Sidewalks & Steps in Hamden, CT

Sidewalks & Steps get hit from every direction. Roots lift front-walk squares, public sidewalk panels tilt and split, and the stoop at the door settles, leans or separates from the house. Point2Homes' summary of Census data puts close to half of Hamden's homes before 1960, so many original walks and steps here are simply worn out.

We replace sidewalk squares, pour new front and side walks, and form new stoops and step runs. The targets are flat surfaces, consistent risers, and water that drains off instead of freezing in place.

Snow, ice and the walk in front of your house

Hamden's Section 96.31 adopts Connecticut General Statutes 7-163a. That statute gives the owner or person in control of land beside a public sidewalk a duty of care for ice and snow on the adjoining stretch of walk, so its condition is your concern as well as the town's. Lifted squares snag shovels and boots, dips hold water that refreezes, and worn tops get slick. A level, broomed walk with proper cross slope is much easier to keep safe.

Warning signs

• Lips where one square sits above the next.
• Squares broken into several pieces or dished in the middle.
• Puddles that turn to ice overnight.
• A stoop tipping toward the house or opening a gap at the foundation.
• Steps of different heights, a common cause of falls.
• Crumbling nosings and wobbly railings.

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Building a walk

• The old concrete is sawn and removed, and shallow roots are handled where the tree can tolerate it.
• Compacted stone goes in as the base.
• Forms get a slight cross pitch so water runs off the side.
• Air-entrained concrete is placed, broomed across the direction of travel and jointed evenly.
• Edges are tooled to resist shovel damage.

Building steps

Steps are formed on site with uniform rise and run so each one feels the same underfoot. We make the top landing big enough that you can step back while a storm door swings open. Treads get a slight pitch to drain and a textured finish, and we leave room for a railing where one is needed. If the old stoop sits on fill that has sunk, it comes out and the new one goes on firm support.

Approvals for public walks

Work in the public right-of-way can need town sign-off, and requirements change. We confirm what your address needs before scheduling street-side work.