Crown Heights Sidewalk Contractor
Sidewalk Repair in Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Lifted flags, broken joints and DOT violations fixed in front of brownstones, mansions and apartment buildings from Eastern Parkway to Empire Boulevard.
- Work around mature street trees
- We file the DOT sidewalk permit
- Written price after a free visit
What Is Wrong With Sidewalks in Crown Heights?
Most Crown Heights sidewalk trouble comes from big street trees, winter freeze and thaw, and constant foot traffic on the commercial avenues. Flags rise beside tree pits, joints crack open in front of brownstones, and old utility patches sink below the flags around them. Each of these can become a trip hazard.
Eastern Parkway and many of the side streets have heavy tree cover. Roots grow under the flags for decades and push them up a little more every year. A flag that sat level when the tree was young can be an inch or more out of true today.
The housing is mixed. You see brownstone and limestone row houses, freestanding mansions in the northern part of the neighborhood, and a lot of pre war elevator buildings along the parkway and the avenues. Each one has a different frontage and a different owner to answer to the city.
- Flags lifted beside tree pits
- Cracked joints at brownstone stoops
- Worn slabs on Nostrand and Utica Avenues
- Sunken squares over old utility cuts
- Broken edges near apartment building entrances
- Loose flags along Franklin Avenue
Foot traffic is the other wear factor. Nostrand, Franklin and Utica Avenues are busy commercial strips, and the flags outside stores and near the 2, 3, 4 and 5 stations along Eastern Parkway take a beating all day.
Corner buildings have it worse. A corner lot owner answers for the frontage on both streets, so a building at Nostrand and Eastern Parkway can be responsible for far more sidewalk than an interior brownstone.
Winter makes everything worse. Water sits in hairline cracks, freezes, and opens them wider by spring. If you notice a crack this fall, repairing it early is usually simpler than waiting for a flag to lift or a violation to arrive.
Tripped on a Flag in Front of Your Building?
Send us a photo of the spot. We will tell you if a few flags will do or if the whole frontage needs work.
How We Fix It
How Does a Crown Heights Sidewalk Get Repaired?
The bad flags come out and new ones go in. The crew saw cuts the damaged sections, breaks them out, compacts the base and pours fresh concrete to DOT specifications for thickness, slope and finish. Near street trees the pit edge is reshaped so the new flags sit flat and the tree keeps its room.
A brownstone frontage is often only a few flags wide, so the pour itself moves fast. Most jobs take one to two weeks from the first visit, counting the permit and curing time.
On the apartment buildings along the parkway the frontage is longer. We stage the work so residents and delivery people can still reach the entrance, and we barricade fresh concrete until it cures.
If the curb next to your flags is cracked or sunken, we point it out and price it as a separate line. Curb work often goes along with sidewalk work, but you decide whether to include it.
Which Rules Apply to Crown Heights Sidewalk Work?
The property owner is responsible for the sidewalk in front of the building under NYC law, and the work generally needs a DOT sidewalk permit. Street trees belong to NYC Parks, so roots cannot be cut without approval. Inside the historic district, extra approvals can apply, so confirm current rules with the city first.
Many Crown Heights brownstones are owner occupied one, two and three family homes. Those owners are treated differently on injury liability, but they still have to keep the sidewalk in repair. Owners of apartment buildings and stores on the avenues carry the liability too, which is why managers there act quickly on a violation.
The Crown Heights North Historic District covers much of the area north of Eastern Parkway. Work on historic sidewalk materials, and on stoops and areaways next to the flags, can need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Ask before you order materials.
A city street tree may have caused the damage. If so, check with NYC Parks or 311 about the Trees and Sidewalks program. It may cover repairs at eligible one, two and three family homes, and it can save you the cost.
Holding a DOT Violation Notice in Crown Heights?
We repair every defect listed and give you the photos and permit records for your dismissal request. Read our guide on how a sidewalk violation is resolved.
Why Us
Why Crown Heights Owners Pick Us
More than 25 years in the field
Brownstone blocks and avenue frontage are work we have done for a long time.
The permit is on us
We file the DOT sidewalk permit and hand you the records afterward.
A plain recommendation
If two flags solve it, we say so. You pay for what the sidewalk needs.
Nearby
Sidewalk Repair Around Crown Heights
The same crews work in the neighborhoods that touch Crown Heights.
FAQ
Crown Heights Sidewalk Questions
Yes. NYC law makes the property owner responsible for the sidewalk in front of the building, and next to it on a corner lot. This holds even for owner occupied homes that are protected on injury liability.
Yes. We shape the new flags around the pit and never cut roots without approval from NYC Parks. If roots must be dealt with, we tell you what to ask Parks or 311 before the work starts.
Most take one to two weeks including the permit and curing. The DOT permit itself usually takes two to three business days.
Often it can. We plan the pour so the entrance stays usable and barricade only the section that is curing. We will walk the frontage with you first.
It can, mostly when the block has old bluestone or granite. Confirm current Landmarks rules before you order anything, and we will work with the requirements you are given.
Yes. We visit, measure, and give you a written price at no cost. Call (718) 468-8803 and we will set a time that suits you.
Free on site estimate
Get Your Crown Heights Sidewalk Safe Again
One visit, a written price and a crew that files the permit.
Contact
Tell Us About Your Crown Heights Sidewalk
Share the address and what you see. A photo of the damage or the violation notice helps us plan the visit.
- Call us(718) 468-8803
- HoursMon to Sat, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Free on site estimate with a written price
- Licensed and insured, 25+ years in business
- We handle DOT sidewalk permits
- Serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx
Get Your Free Estimate
Takes about a minute. No cost and no obligation.