In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basic root causes of concrete settling on your property. Often due to issues with soil below the concrete, but also possible based on certain other concerns, concrete settling is the primary source of damage that often requires concrete lifting and leveling for repairs.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to offer a wide range of concrete repair services, from residential lifting and leveling to commercial and even municipal services. What are some of the other concrete settlement causes you should be aware of to help you steer clear of them? Today’s part two of our series will dig in.

Moisture Problems

Moisture is another key area when it comes to concrete quality, including the ways it interacts with the soil beneath your slab. We went over soil compaction in part one – a related concern takes place when soils are not compacted in the right ways, leading to the potential for water oversaturation during storms or other events.

With optimal moisture, the soil below your concrete will become cohesive within itself and resist movement or cracks. With too much moisture, however, the soil will turn to mud and become too soft, unable to resist sinking risks. On the flip side, if the material is too dry, it won’t bind together and will also risk sinking.

For these reasons, it’s important to work with concrete professionals who understand how to moderate moisture content in and below slabs.

Erosion Issues

Another soil-related concern here is erosion, which often takes place in areas like Utah due to varying weather patterns. We’ll go through long periods of drought here, but then will also deal with significant winter snows and other moisture – this makes soils more prone to expanding and shrinking, but also to eroding entirely. This often takes place over time as soil is weakened and then eventually washed away, leaving concrete surfaces with no support and at risk of sinking or settling.

Weight and Stress

Finally, often exacerbating existing soil or related concrete issues is the presence of heavy loads or weight on the surface. While healthy concrete slabs are meant to stand up to significant vehicle or other pressure, those that are at risk of cracks or other damage due to soil conditions will only be at greater risk when major weight is on top of them. This weight will often exacerbate existing concerns, allowing surface damage to get even worse while water makes its way down to your concrete soil.

For more on the common causes of concrete settling on your property, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting and leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

When concrete surfaces develop cracks, gaps or other forms of damage that worsen over time, by far the most common cause of these issues is concrete settlement. Concrete that settles will often create significant issues like these and more, and will get worse and worse with each passing day they are not attended to.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re proud to offer residential, commercial and even municipal concrete lifting and leveling services for any concrete settling or related concerns on your property. We also provide our clients with expertise on how to avoid future concrete settlement issues, which mostly involves understanding what causes concrete settlement in the first place so you can work to prevent it. This two-part blog will go over several conditions that may lead to concrete settlement, plus how they can be avoided.

Soil Conditioning or Makeup Issues

In many situations, the issues with concrete settlement will trace back to the soil that’s used in the area. Soil will often be treated before concrete slabs are installed, with either native soils (those already present in the area) or imported soils (those brought in by a concrete installer from elsewhere) potentially playing a role. If soil is not conditioned properly, including allowing for optimal moisture content, settlement issues often result.

Down related lines, the use of improper soils is a common cause of settlement. The use of “muck,” or “trash soil” in some concrete circles, will lead to less water resistance and support, making it far easier for concrete to sink and settle. The use of compacted clay and related soils, on the other hand, will provide excellent support and moisture prevention.

Compaction Concerns

One soil-related area that deserves its own section here is improper compaction. The soil underneath your concrete must be compacted to the proper level, usually to at least 95% of the maximum density allowed by the material – if not, it will not properly resist water, degradation and other risks.

Expansion Risks

On the flip side of compaction is the risk of expansion, which can also lead to cracks and gaps in concrete. Many clays that are used for concrete soil surfaces must be conditioned properly before being used – if not, they are prone to expanding and shrinking in massive ways, with swell potential up to 20% in many cases. This expansion heaves and cracks concrete – and when the moisture that caused it eventually leaves the material, it will shrink and sink back into the surface while retaining these harmful cracks.

For more on avoiding the risks of concrete settlement through proper soil attention and other areas, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the common foundation types found on homes. There are a few different primary foundation types for modern homes today, each of which will have its own impact on several property factors – including nearby and connected concrete areas in many cases.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to provide a wide range of residential concrete lifting and leveling services to all our clients. We’ve dealt with every foundation type out there, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about your foundation and how our concrete repair services will help keep it protected and intact. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll go over a couple other foundation types and what you should know about their connection with nearby concrete surfaces and related care.

Crawlspace Foundation

For those looking for a similar format to the basement foundation we went over in part one, but a more affordable alternative, the crawlspace foundation is often utilized. This refers to a foundation that involves several different small foundation walls on their own footings, each of which serves as its own  miniature basement of sorts.

The crawlspace foundation uses much less concrete than the basement foundation, part of what makes it more affordable. Pillars will be formed from concrete, then placed in high-load areas. This style offers fantastic ventilation due to the space between pillars, which helps avoid moisture buildup, water damage and related mold concerns. There are fewer moisture-related concrete damage risks to these foundations as a result, though these still may exist in certain circumstances – including if the foundation is not properly ventilated, which can sometimes be the case if the foundation was constructed poorly.

Pier Foundation

Finally, newer and more modern foundation type that’s been growing in popularity for new homes in recent years is known as the pier foundation. This foundation type is made using several small square or circular concrete pads, placed on various points around the perimeter of the planned home. The pads are secured into the ground and connected to the home, supporting it in strategic locations that have high weight loads.

Pier foundations offer a few major benefits, including great support and long-term durability. As such, however, they tend to be the most expensive of the types we’ve gone over here. In addition, some homeowners with pier foundations notice creaking or sagging floors, plus may deal with ventilation issues. Speak to one of our concrete professionals about the potential benefits and drawbacks of a pier foundation for your space if you’re considering one.

For more on the different types of home foundation out there, or to learn about any of our concrete repair services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

When it comes to residential properties, home foundations and concrete repair services tend to be linked. While the foundation isn’t the only area of a given residential property that involves concrete and may require concrete lifting or leveling if issues are present, it’s a key such area in terms of how it impacts overall home value and comfort areas.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, our residential concrete lifting and leveling services cover a wide variety of areas, from walkways and driveways to patios and garage floors. Several of these areas may relate to your foundation in some cases, and a major factor in this determination is what type of foundation your home utilizes. In this two-part blog series, we’ll go over the four primary home foundation types out there in modern homes, their benefits and drawbacks, and how they relate to various concrete surfaces or areas on the property.

Basement Foundation

Common around the country, basement foundations involve a perimeter made up of concrete pillars meant to support the rest of the building. These pillars will generally be quite deep, and their strength is paramount – they will be supporting either cinder blocks or full concrete walls. These foundations come in full (entirely underground) and daylight (built on a slope, with some walls above-ground and others below) formats.

Basement foundations add space and square footage, but can be more expensive than other foundation types. Maintenance of the foundation and surrounding concrete areas is also vital: Keeping such areas sealed and properly contained will prevent water seeping through and leaking down onto concrete walls. If you do notice any moisture issues in the basement, these could be due to improper concrete sealing or other damage on the surface of the home – and you should call our pros for concrete repair right away if this is the case.

Concrete Slab Foundation

Also known in some circles as a slab-on-grade foundation, the concrete slab foundation involves a full solid slab of concrete that’s placed directly onto the ground, with the structure resting on top of it. These types are not as common in Utah – they are more frequently found in places without winters where the ground freezes, which can create shifting and cracking issues for the foundation.

Now, concrete slab foundations tend to be relatively affordable, while also providing great pest and mold protection. However, they are not great against flood or moisture risks, plus require cutting into the slab to fix plumbing problems – this is because water and drainage pipes are actually encased in the concrete itself. If you have such a foundation, it’s vital to ensure you have concrete repair experts like ours saved in your contacts in case an issue arises.

For more on the different types of home foundations out there and how each impacts concrete surfaces around the property, or to learn about our residential, commercial or municipal concrete lifting and leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the various different concrete finish options you might have available to you for your surfaces. Impacting everything from aesthetics to practical factors and repair needs in some cases, concrete finishes can involve several different primary themes.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re here to provide residential, commercial and municipal concrete lifting and leveling services for a variety of concrete surfaces and finishes. How does a given finish impact everything from your basic aesthetic to practical needs, and what are some of the common settings where these various concrete finishes are used? Here’s a primer on a few additional finish types and what they mean for your surfaces, plus why you might consider them for new concrete areas.

Stamped Concrete

For those looking for highly durable concrete surfaces that also feature nice aesthetic designs and patterns, stamped concrete is often the way to go. This process involves the placement of panels with inlaid designs onto concrete during the curing process, allowing these designs to be imprinted onto the concrete permanently.

Brick and stone are two of the most common design formats used here, meant to mimic other materials. At the same time, you retain the strength, durability and durability qualities found in concrete, so you’re getting the best of both worlds. Stamped concrete is also durable and protects well against moisture seepage and damage risks.

Salt Finish

Salt finish is a bit more of a specialty concrete finish type, generally used for one prominent need: Swimming pool decks. When concrete is still wet and in the curing process, rock salt will be applied to the top of the surface, then washed away at the precisely correct time.

This leaves a variety of small pits on the finished surface. These pits are ideal for traction around wet surfaces, first of all, but also provide a well-known aesthetic for pool areas and make them distinct and unique.

Grinding and Polishing

Finally, for a combination of great aesthetics and limited maintenance, grinding and polishing are ideal processes often completed. These require a completely level service first, so our pros are often involved in this process, but they bring fantastic smooth surfaces that actually are more slip-resistant than non-polished surfaces. The material used for grinding will depend on the precise type of finish that’s desired, with both abrasive or finer diamonds available for the polishing process that will create different finishes.

For more on the finishes available for concrete surfaces, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting and leveling services and how the finish impacts them, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

One of the top areas of value for concrete surfaces, and for concrete repair solutions offered on them, is aesthetics. And when it comes to the way your concrete surfaces look and the impression they leave on visitors to your property, few areas are more important than the finish used on your surface.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re proud to offer a variety of commercial and residential concrete lifting and leveling services, with one of the primary purposes of these repairs often being to restore a concrete surface to its previously spotless aesthetic. What are some of the finishes that might be present on concrete surfaces, and how does this area impact everything from basic aesthetics to concrete repair needs when present? This two-part blog series will go over a number of different concrete finishes and how they impact your surfaces.

Trowel Finish

The simplest and likely most common concrete finish you will see, particularly in public spaces, will be the trowel finish. The name here comes from one of the original formats of creating this finish, which involved the use of a hand trowel, or a flat steel blade with a handle attached to it. This trowel would be pulled across the surface during concrete pouring.

Today, however, several methods might be used for the trowel finish. These include hand methods in some cases, but larger concrete surfaces will generally require a power trowel used to finish them. Trowel finishes will generally be found on sidewalks, walkways, patios and similar surfaces.

Broom Finish

One potential drawback of the trowel finish in some settings: It can be somewhat slippery in many cases, especially when moisture is present. For those in commercial or municipal areas, such hazards can come with liability risks.

In this case, one of the most common additional finishing techniques will be the broom finish. Just after troweling is finished, a broom will be dragged across the surface of the concrete to create small ridges, which offer traction control to those walking in the area even when it’s wet. For those looking to maximize safety and limit hazards, the broom finish is an ideal choice.

Textured Finishes

This is actually a broad category – there are several forms of textured finish you might consider for a concrete surface. One well-known option here is the exposed aggregate finish, which is found on many city sidewalks – you can actually see the edges of natural stone aggregates in this concrete, or possibly pebbles or shells. Such a finish is slip-resistant and can be made using a variety of stones, and other related finishes are commonly utilized in such areas.

For more on the various concrete finishes available today, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting and leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

As any homeowner who has arranged for services on their property is likely aware, an important part of this process is to canvass a few options for pricing estimates. These estimates, which will also contain prudent information about services offered and other vital bits, help you make your decision on which contractor or service provider to go with for all your basic needs.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re happy to provide detailed estimates and other information about any of our commercial or residential concrete lifting and leveling services. Today’s blog will go over several important factors that help determine concrete leveling costs and estimates, helping you understand what goes into the estimates you receive from our professionals or any other concrete lifting and leveling contractor.

Fixed Costs

The final cost of concrete lifting and leveling services can vary pretty widely, but one group of costs that will remain relatively standardized for most basic jobs will be known as “fixed” costs. We’re talking here about simple factors present in virtually every job we perform, from the tools we bring with us while working on your structure to the training, licensing and insurance of all our employees.

Now, these fixed costs may vary somewhat between different concrete repair contractors around the state or country. But they won’t range too far apart in most cases – if you do happen to notice a contractor offering far lower baseline costs for these areas, this actually might be a red flag that indicates low-quality services.

Disrepair State

We mentioned that concrete repair costs often vary widely, and the area that tends to determine this fluctuation is the state of disrepair the concrete in question is in. This makes inherent sense: Concrete that has very few issues will be much simpler and more affordable to remedy, while significantly damaged concrete will take a greater effort and, therefore, will cost more.

There are several factors that go into determining damage and disrepair levels, including the depth of the concrete and whether it was cracked versus other major concerns like sinking or large splits. For more detail here, speak to one of our concrete repair specialists.

Insurance Considerations

One additional factor that it’s worth noting in its own section here is insurance. Any concrete repair contractor you hire should have proper licensure and insurance for all their workers – this is to protect both the company and its clients from potential liability in case anything goes wrong. Any contractor you receive an estimate from who does not include insurance coverage as part of their end of things should be questioned about why, and should not be hired if their answer is not sufficient.

For more on the factors that play a role in determining concrete lifting and leveling cost estimates, or to learn about any of our concrete repair services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

If concrete in any major area of your home or building is cracked, sinking or undergoing other specific issues, you may be wondering whether the prudent decision is to repair or replace the area in question. Concrete can become damaged for a variety of reasons, and you might be looking at both avenues from a cost efficiency and timing standpoint.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’ve provided numerous residential, municipal and commercial concrete repair services to clients throughout Utah, and we’re here to tell you that the modern options available for concrete lifting and leveling are almost always the better choice when it comes to damaged concrete. Our services allow for simple, non-invasive concrete repair that holds several distinct benefits over the large-scale process required to replace entire slabs of concrete on your property. Here are a few reasons why concrete repair is generally the preferred option here.

Saving Time

For starters, many simply do not realize the time and hassle often associated with entirely replacing large slabs or sections of concrete. Not only do you have to remove the old concrete, which takes a good amount of time on its own, the soil has to be prepped and leveled, the new slab has to be poured, finished, allowed to cure and then dried for several days before it can even be used.

Our concrete repair services, on the other hand, are easily applied without any of the mess or hassle. They can generally be performed in just hours, from start to finish, whether you require a quick injection for soil maintenance or a full-on lift of an entire slab.

Limited Cost

Another major area that many home and building owners alike gravitate toward is the affordable cost of concrete repair. This is especially true for minor jobs, but still the case for major repairs as well.

Not only do you save money on labor costs due to the shorter working time, you also save on materials (concrete repair requires less of them) and long-term issue risks.

Material Cost and Buildup

Not only is cost savings on materials a significant factor in your choice, the buildup of such materials during the project itself should be considered. Concrete replacement involves numerous materials, from moisture for the mixture and base materials to the actual mixture, plus all the old concrete that’s being removed and placed in a pile. With concrete repair, you keep native materials in place for the most part.

Aesthetics

Finally, it’s often very difficult or nearly impossible to precisely match concrete color and shading when you add new concrete slabs to your existing surfaces. When performing concrete lifting and leveling, however, it’s easy to create a seamless finish here that keeps your aesthetic quality just as high as it was before, if not higher.

For more on the advantages of concrete repair over concrete replacement, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting or leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

For those considering selling their home in the near future or merely concerned with their property’s value moving forward, the home’s foundation is a huge factor here. Issues with the foundation can lead to major reductions in home value, while a robust and strong foundation will be a major selling point in many cases.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re here to help with numerous municipal, commercial and residential concrete lifting and leveling services offered for several home areas. In many situations, foundation damage is due to improper concrete materials or seals in areas that allow moisture or other elements to seep down into the foundation itself – ensuring you spot such concrete issues and refer them to our team for concrete repair is vital for protecting the foundation and ensuring your home value stays high. Let’s go over several of the direct ROI benefits when it comes to concrete lifting and leveling on your home with property value in mind.

Home Value and Life Expectancy

When it comes to making repairs on certain home areas with home value in mind, the operative term is return on investment, or ROI. Ideally, you want repair projects where the increased value of the home meets or exceeds the amount you pay on the repairs.

Simply put, concrete repair is a great option when it comes to ROI. When it comes to various concrete areas, buyers are attracted to flawless surfaces that have clearly been recently sealed and leveled – they make them feel like they’re getting better value for their dollar. Even if other homes they’re looking at don’t have specific foundation issues, seeing recent work done on concrete will ensure a longer life expectancy for these areas and will incentivize buyers to consider your home.

More Affordable Than You Might Think

One big reason why ROI is often so high here? Because concrete repair is more affordable than many assume. Our concrete repair contractors will only recommend the truly necessary repair jobs required on your property, and you’d be surprised how simple and affordable our materials and labor costs are. Inquire with our team to learn more about just how simple this process often is.

Stress Reduction

Finally, those specifically planning to sell their home – or who have already begun this process – don’t need any further stress on their minds. Selling can be enough of a hassle on its own without worrying about foundation cracks or concrete issues that potential buyers or home inspectors might spot. Put your mind at ease by remedying these issues in advance, while increasing your home value simultaneously and killing two birds with one stone.

For more on the value of concrete lifting and leveling for home value, or to learn about any of our concrete repair services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.