Concrete Raising (FYI)

[Wayne M]

I had never heard of this before and a friend said, he heard, they heard, so I checked into it. I called Southern Concrete Raising, out of Spring, TX. They came, gave an estimate and I ordered the service.

By now some may have Googled the service, but here is the gist of it.

In Texas, we have some "cracked driveways." Especially on the older homes built back in the early '60's. They used chicken wire as a strengthening bond, and it just does not hold up like the present day re-bar. Our driveway was cracked and "dipped" in areas. What to do, $6000 for a new double wide driveway takes away from a good RV trip. So to the rescue, for a third of the price, is the concrete raising business.

The come with jackhammers, 2500psi pumping machine, and the materials to do the job. They drill 1 to 1-1/2 inch holes throughout the driveway, then insert the nozzle from the pipe into each hole separately and hydraulically pump the "mud" raising the concrete. There were about 100 holes in my driveway that they pumped material into. All of the slabs are now even, and all of the cracked areas are even. Today I have the "mastic" people come in and fill in the cracks.

If you are in one of those areas that is plagued by sidewalk or driveway cracking and sinking, look into a concrete raising business in your area. Mine comes with a 1 year guarantee, and a statement that it should last for 7-10 years or more. I guess that is a time frame they estimate based on the land terrain and shifting.

Anyhow, just some information. I had never heard of it before.

[BCooke]

There is mud jacking, pillars, foam and one other like mud jacking I forget. Had to have the slab in my den lifted. I chose the foam, interesting stuff, good for 90 psi.
Needed 125 cubic feet pumped under the slab. Think it was 2k.

[LadyFitz...]

When I saw the title of this thread, I had an image of a bunch of Amish men putting up a concrete barn.

[W4MBG]

me too!

[SarahW]

Thanks for that info, Wayne. Since the drought this year, our driveway has sunk about an inch on one side (near a huge oak) and has a crack. I imagine the drought will provide that company with lots of business. I will be curious as to how the repair holds up. Was it expensive to do?

[frankdamp]

A company called "Slabjack" is a regular advertiser on our WA TV channels. They do quite a lot of business in Anacortes, as many homes are on sandy soil. I've seen them at four houses in our neighborhood in the last few months.

It seems that they lift the slabs that have sunk when the ground underneath has subsided. I'm not sure their system would work on cracks caused by tree roots lifting part of a slab up and cracking it.

[SarahW]

Frank--our driveway doesn't have tree roots. However I "assume" that the Texas drought has caused the big oak tree to pull most of the moisture out from under that section of the drive, causing it to sink. (Of course, I really have no idea...lol.)

[hondo122]

They tried something like this to stabilize the the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Stopped it from leaning more, they weren't trying to lift it. Good stuff.

[BCooke]

Sarah, I do not know about the longevity but the foam that was pumped under my slab is the same material (and company) that was used in sections of the PA turnpike.

[Wayne M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahW Thanks for that info, Wayne. Since the drought this year, our driveway has sunk about an inch on one side (near a huge oak) and has a crack. I imagine the drought will provide that company with lots of business. I will be curious as to how the repair holds up. Was it expensive to do?

Sarah,
There is a 1 year guarantee/warranty. The owner (or a manager), same one that gave me the estimate stopped by today and asked how I liked it. I told him it was level and I liked that a lot.

Where my back dual sits when I back into the driveway was cracked and they had to jack hammer it out, about 6 square feet, and re-cement that area. They added some good rebar. He stated he probably should have mad the cement a little deeper but if anything happens to it to give him a call and they will re-do that area. In conversation he stated that the typical longevity is 7-10+ years. (Don't know why that time frame)

Believe it or not, I got a military discount, but the original estimate was for $1600 and some change. Far cry from $6000 to replace it. However, the cost is not done there. Another company recommended by Southern Concrete Raising was Mastic Masters. They came in the next day and did the expansion joints and filled in all the cracks. All of that is by the foot. The expansion joints are $2.39 linear foot, and the cracks are $2.99 linear foot.

My driveway is a double, 45 feet long.

[calico]

We had areas of sunken concrete, had a crew come in last summer, drill holes and fill with a concrete mix. Was amazing to watch the concrete raise up! Had a sunken step, sidewalk, patio and driveway done for $1200. The crew was there 5-6 hours.

[SarahW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M Sarah, There is a 1 year guarantee/warranty. The owner (or a manager), same one that gave me the estimate stopped by today and asked how I liked it. I told him it was level and I liked that a lot. Where my back dual sits when I back into the driveway was cracked and they had to jack hammer it out, about 6 square feet, and re-cement that area. They added some good rebar. He stated he probably should have mad the cement a little deeper but if anything happens to it to give him a call and they will re-do that area. In conversation he stated that the typical longevity is 7-10+ years. (Don't know why that time frame) Believe it or not, I got a military discount, but the original estimate was for $1600 and some change. Far cry from $6000 to replace it. However, the cost is not done there. Another company recommended by Southern Concrete Raising was Mastic Masters. They came in the next day and did the expansion joints and filled in all the cracks. All of that is by the foot. The expansion joints are $2.39 linear foot, and the cracks are $2.99 linear foot. My driveway is a double, 45 feet long.

Thanks for the update; that price does not seem unreasonable. Does your driveway appear new or does it look patched? Our driveway is a similar size to yours. Most of the "sections" are still in good shape; only one section is cracked and has sunk. We considered having that one section busted up and new rebar/concrete put down but it has been a low-priority item since it's mostly unsightly but still functional.

[sdennislee]

IF you are considering new, look into fiber reinforced concrete. Amazing hard stuff.

[Wayne M]

Sarah,

In time, things are supposed to "blend" together, but I don't think that is going to happen to an extend that it will not be noticeable. With all the other driveways in this area not having been fixed, I'm satisfied how mine looks. I am not in a deed restricted, or HOA area so I didn't not have to worry about it. I'll see if I can get a picture later on and post it. You can see the repairs, but it is level.