit along the way.
Call and set a visit
You call (956) 331-0213 or send the form, and I come out to look at the route, ask a lot of questions and take my own measurements. I'll want to see where water goes when it rains and whether the walk reaches the curb.
Get your estimate and permit
You get a written estimate for your walk, and if it needs city paperwork, we help you line it up. The city says a Right-of-Way permit should be issued within two business days once it has the required information, so we set the pour date after that.
We pour, then walk it together
Our crew does the work with me on site, and on a street-side walk the city inspects before any concrete is poured, so we plan the pour around that visit. Once the walk is done and the area is clear of all material and debris, the city does its final inspection and I walk the job with you.
Why McAllen homeowners call Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction for sidewalks
I look at your walk myself
I'm the one who comes out to look at your job, and one of the first things I check is whether the walk reaches the city's strip by the curb, because that changes the paperwork. Our crew does the work with me on site, so the person who planned your route is there for the pour.
In business since 2017
I learned concrete on a crew here in McAllen, pouring flatwork, meaning walks, patios and driveways, along with foundations, before I started this business in 2017. The jobs with an odd slope or an old slab nobody can explain are the ones we're known for.
Licensed and insured on your job
We're licensed and insured. That matters when a crew is digging and pouring on your property, because the risk of the work shouldn't be sitting with you.
Before anything else on a walk, I want to see the ground and where it runs. Tell us about your walk or call (956) 331-0213, and I'll come out to look.
Sidewalks and the city strip by the curb in McAllen
Any sidewalk work out by the street starts with the city. The City of McAllen requires a Right-of-Way permit to build or repair a sidewalk, or to do any type of work in the right-of-way, the public strip outside your property line that takes in the sidewalk and the parkway. When your walk reaches that strip, we help you line up the permit and plan the pour around it, and if you're not sure where your line falls, we'll check with the city office that covers your address.
The soil named for the city is deep and well drained, formed in loamy sediment on nearly level to gently sloping ground, which is good to build on but means rain won't run off a flat walk unless we give it a slope, so we set that fall when we form it. We're based in McAllen and work in the cities around it, and we meet the same flat lots and big shade trees on jobs in Pharr and Mission.
Questions about concrete sidewalks in McAllen
How wide does a sidewalk next to the curb have to be in McAllen?
Under McAllen's design guide, a sidewalk placed next to the curb is at least 5 feet wide. That's the narrowest street-side walk you can plan, so we lay out a walk by the curb from that width up.
Can I use colored concrete or pavers for a sidewalk by the street in McAllen?
Not without the city's approval, because sidewalks in the McAllen right-of-way get a broom finish across the walkway. Exposed aggregate, pavers, tile or colored concrete there need the city's Engineering Department to approve the pattern and finish before construction starts. If you want color, we usually save it for the part of the walk inside your yard.
How much does a concrete sidewalk cost in McAllen?
Installing a concrete sidewalk across the US usually costs about $12 to $14.50 per square foot, and that's a national figure, not our price. For your own figure, I come out, measure the route and write you an estimate. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
What is the best way to pour a concrete sidewalk in South Texas heat?
Pour in the cooler part of the day and start curing right away, because concrete that dries out too fast in the heat can end up with a weak, dusty top. Curing keeps the fresh surface from drying out the wrong way, and it should begin promptly after the finish goes on. If you're planning a summer pour, ask any crew how they'll keep the surface from drying, and we'll walk you through exactly what we do.
Does McAllen charge for sidewalk inspections?
No, the city charges no inspection fees for Right-of-Way work, but a fee applies to each re-inspection. That's one reason we have the base, steel and forms ready before the inspector comes, to give the first visit its best chance.
How long does a McAllen sidewalk permit last?
A Right-of-Way permit covers work completed within 12 months of the permit date, and after that the city requires a new permit. Most walks fit well inside that window, but it's worth knowing if you're getting the permit now and planning to build later.
Concrete work that often goes with a new walk
Garage floor concrete
If the walk ends at a cracked or sunken garage slab, a new garage floor poured to meet it keeps the step between the two even and easy.
Decorative concrete
For a garden path, patio edge or entry inside your yard, color, texture or pattern can make plain concrete fit the look of your house.
Cities where we build concrete sidewalks
Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction is based in McAllen, Texas, and builds sidewalks in McAllen and the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, including Edinburg and Weslaco, and they aren't the only places we work.
Book a look at your sidewalk route
Have the walk's location, a rough length, whether it meets the curb and any finish ideas ready, and I can come out with the right questions.