Merrillville Indiana Concrete Steps for Ranch Homes

After the last hard freeze, you can see how the winter went on the front stoop. The salt crust melts, and the chips show up along the nosing. Concrete Steps in Merrillville show that wear on ranch and split-level entries. But the rise off the walk is short on the ranches we work on. People come home through that same spot every evening. So the wear shows up fast once the ice is gone.

When the thaw comes, we start getting calls about front steps. A tread looks fine under the snow. Then the surface flakes, or one side of the run sits lower than the other. We’ve worked on ranch houses in Merrillville, Indiana with a short run and a small landing. Split-levels we’ve worked on had a longer run up to the main door.

We’ve pulled up steps and found the surface gone to gravel. Salt and freeze-thaw cycles do that to a worn surface. Then water sits in the pores, freezes, and the surface scales off. After enough winters, the nosing rounds off and the tread holds a puddle. So people grind that weak spot on every trip in and out.

Replacing Concrete Steps in Merrillville, Indiana After the Thaw

Because the steps sit in the same salt and ice as the walk, we treat spalled treads as a steps job. Spalled treads get their own forms and their own pour. A finished run has a straight nosing and a broom finish you can walk on when it’s wet. On a ranch, we form the steps with the landing so the nosing lines up with the door. Split-level runs need an even rise so each step feels the same on the way up. Then we set the base before we pour. When the old steps have settled, we’ve found soft soil under them. So we dig out the soft material and build the base back up before the forms go in.

But the walk beside the steps may need work on the same visit. For example, upper walks and service walks pick up the same salt. We can tear out and replace that section while the forms are up. Concrete removal is part of that visit. For a house where guests see the entry first, the work also covers curb appeal. We’ll talk through the look you want before we set forms. Colored concrete is an option on the entry if you want it.

Concrete Steps in Merrillville, Indiana When a Run Has Settled

Settlement is a different call on Concrete Steps in Merrillville. When one side drops, the landing pulls away from the foundation. Then the door sweep starts to drag. We’ve reset runs where the bottom tread had sunk and held water against the house. So a skim coat over that low spot leaves the settlement in place. We remove the old concrete and rebuild the base. Then we pour the run back as one piece.

Forms have to match the house. On a split-level, the run may turn at a landing. We build that turn into the forms before the truck shows up. Because the entry sits in salt, we order the mix for exterior work. We ask for air in the mix so the concrete can handle freeze-thaw. After the pour, we finish the treads with a light broom so wet shoes still get a grip.

Concrete Steps in Merrillville with a cracked landing need a full replacement. A surface patch sits on top of the break. The visit can stay at the steps. It can also pick up a short service walk or the upper walk while the crew sets up. Residential concrete work like that fits the removal and the pour-back. You can see finished entries in our photo gallery.

Quotes for Concrete Steps in Merrillville, Indiana

The wider list of what we pour is on our concrete steps work. Walks and concrete replacement are on that list with the steps. We do residential concrete on these entries along with the step run. Because the same crew does the removal, a walk can go in on that visit too. More on the family business is on the about us page.

Cabe’s Concrete is family owned, and we’ve been pouring in Northwest Indiana since 2006. We work across the Tri-State area as well. When we price the job, we write the quote out line by line. You can see the labor and the material on separate lines. We do not inflate the price of material to make a few extra dollars. Because we value the hours, we lose a bid when a competitor prices less time on the same job.