Concrete Steps Construction in Hastings NE - Steps that come out even top to bottom
Crumbling, tipping or uneven steps at your door? We build new concrete steps, precast or poured, that sit solid and climb evenly.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into building new concrete steps in Hastings?
Concrete steps construction in Hastings means replacing a worn entry with new steps, either poured in place over forms and steel or set as a precast unit, so you get a solid, even climb to your door.
Most calls about steps start with a set that's cracked, crumbling or pulling away from the house, and by then patching usually won't hold. The price moves with how many steps and how big a landing you need, whether we're breaking out old concrete and whether you go precast or poured, while the schedule turns mostly on that same choice, the cure time and whether your job needs a permit. Your written estimate says what's included, and if the walk up to the door is in rough shape too, we can look at the sidewalk on the same visit.
How do you know your concrete steps need replacing?
A gap at the house
If you can slide a hand between the top step and the wall, the fill under the steps has usually settled or the steps were never tied to anything solid. Water runs into that gap and down along the foundation, and the gap tends to widen every winter you wait.
Crumbling edges and flaking
Chipped step edges and a top layer flaking off usually come from water freezing in the concrete and from salt on the treads. Once the surface starts to go it keeps going, and broken edges turn into a trip hazard right at your door.
A landing that tips back
When water puddles on the landing or runs toward the threshold, the slab has usually sunk or was poured without enough fall away from the house. Waiting lets water soak under your door and along the foundation, which is a bigger repair than the steps.
How we build concrete steps
I start by going over precast versus poured with you, since precast gets your door back sooner and poured is built in place to fit your entry. Then our crew breaks out the old steps and checks the subgrade, the dirt and base the new steps sit on, because loose fill underneath is the usual reason a set settles and pulls away from the house. Before any forms go up, we lay out the whole rise so the steps come out even top to bottom, which is what keeps you from catching a toe on one tall step. For poured steps we set the forms and the rebar, steel bars that hold the concrete together if it cracks, then pour, give the treads a broom finish, a light texture that gives your shoes grip when it's wet or icy, and let the steps cure, the wait while concrete gains its strength, before the forms come off. If the budget's tight, I'd trim the finish before the base every time I'm asked, because nobody sees the base on day one but you'll see it the day the steps start to lean.
Steps lean on whatever they're tied to, so on new homes and additions we plan the entry along with the slab foundation building or foundation installation underneath it. That way the steps have something solid to connect to instead of getting set on backfill as an afterthought.
Precast steps
A precast set is made at a plant, trucked out and set and secured at your door, so it suits a standard entry where you need the door back in use soon. The trade-off is that you pick from set sizes rather than having steps shaped to your house.
Poured-in-place steps
Poured steps are formed, reinforced and poured right at your entry, so they fit odd heights, wide landings or steps that need to tie into the house. You'll wait longer for the cure before you can use them, which is worth planning around.
Get a written estimate for your new steps
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out myself for a free estimate with no obligation, then write up what's included.
(402) 512-8901- Based in
- Hastings, NE 68901
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about new steps in Hastings?
Here's how a steps job runs with us, from your first call to the day the last form board leaves your yard.
Call and set a visit
When you call, I'll ask a few questions about your entry and set a time to come out and see it myself.
Walk the entry with me
I'll measure the rise, look at what the old steps sit on and talk through precast or poured, the mix, the finish and the drainage. You get a written estimate that says what's included, so the price isn't a guess.
Sort out the permit first
Once you're ready, we handle the paperwork with the right office before we build. If Hastings issues a permit for your steps, a complete application for a one- or two-unit home is usually ready in about five to seven business days, as long as no changes are needed.
Build, cure and clean up
Our foreman leads the crew through tear-out, layout, forms, steel and the pour, and I stop by to check on it. Once the steps have cured enough, we strip the forms and clean up before we call it finished.
Why Hastings homeowners call Hastings Concrete for steps
I measure and price it myself
I come out to look at your entry and write the estimate, so the person pricing your steps is the one who measured them. You'll know what you're paying for before we start, and you can call me with questions along the way.
In business since 2013
I spent years running crews for another contractor before starting this business in 2013. Those pours taught me that what's under the concrete and where the water goes matter as much as the finish you see.
We're licensed and insured
Nebraska requires every contractor to register with the state before doing construction work, though the state says registration doesn't vouch for quality. Hastings also asks each company working in the city for a current copy of its liability insurance every year, so it's fair to ask anyone you're weighing to show you theirs.
Even risers and a solid base are what you'll feel every day you use those steps, so set up a visit and I'll come measure your entry.
Concrete steps and the entry work around them in Hastings
The City of Hastings requires a building permit for new buildings and for alterations or additions to existing ones, but that list doesn't name steps on their own, so whether yours need one isn't settled until someone checks. If you'd like to ask yourself, the city's Development Services staff or the Building Official take questions at 402-461-2331. We're based in Hastings, and on every job we find out whether the city or the county covers your address and help you through the permit and inspection steps your job calls for.
On entries around here we see a lot of steps set on loose fill against older foundations, then worked over by freeze and thaw and a winter's worth of salt. We see the same thing on jobs in Grand Island, so we look hard at what new steps will rest on and make sure the landing sheds water away from your door.
Questions about concrete steps in Hastings
Should I choose precast or poured concrete steps?
Choose precast if you need your entry back fast and poured if you want steps built to fit and can wait for them. One contractor puts precast installs at a single day in most cases, while poured steps take several days or even weeks. We'll weigh it with you at your door, since the shape of your entry often settles it.
How much do new concrete steps cost in Hastings?
Installed poured concrete steps across the US usually cost about $200 to $500 per step, and that's a national figure, not our price. Your number depends on how many steps, the landing, tearing out the old set and how the steps are supported, and your written estimate spells out what's included. We back the work with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
What is the best way to support concrete steps so they don't sink?
Give them real support, whether that's resting on prepared ground, tying into a landing or the house foundation, or building them as a stair that spans. That choice sets the steel and the footing, and a decorative set may need more under it than uncompacted fill. We decide it after looking at your entry and what it connects to.
How do I care for new concrete steps in winter?
Hold off on deicing salt and chemicals on new steps, even when the surface looks hard. New outdoor concrete needs time to cure and build its strength before hard freezes and deicers hit it, so use sand for grip until then.
What causes concrete steps to crumble in Nebraska winters?
Water freezing and thawing in the concrete, along with deicing salt, breaks down the surface until it flakes off, which the trade calls scaling. Air-entrained concrete holds tiny air bubbles that help it stand up to freeze-thaw and salt scaling, though the added air does lower its strength some. That's one of the mix choices we talk through at the estimate.
How do I make sure new concrete steps come out even?
Ask the contractor whether they lay out the whole rise before building forms, because small errors across several risers can leave the top or bottom step out of code. Riser height, tread depth, landings, width, handrails and guards can all be set by the building code, so the layout has to be right before any concrete shows up.
Foundation work that ties into your new steps
Slab foundation building
If you're building a new house, garage or addition on a slab, the entry steps can be planned right into it so they tie in cleanly.
Foundation installation
When a new home or addition needs a full foundation, getting the walls and footings right first gives your steps something solid to connect to later.
Service areas for concrete steps near Hastings
Hastings Concrete is based in Hastings, Nebraska, and builds steps there and in Grand Island. Those are the 2 areas with their own page here, and we also work in the cities around them.
Hastings, NE
Get your new steps measured and priced
Have your address, the number of steps and a few photos of your entry ready, and the first call goes quicker.