Sidewalks & Walkways in Sparks, NV

Sidewalks and walkways are the concrete you walk on every day: the path from the driveway to the front door, the side-yard walk to the gate and trash cans, the path out to a shed or garden, and the panels along the street. In Sparks, where Wikipedia's climate figures show about 140 nights a year at or below freezing, the biggest problem with walkways is safety. A heaved panel or a low spot that holds water turns into a trip hazard in summer and an ice patch in winter.

Walkway problems worth fixing

• Panels that heaved or dropped, leaving a lip at the joint
• Low spots that hold water and turn to ice
• Scaled or spalled surfaces that feel rough and crumble
• Walks pitched toward the house, sending water to the foundation
• Paths too narrow for bins, a wheelbarrow or a walker
• Builder side yards left as dirt or rock that turn to mud

How we build a walk

A walk is a narrow, thin slab, which makes the base and joint spacing count for more. Soft soil comes out, crushed rock goes in and gets compacted, and forms are set with a slight cross pitch so water runs off one side. The concrete is air-entrained, about 4 inches thick, with a broom texture for footing. Joints go in at a regular interval, roughly equal to the walk's width, so cracks fall at the joints and not across the middle of a panel. Where the walk meets steps, the driveway or the house, expansion material lets each piece move independently.

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Older sidewalks in Sparks

Sparks began as a railroad town in 1904, and the streets around the original town site and Victorian Square have some of the oldest concrete in the city. Point2Homes' Census summary shows about a third of Sparks homes were built before 1980. Walks of that age often have panels pushed up by tree roots or dropped where the soil washed out underneath. When only a few panels are bad, we cut them out at the joints and replace just those sections.

Street sidewalks and the right-of-way

The walk along the street usually belongs to the public right-of-way, even though upkeep often falls on the homeowner. Work there can need city sign-off and has to follow city details for width, cross slope and curb ramps. We find out what applies before quoting street-side work and build those steps into the job.

Walkway design ideas

• A wider front walk, 4 to 5 feet, so two people can walk side by side
• Gentle curves that lead the eye to the front door
• A stamped or colored border to dress up a plain broom finish
• Exposed aggregate for extra traction on shaded paths that stay icy
• A side-yard walk wide enough to roll trash and recycling bins to the curb

Looking after walks in winter

Clear snow before it gets packed down into ice. During a new walk's first winter, use sand for grip and skip salt-based de-icers, which speed up scaling. A sealer every 2 to 3 years keeps water and chemicals out of the surface.