Concrete sidewalk building in Cupertino CA - a walk that drains right and stays put

Tree roots and soils that swell and shrink usually move a walk, along with dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. The route and the base matter more than stronger concrete, so that's the last place we'd cut the budget. We also cut control joints early, grooves that give a crack a straight line to follow.

Poured concrete in the San Jose area usually costs about $6 to $17 per square foot, and that's a regional planning range, not our price. Where your walk lands depends on its size, how much old concrete comes out and whether a driveway crossing needs a thicker section. Your estimate gives you your own number.

Yes, the state licensing board lists owner-builders working on their own property among those who may be exempt, as long as you do the work yourself or pay your own employees wages. Anyone you hire needs a license unless the job is under $1,000, needs no permit and they work alone, and the board's concrete class covers flat work like walks.

It does if it's a curb or sidewalk meant for public use, because California's building code says those built with private funds must be accessible to people with disabilities. On any walk we pour, we keep the surface even and the finish slip-resistant, which helps whoever uses it.

Set the walk's heights and its slight sideways tilt before any digging, so there are no low spots and runoff heads away from the house. We settle those levels with you at the first visit, and down the road the sealant in the main movement joints may need redoing now and then.