Service · Concrete Steps
What we offer
Concrete steps fail in predictable ways — spalling treads, cracked risers, settled platforms, edges chipped off by snow shovels and salt. We pour fresh concrete steps, repair the salvageable ones, and refinish the ones in between. Front stoops, basement step entries, side-yard steps from yard to deck — all the work near you in Philadelphia row homes.
The most common job we do: tear out the failing front steps, set new forms, pour fresh treads with bull-nose or flat-face edges, and tie them into the existing sidewalk. Three to seven risers, every Philly row-home configuration.
Below-grade basement entry steps take the worst of Philly winters — standing water, salt, freeze cycles. We tear them out, address the drainage, and pour fresh below-grade steps that hold up.
Spalled tread tops, chipped front edges, hairline risers — not every set of concrete steps needs replacement. We patch, resurface, and rebuild edges with color-matched feathering when repair is the right call.
Two- to four-riser steps connecting yard grade changes — deck to lawn, lawn to patio, walkway to back-door entry. Concrete works where stone or pavers won’t hold up, and at a fraction of the cost.
We core-drill or block-out for railing posts as part of the pour — not after, when you’ll be drilling into cured concrete. If the iron rail itself needs replacing, we can coordinate that with our local rail subcontractor.
7″ max rise, 11″ min run, equal heights end-to-end. Concrete steps repair work with mismatched riser heights is a code violation and a fall waiting to happen. We pour to spec.
Edge profiles & finishes
Front edge profile is the visual signature of a set of concrete steps. We tool whichever profile you want into the wet pour — bull-nose for the soft-rolled traditional look, flat-face for clean modern lines. Most Philly row homes are bull-nose; new builds run flat-face.
A rounded front edge tooled into the wet pour with a step trowel. The traditional Philly row-home look — softens the visual line and is gentler on shoes and shins.
A crisp 90° front edge with a tight chamfer break. Clean modern lines — the right call for newer construction or when the house wants concrete that reads as architecture, not nostalgia.
The tread surface gets a fine broom finish for traction. Smooth-trowel finishes on a wet step are an injury waiting to happen — we don’t pour them that way.
Top platforms get rebar or wire mesh in the slab. Risers get vertical rebar. The platform is what the most weight sits on for the longest time — we don’t cheap out on the steel.
Why Marcello
Concrete steps are most of what we pour for residential row-home owners. We know the standard rise/run, the bull-nose profile most blocks share, the way to tie new steps into a 75-year-old sidewalk.
If a tread is just spalled and the structure is sound, we’ll repair it. If the risers are cracked through and the base has settled, we’ll tell you replacement is the right call. The job that matches the actual condition.
Equal riser heights across the run, code-compliant 7″ max rise, 11″ min run, proper nosing on the front edge. Safety basics that DIY repair work and cheap concrete contractors regularly miss.
Marcello and his father are on most jobs themselves. The hands that quote the steps are the hands that pour and tool them. Edges and front-face profile is craft, not assembly-line work.
Recent steps
Featured · Steps + entrance pad
Entrance steps & landing · Philadelphia
Bull-nose tread
Landing & steps · Philadelphia
Pour day
Entrance pad & steps · Philadelphia
Just-finished
Bull-nose steps & landing · Philadelphia
What to expect
No call center. No answering service. Most days it’s Marcello himself on the line. We’ll talk through the project and schedule a free walk-through.
We measure, talk through what you’re looking for, and walk the existing condition with you. You’ll get a written quote with a clear scope — no pushy sales.
We confirm the start window with you, line up materials and equipment, and walk you through what to move (cars, hose reels, anything along the work line) before the crew arrives.
Demo the old steps, prep the base, set risers and stringer forms, pour, tool the front edge profile, broom-finish the treads, and clean every speck off your sidewalk. Most concrete step replacements wrap in 1–2 days on site.
FAQ
Depends on what’s failing. Surface spalling on the tread tops or chipped front edges — concrete step repair is usually the right call. Cracked risers, settled platform, mismatched riser heights — replacement is the better long-term move.
We’ll look at the steps on site and give you the honest answer. The wrong call costs you twice.
Tread surface concrete step repairs are usually a half-day. Full step replacement runs 1–2 days on site — tear-out and form-set day one, pour and finish day two. Steps need 24–48 hours of foot-traffic cure.
If we’re tying the steps into a fresh sidewalk pour the same week, we usually schedule them so both pours can cure in parallel.
Bull-nose is the traditional Philly row-home profile — rounded front edge, gentler look, what 80% of the city’s steps look like. Flat-face is the modern square-edge profile — cleaner lines, more architectural, the right call for newer construction.
Match what’s next door if your neighbors’ steps still read as part of the streetscape; flat-face when the house wants a fresher look.
Sometimes. If the failure is limited to the top tread surface and the structure underneath is sound, we can saw out the tread and pour a new one with a clean expansion joint at the riser line. Color-matched feathering keeps the visual transition reading clean.
If the failure is structural, partial repair just hides the underlying problem — in that case we recommend full replacement.
We core-drill or block-out for railing posts as part of the pour, so the rail can be set into proper concrete pockets rather than surface-mounted later. If the existing rail is still good, it goes back in. If it needs replacing, we coordinate with our local rail subcontractor.
Cost depends on number of risers, edge profile, whether railing work is included, and whether the steps tie into a fresh sidewalk pour. Most front-stoop replacements come in well below what people expect.
Free on-site estimate, written quote with a single number, no hidden line items.
Other services
At the top step
Porch slabs that meet the top tread — often poured at the same time as the steps below.
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At the bottom step
The bottom step lands on the sidewalk — we pour both as a tied-in package when both need replacing.
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Repair, not replace
Tread spalling, riser cracks, surface patching when replacement isn’t the right call.
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Full-front replacement
Drives that share a front-line with the steps and sidewalk — often poured as one package.
View ServiceSteps by location
Philadelphia & the surrounding counties.
Mayfair · Bustleton · Holmesburg · South Philly · Center City · Bucks · Montgomery · Delaware
From our neighbors
“I contracted with Marcello Family Concrete to replace my driveway, sidewalk, and steps from the driveway to the front door. The Marcello crew was AMAZING. They showed up on time, worked efficiently, and cleaned up as they went along. They’re true craftsmen who take tremendous pride in their work.”
“I had Marcello family Concrete come and do three of my pads out front. I could not be happier with the quality of work and the expertise of his workers. They were on time, did a great job, cleaned up everything when they were done. I would recommend this company to anybody.”
Get a free estimate
Free walk-through. Written quote with a clear scope. No call center, no sales script — Marcello will pick up the phone himself.
