Concrete steps construction in Auburn ME - steps that feel even from top to bottom
Front steps tipping, crumbling or pulling away from the house? We build new concrete steps that sit solid and feel even underfoot.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into building new concrete steps in Auburn?
Concrete steps construction in Auburn, ME means building new outdoor steps that rest on the ground, tie into a landing or your foundation, or span as a stair, so you end up with an entry that's solid and even underfoot. How the steps are supported decides the steel inside them and the footing and frost details below them.
Most calls start with front or back steps that have sunk at one end, chipped along the edges or pulled away from the house, and the cause is usually what's under them, not the concrete itself. The price moves with how many steps you need, how tall the rise is, whether there's a landing, and whether the steps tie into the house or need their own footing. The schedule mostly turns on the weather and the ground. If the walk up to the door is cracked too, it often makes sense to redo the sidewalk at the same time. We're based in Auburn and work in plenty of the cities around it, and your written estimate puts your own number on the job.
How we build concrete steps
Steps get used every day, so I lay out the whole rise from your door sill down to the walk before we build a single form, because that keeps the top and bottom steps from coming out taller or shorter than the rest. Then we dig out the subgrade, which is the ground the steps sit on, and pack a solid base instead of raking loose fill level. We set the forms and the rebar, the steel bars that hold the concrete together when it wants to crack, pitch the treads so water runs off, and pour. The treads get a broom finish, a light dragged texture that gives your shoes some grip when it's wet, and then the concrete cures, which is the slow wait while it hardens before it takes real use. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you skip a fancy finish than cut corners on the base, because nobody sees the base the day we leave and everybody sees it once the steps start tipping.
Steps rarely stand on their own. On a new build, we plan them alongside the foundation installation so the landing ties into the wall the way it should, and when an addition or garage goes on a slab foundation, we set the step heights off that finished floor.
Poured in place steps
Poured steps are formed and cast right at your door, so they suit an entry with an odd height, a landing or a shape a stock set won't fit. They can tie into the house or sit on their own footing, which is the way to go when the steps need to stay put.
Precast step sets
Precast steps are cast ahead of time and set in place as one piece, so they suit a simple entry with a standard rise where you want the job done quickly. I'll give you a straight answer on whether your entry is one of them.
What changes concrete steps construction in Auburn
Auburn's permit list names building permits and fill and excavation work but not concrete steps, so it doesn't settle whether yours need a permit, and I won't tell you they don't. Before we book the job, we check with the city on what it needs, and if a permit is called for, we handle the application. That check matters most for steps that tie into a foundation or sit on their own footing, because the depth a footing has to go is a number the city sets, and the Code Enforcement Officer is the one who has it.
The old steps we tear out here, in Lewiston and over in Portland have usually settled away from the door because they were set on loose fill, so the base under new steps gets its own plan. Maine law also says any home construction job over $3,000 in materials or labor needs a written contract that you and I both sign, with a copy for each of us before any work begins.
Why Auburn homeowners call Sterling Auburn Concrete for their steps
The owner measures and runs it
I'm based in Auburn, I come out to look at your entry and give the estimate myself, and I lead the crew that builds the steps. The person who measured your rise is the one standing there when the forms go up, so nothing gets lost in a handoff.
Pouring concrete since 2013
I started this business in 2013 after learning the trade on other crews, and the first concrete I ever poured was a barn floor on the family farm. Thirteen years in, I still spend most of my time on what's under the concrete, because that's where steps go wrong.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured. That covers you and your property while our crew is digging, forming and pouring at your door.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise, and I hold the work to it. I want your steps to still look right years from now, not just the day we leave.
Steps that feel right on the first stair and the last one start with a good look at the entry. Tell us about your steps and I'll come out to measure.
Request a quoteGet a free estimate on new concrete steps
We reply within one business day, and the estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. Once your form comes in, I set a time to come out, look at your entry, measure it and ask how you'll use it.
What happens after you call about new steps?
Call and set up a visit
You call or send the form, and I come out to look at your entry, measure the rise and ask how you'll use the steps. Point out what bugs you about the old ones, since that usually tells me the cause.
Get your written estimate
You get a written estimate for the job, so you see the cost on paper before anything is booked. Nothing moves until you say you're ready.
Check permits, set the date
Once you're ready, we check what the local permit office needs and set a pour date that suits the job. Then we get the base right before any concrete shows up.
Pour, cure and walk it
We pour and finish the steps and cure them properly before anyone puts weight on them. Before we pack up, we walk the finished steps with you.
Frequently asked questions
How much do concrete steps cost in Auburn, ME?
Installed poured concrete steps across the US usually cost about $200 to $500 per step, and that's a national figure, not our price. Where your job lands depends on the height of the rise, whether there's a landing or railing to set, and whether the steps need their own footing. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your entry.
Are precast concrete steps a good idea in a cold climate like Maine?
Precast steps cost less and go in fast, but they sit on the ground surface, so frost can move them. One national cost guide puts it that way, saying precast sets cost significantly less per step and can be installed in hours, but in cold climates they're vulnerable to frost heave, which is the ground swelling and lifting as it freezes. For an entry you use every day I usually lean toward poured, and I'll tell you straight once I've seen yours.
Can concrete steps be poured late in the year in Maine?
Yes, as long as the ground under them isn't frozen, because concrete placed on frozen ground is likely to settle unevenly and crack once it thaws. We pour on thawed ground, which can push the start date back when the frost comes early. A fall pour also needs a sand plan, since a Michigan concrete trade group advises keeping deicer to a minimum until the concrete is a year old and using sand for traction, and steps poured in October or November may not get enough drying time before the salt comes out.
Which Auburn office takes permit applications for concrete steps?
In Auburn, Permitting and Code Enforcement takes building permit applications and Public Works takes fill and excavation applications, and completed applications go back to Auburn Hall at 60 Court Street. That's who we check with before we book. For your own questions, the city points you to the departments on its permit page.
What causes concrete steps to crack and flake in a Maine winter?
Usually it's water freezing and thawing in concrete that wasn't set up to handle it, since strong concrete alone doesn't mean steps will hold up to freeze and thaw. The mix's air system, which is tiny bubbles that give freezing water room, its water-to-cement ratio, the finishing, the curing and the drainage all play a part. We put the most care into the parts we control on site, the finish, the cure and where the water goes.
How do I know if my new concrete steps meet code for step height?
Riser height, tread depth, landings, handrails and guards may be set by the building code a city has adopted, and Maine's residential code for one- and two-family homes is a modified version of the International Residential Code. The usual trouble is a small error repeated across several risers, which can put the top or bottom step out of code, and that's what laying out the full rise first is for. If your city has its own requirements, we find them out in the same permit check.
Related concrete work
Slab foundation building
If your steps lead off a new addition, garage or sunroom, the slab under it sets the finished floor height, and that height decides how many steps you'll need outside.
Foundation installation
Building a new house or replacing a failing foundation is the best time to plan the entry, since steps that tie into the wall need a solid footing to bear on.
Auburn, ME
Book a look at your front steps
Have the number of steps, a few photos of the entry and your preferred start date handy when you call (207) 707-4423, email service@concreteauburn.com or send the form, and the visit goes quicker.