Concrete steps construction in Tuscaloosa AL - a solid way up to your front door

Poured concrete steps, installed, usually run about $200 to $500 per step across the US, and that's the market's range, not our price. Your number depends on how many steps you need, precast or poured, and what's behind the old ones. Your own figure comes on the written estimate after I've seen the entry.

Precast is usually the better pick for a standard set because it's faster, stronger and cheaper. Poured is the way to go when a plant can't make what your entry needs, and for odd sizes we'll compare a custom precast order with poured. I'll tell you plainly which one I'd pick once I've measured.

A rotted wood sill is the usual surprise, because water often runs behind old steps into the framing for years. We check the sill before anything new goes in, so it's worth leaving room in your budget for that repair in case it's soft.

The City of Tuscaloosa Building and Inspection Division issues permits and does plan reviews and inspections for home and business projects. The city builds residential work to the International Residential Building Code, and the division is where to take code questions. We check with the office for your address and pull the permits our part of the job needs.

Under Alabama law, home construction, remodeling or repair costing more than $10,000, labor and materials included, takes a licensed residential home builder. Acting as your own builder under the homeowner exemption puts at risk your right to file a complaint with the state licensing board and to collect from the Homeowners' Recovery Fund. We're licensed and insured.

Most cracking starts underneath, because a weak base, the layer the steps sit on, can lead to cracks, so we dig it out and pack it first. The usual practice also keeps steps off the house with an isolation joint, a strip of expansion material that lets each move on its own. It's the part nobody sees, so it's the last thing I'd cut.