Sidewalks · Columbus Concrete Repair
Sidewalk Replacement in Columbus, OH
Raised and broken walks replaced level, from the public sidewalk to your front door. Request an estimate.
Serving Columbus and 31 nearby towns, from Dublin and Westerville to Grove City
Free Sidewalk Replacement Estimate
Tell us the type of slab, its rough size and what it is doing (cracking, sinking, heaving or flaking). Expect a phone call back to go through it and pick a day to come see the slab.
- Free estimates
- Tear-out and replacement
- Base rebuilt, not patched
- Homes and businesses
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Sidewalk Replacement
Sidewalk Replacement for Columbus, OH
A sidewalk usually gives itself away at the joints. One panel rides up over the next, and the culprit is often a tree root growing underneath or a wet spot that heaves every winter. A panel that sinks and holds a puddle has lost the soil below it, commonly to a downspout or a dripping spigot washing the base away. Long cracks that zigzag across several panels mean the walk was poured thin or without enough base. Any of these leaves a lip that catches a toe, a stroller wheel or the blade of a snow shovel.
Replacement means removing the problem panels, fixing what pushed or dropped them, and pouring new ones that meet their neighbors flush. Roots get cut back only as far as is safe for the tree, low spots get new compacted gravel, and if a downspout has been undermining the walk, you will hear where to send that water instead. Public sidewalks follow the permit and specifications of the city or village, and some owners call after receiving a repair notice. Private walks from the driveway to the porch get the same treatment, often widened at the same time.
What's included
What goes into sidewalk replacements
- 01
Trip-hazard panels
Panels that have lifted or dropped at the joints removed and poured new, flush with the ones that stay.
- 02
Public right-of-way walks
Sidewalks between the yard and the street, built to the permit and specs of the city or village.
- 03
Front and side walkways
Private walks from driveway to door or around the house, replaced and widened if you want more room.
- 04
Root and washout fixes
Attention to the root, low spot or water that moved the old panel, so the new one stays put.
- 05
Joints spaced to the width
Control joints placed so shrinkage cracks fall along straight lines instead of across the middle of a panel.
- 06
Broom finish for grip
A textured surface that gives shoes traction on wet or icy mornings.
Examples
Sidewalk Replacement: examples
Example photos of the type of work.
How it works
Sidewalk Replacement, step by step
- 1
Flag the bad panels
Walk the line, mark every panel with a lip, a sink or a through-crack, and confirm whether it sits in the right-of-way.
- 2
Permit and utilities
Pull the city or village permit for public walks and get buried lines marked through 811 before anything is cut.
- 3
Remove and correct
Saw-cut, break out and haul the old panels, then trim roots, fill low spots and compact a gravel base.
- 4
Pour flush
Form to the surrounding grade, pour, broom and joint, and barricade the walk until it can take foot traffic.
Questions
Sidewalk Replacement questions
Why do sidewalk panels heave in winter and settle in spring?
Wet clay under a walk expands when it freezes and again when it soaks up water, then shrinks back as it dries. Panels sitting directly on that clay ride up and down until the joints no longer line up. A layer of compacted gravel under the new panels drains water away from the clay and keeps the walk at one height.
What affects the price of sidewalk replacement?
Mostly how many panels there are, their size and thickness, and what is under them. Root work, building up low ground, a permit for a public walk, and protecting the lawn and driveway beside it all add to the job. The estimate lists each item so you can see what is driving the total.
Who is responsible for the sidewalk in front of my house?
In many Ohio cities the adjacent property owner is responsible for keeping the public sidewalk in repair, but the rules differ from place to place. Check with your city or village engineering office; some send notices when a walk has a trip hazard. Replacement in the right-of-way normally needs a permit before work begins.
Can I replace just the one panel that sticks up?
Yes, if its neighbors are sound. The raised panel comes out, the cause underneath gets fixed, and a new one is poured to match the height of the panels on each side. If the adjoining panels are cracked or tilted too, doing the whole run together usually makes more sense.
What happens to the tree whose roots lifted the walk?
Roots are trimmed only as far as the tree can tolerate, and sometimes the walk is shifted or curved slightly to give the trunk more room. Street trees can come with their own city rules about root cutting, so that gets checked during the permit step.
Tear-out and replacement
Related work
Driveway Replacement
Partial or full tear-out of cracked, sunken or scaling driveways, rebuilt on compacted gravel with steel.
More on driveway replacement
Concrete Step Replacement
Front steps and stoops that crumble, tilt or pull away from the house, removed and poured new on solid support.
More on concrete step replacement
Concrete Tear-Out & Removal
Breaking out and hauling away old patios, walks, pads, steps and driveways, alone or ahead of a new pour.
More on concrete tear-out & removal
Service area
Sidewalk Replacement around Columbus
We handle sidewalk replacements for homes and businesses in Columbus and these nearby towns:
Franklin County
Pickaway County
Fairfield County
Delaware County
Licking County
Talk to us about sidewalk replacements
Describe the crack, the sinking or the heave, and get a free replacement estimate from someone who will tell you if it can wait.