Cost of sidewalk repair?
We need to level the bluestone sidewalk in front of our house. I’ve gotten estimates that range from $7000 to $2000. The latter seems more appropriate, but I’m totally ignorant of what this sort of thing costs. All that’s required is to lift the panels, add some gravel, and raise the curb a bit. Any…
We need to level the bluestone sidewalk in front of our house. I’ve gotten estimates that range from $7000 to $2000. The latter seems more appropriate, but I’m totally ignorant of what this sort of thing costs. All that’s required is to lift the panels, add some gravel, and raise the curb a bit. Any ideas about the right ball park?
I don’t live in Brooklyn, nor do I own a brownstone, however, I have bluestone sidewalks and just got a quote to do some significant repair, so I thought I’d share the info.
I have a main (parallel to the street) sidewalk that extends about 225 feet (told you I didn’t own a brownstone). The walk is made of 4 foot wide stones varying in length from 3 to nearly 6 feet, about 2.5 inches thick.
I need to have 39 linear feet pulled up and replaced due to fracturing. The contractor has old stone slabs they salvaged from sidewalks they had to pull up and replace with concrete and had the good sense to keep the stone. So, the stone cost is less than one might expect for such big slabs – $6.50 per sqft. Their charge for labor is $9.00 per sqft, which includes pulling up the old, preparing the surface, setting the stones and discarding the debris (nominal disposal fee).
$15.50 per sqft “all in” is competive with prices I’ve seen for setting 1×2 pavers 1 inch thick, so I’ve got a good deal here, but I think that’s primarily due to the material costs for salvaged stones.
I live in Swarthmore PA – a suburb just west of Philly.
We did it two years ago in Ditmas Park and it was $2400. They did a great job. We did not have a sidewalk violation (although it was only a matter of time), so we did not file for a work permit. The guys were quick, had a large crew, were experienced, and did a nice job with that little tool that etches the lines around the edge of each slab. Looked very professional. There’s a lot of work going on in DP in the Spring. I walked around and spoke to crews that were doing work that looked good, then had the two I liked best come give me quotes. Quotes were similar – both used some sort of pricing formula based on square footage.
bottom line, go with the guys who have experience. Ask if they have done previous work and go look at those sidewalks. The gaps should be cement sealed, leveled appropriately. Note that some contractors will warn you that the bluestone may crack into pieces as they pry and lift, so some patching will happen.
forgot to mention that the curb belongs to the city, contractors usually avoid messing with it (more paperwork?), and will level everything, or even cut the bluestone into smaller pieces to line with it.
Cost depends on a number of factors, square feet of bluestone that needs to be leveled, the size of the panels, will the contractor need to file a Dept. of Buildings Work Permit. If you received a sidewalk violation, then you’ll need the Work Permit filed in order to refer to it when you call to have the violation removed. If you’re having this done for personal safety, then the contractor can probably do the work without filing a Work Permit. The permit application cost is low (approx. $85 per x number of feet). No big deal, but contractor charge you more because they have to file all the paperwork at the Dept. and show that they have insurance, workmen compensation, etc.
I had two large pieces of bluestone leveled with some gravel and sand, and approximately 2×6 concrete patch, Work Permit included for $1500 because the job was small. They used four guys with long pry bars.
Thanks, Sam. I wasn’t clear. The curb and a couple of adjacent bluestone panels are sagging due to erosion underneath.
Anyway, thanks for the input.
well, you really cannot raise the curb or the level of the sidewalk because you would not align with your neighbors.
You need to lift the stones, and have the Parks Dept come and trim tree roots, if that is the problem, and then reset with fine gravel and sand at a slight incline towards the curve (so the sidewalk drains properly). Missing pieces need to be fit it. The whole process is not that easy. My guess is whoever gave you the $2000 estimate may not know what they are doing. Stick with someone with experience in this. There are not that many contractors out there that know how to deal with bluestone sidewalks. This is a concrete industry dominated town.