Concrete Steps Construction in McAllen TX - steady steps that fit your entrance
Cracked, sinking or crumbling front steps? We plan how we reach your door and how you get in, then build steps that sit solid.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does building new concrete steps in McAllen involve?
Concrete steps construction in McAllen, TX, means building new steps at your entrance, either as a precast set made before delivery and placed at your door, or as poured steps cast right at your house in temporary wooden molds we call forms.
Most calls start with steps that have cracked, settled away from the house or chipped too much to trust, and the first question is usually what new ones will run. The price moves with how many steps you need, whether there's a landing, how much old concrete has to come out and how hard it is to get to your door. The schedule turns on how long poured concrete needs to cure and on any city paperwork, and how you'll get in and out meanwhile matters as much as either. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate after I've looked at the entrance and measured it myself.
How can you tell your concrete steps need replacing?
Cracks running across the treads
A crack that runs across a step or splits off a corner usually means the steps have moved, often because the dirt under them settled. Left alone, water gets in, the pieces shift apart and the step turns into a trip hazard at your own door.
A gap opening against the house
When the top step pulls away from the wall or the porch, the ground under the steps has usually sunk or washed out. That gap gives rain a path down beside your foundation, so it's worth a look before it gets wider.
Water pooling on the steps
Puddles that sit on the treads, or a landing that tips toward your door, mean the steps were set without enough slope to shed water. Standing water makes the steps slick and wears at the surface until it starts chipping.
How we handle concrete steps construction
Steps come down to how we reach your door and how you'll get in while we work, so I sort out both at the estimate before anything else. Then we break out the old steps, mark where the new run goes and dig out roots and soft dirt instead of raking it level, because loose dirt settles and takes the steps down with it. We pack the subgrade, the ground the steps sit on, set the forms and the steel, and pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't set weak and dusty. A broom finish, a light texture dragged across the wet treads, gives your feet some grip, and then the steps cure, staying damp while the concrete gains strength. If the budget gets tight, I'd give up a fancier finish before I'd cut the base, because nobody sees the base after day one but it decides whether the steps stay put.
Steps tie into the house, so sometimes the real problem sits behind them. When the slab they land against has its own trouble, we look at slab foundation building before setting new steps against it, and when you're building an addition with its own door, foundation installation comes first and the steps follow.
Precast steps
A precast set is made before delivery and set in place, which suits a standard-size entrance with a clear path for the truck and the lifting equipment. You get a ready-made set in a standard shape, placed on a base we prepare.
Poured steps
Poured steps are built in forms right at your entrance, which suits odd sizes, a wide landing or a spot a delivered set can't reach. They can be shaped to your doorway, and they need more days before you use them because the concrete has to cure.
Get a written price for new concrete steps
Tell us whether these steps are your main way in and about any fence or narrow side yard. We respond within 1 business day to set up a free estimate at your property, no pressure and no obligation.
- Based in
- McAllen, TX 78501
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call us about new steps?
Here's how a steps job goes from your first call to the day you walk through that door again, and who handles each part of it.
Call or send the form
Call (956) 331-0213 or use the form and tell us a little about the steps. We set a time for me to come out and see them.
I measure and ask questions
I come out, look at the old steps, the ground and the route to your door, ask a lot of questions and take my own measurements. You get a written estimate that spells out precast or poured, the base work, the price and where you'll get in while we work.
Line up any city paperwork
If your steps need a city permit or an inspection, we help you line it up before the pour. That way the pour date is planned around it instead of waiting on it.
Build, cure and walk through
Our crew does the work with me on the job while you use the other entrance we agreed on. When we're done, I walk the steps with you and tell you when you can use that door again.
Why McAllen homeowners call Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction for steps
I measure and stay on site
I'm the one who comes out to look at your steps, and I'm on the job while our crew builds them. The person who planned your way in during the work is the one standing there keeping it open.
Learned on a McAllen crew
I learned concrete on a crew here in McAllen, pouring foundations and flatwork, which covers driveways, patios and walks. I started this business in 2017, and the jobs we're known for are the ones with a catch, like a tight entrance or an odd slope.
Licensed and insured at your door
We're licensed and insured. That matters on steps, where our crew works right against your house on the path everyone uses.
Plain answers before the pour
If I can't tell what's under the old steps until they're broken out, I'll tell you that at the estimate rather than guess. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
When you're ready, tell us about your entrance or call (956) 331-0213, and I'll come take a look.
Concrete steps, slabs and foundations in McAllen
McAllen's Building Permits and Inspections Department issues permits to build or change a building, and its list of work that needs no permit names things like painting and finish work, not concrete steps. That list doesn't settle your job one way or the other, and the city's general rule is that building, altering, repairing or improving calls for a permit, with questions sent to its Building Code Compliance Department. So I don't guess. If your steps need a permit or inspection, we help you line it up and plan the pour around it, and if it's unclear, we check with the city office that covers your address.
We're based in McAllen and work here and in the cities around it, and a lot of what we replace is a short run at the front door that has settled or tips water back toward the house. Before we set forms, we check where the water runs and give the steps and the ground beside them enough slope to send it away from the door, the same as on jobs in Pharr and Edinburg.
Questions about concrete steps in McAllen
How much do concrete steps cost in McAllen?
Across the US, a five-step set of concrete steps, with a landing when one's needed, usually costs about $500 to $2,500 per job. That's the national market, not a McAllen quote, so I'll put a written number for your entrance in front of you after I've measured it.
Are precast or poured concrete steps better for my entrance?
Neither one lasts longer just because of how it's built, so the better pick is usually the one that suits your entrance. A precast set can fit the doorway and still have no practical way past a fence or through a narrow side yard, while poured work brings the concrete to the door, though we still plan how we get in. Either way, how they hold up comes down to the support under precast steps or the cure on poured ones.
How long until I can use my front door again after new concrete steps?
One contractor puts precast steps at about a day to install in most cases, and poured steps at several days or even weeks to build, cure and be ready to use. Before we start, we agree with you on another way into the house, and I'll tell you when the new entrance is ready, since it stays off limits for a while after the pour or delivery.
How do I get a permit for new concrete steps in McAllen?
You apply through the city's online permit portal, and the Building Permits and Inspections Department issues it. Inspections are requested by calling the city's request line, and if your job needs one, I'll tell you at the estimate.
Can concrete steps be poured in hot weather?
Yes, and the American Concrete Institute's guidance says concrete placed in hot weather generally holds up about as well as concrete poured at normal temperatures, as long as it reaches the right strength and the curing keeps the surface from drying out. The same guidance warns that heat makes fresh concrete set faster and crack more easily, and tempts crews to add water at the site. So we don't water down the mix to buy time, and we keep the new steps damp while they cure.
Will new concrete steps crack like my old ones did?
They can still crack, because concrete does, but there's a big difference between a small crack and steps that split and shift. Step-building guidance recommends rebar, the steel bars set inside the concrete, for wide steps, heavy loads or steps tied into a larger structure, and says even a small stoop benefits from a minimum of it to control cracking. That, plus the packed base I described above, is most of the answer.
Other concrete work around your entrance
Slab foundation building
When the slab under a room or porch has cracked or settled, replacing it gives new steps a sound, level edge to meet at the door.
Foundation installation
Planning an addition, garage or covered porch? It needs a foundation poured to carry it, and new steps at that door can come right after.
Service areas for concrete steps near McAllen
Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction is based in McAllen, TX, and builds concrete steps in the cities around it. Here are 12 of them, including Mission and San Juan, each with its own page.
Send us photos of your entrance
Email a few photos of the door, the old steps and the way to them to info@mcallenconcreteconstruction.com, and I'll show up to the estimate already knowing what to ask.