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Concrete Walkways & Steps in Markham
We build and rebuild concrete walkways, front steps and entrances across Markham, from the heritage streets of Unionville, Markham Village and old Thornhill to the new lots in Cornell, Berczy and Greensborough. Markham sits on clay-rich till that swells with water and lifts with frost, so steps that attach to the house need footings below the frost line and every walkway needs a compacted base. Union-certified crews, a free written quote, and a lifetime warranty on labour.
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Reviewed June 2026
Every job is priced individually, not off a price list. Tell us about yours and you get an accurate, no-pressure quote in writing.
Markham has two kinds of front entrance. In the old cores, Unionville, Markham Village along Main Street North and old Thornhill, the steps stand on older foundations, and steps that have settled or tipped are a common reason to call. In the planned communities, Cornell, Cathedraltown, Berczy and Greensborough, the walkway is often the job the builder left undone, a mud track every April until someone pours it.
The ground under both is the same. Markham sits on the South Slope of the Oak Ridges Moraine, mostly a clay-rich till. The full method, with footings, riser heights, mix, thickness and cure times, is on our walkways and steps page. This page is about what Markham ground and Markham homes change about the job. See our Markham page for everything else we do in the city.
Clay till: why Markham steps tip and walkways lift
Clay swells when it takes on water, it lifts as frost drives down beneath a slab in a Markham January, and it lets melt go so slowly that the ground stays wet long into a wet spring. Steps that attach to the house but sit on a shallow base move on their own each winter. Over the years they pull away from the wall or tip toward it, and the riser at the door stops matching.
So new steps and porches that attach to the house get footings below the frost line, about 1.2 metres down, or get tied into the structure where that is the sounder detail. A walkway does not need frost footings. It sits on a compacted granular base, with 100 mm (4 in.) of 32 MPa air-entrained concrete on top, and it slopes so water runs off it and away from the house.
Unionville and Markham Village: tired entrances on old foundations
The homes in the old cores stand on foundations no one sealed to a modern standard, and the steps that meet those walls take the worst of it. Water that runs along a settled step ends up at the wall. Before we rebuild an entrance, we take out the old set, look at what failed under it, and check where the water goes. If the wall already lets water in at the step, we tell you, and you can read about basement waterproofing in Markham before new steps go on top of the problem.
Unionville's Main Street is a heritage conservation district, so tell us if your home is inside it. The visible work has to stay true to what is there.
New Cornell, Berczy and Greensborough lots: let the ground settle
The fill a builder backs against a new foundation keeps settling for a year or two. A walkway poured on ground that is still dropping can sink at the house edge, and the gap under new steps can open up. Let the lot ride out a winter first. At the site visit we check how firm the base is before any concrete goes down.
Spring is the time to ask for a quote in the new streets, because they fill the summer schedule quickly and booking early holds you a better date.
Near the Rouge and its creeks, and how we schedule Markham
The Rouge River and its feeder creeks, Berczy Creek and Bruce Creek among them, run through the city, and the ground in the low pockets near them stays wet well into the season. On those lots, a walkway that slopes toward the house sends melt to the foundation wall, so the slope matters as much as the base.
Markham lies east of our home routes, reached down the 404 and across the 407, so we group Markham jobs into trips already planned into York Region and give you firm dates rather than a same-week promise. Small work, a set of steps or a single walkway panel, rides along on the same trips.
Straight answers
Why are our front steps pulling away from the house in Markham?
Markham sits on clay-rich till that swells with water and lifts with frost. Steps that attach to the house but were not built on footings below the frost line move on their own each winter, so they tip or pull away from the wall. We rebuild them on footings about 1.2 metres down, or tie them into the structure where that is the sounder detail.
We have a new build in Cornell or Berczy. When can we pour the front walk?
Let the lot ride out a winter first. The fill against a new Markham foundation goes on settling for a year or two, and a walkway poured over ground still dropping can sink at the house edge. We check how firm the base is at the site visit. Ask for the quote in spring to get a better summer date.
Can you rebuild the steps on a heritage home in Unionville without changing how it looks?
We can. Inside the conservation district the street-facing work has to match the heritage look rather than modernise it. We fit the rebuild to how the entrance is built and keep the visible work in line with the heritage look. The work carries the same lifetime labour warranty as a full pour.
How much do new concrete steps or a walkway cost in Markham?
Steps are quoted by the job, not by area. The number of risers, the total height, the footings, the tear-out of the old set and the finish drive the cost. For a walkway, size, access, the base the clay needs and the finish set the number. We do not post a figure, because it would mislead you. The site visit and the written quote are free, and the number on the written quote is the number on the invoice unless you change the job.
Do you take small Markham jobs, like one set of steps?
Yes. A step rebuild or a section of walkway rides along on trips already planned into York Region. Small work still gets a written quote up front and carries the same lifetime labour warranty as a complete pour.
Keep reading
- Concrete Walkways & Steps across Southern OntarioThe full method: footings, riser heights, mix, thickness and cure times.
- Concrete Contractors in MarkhamEverything else we pour and repair across Markham, from the Unionville and Markham Village cores to the Cornell and Berczy subdivisions.
- Concrete Repair & ResurfacingWorn step surfaces and spalled porch corners can often be resurfaced instead of rebuilt.
- Concrete Driveways in MarkhamThe same clay till shapes how we build a Markham driveway's base.
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Free · no pressure · 1 business day