Like many other elements of home repair, concrete leveling and other foundation projects have become associated with a number of significant misconceptions over the years. Not every pro in the industry does great work, and sometimes the negatives from inexperienced contractors become reputations that spread far and wide in the field, even to the point where some people consider them to be facts.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re here to help dispel these unfortunate misconceptions as we provide high-quality commercial and residential concrete raising and leveling services. Despite what you may have heard from a talkative neighbor, here are some realities about concrete repair services that help debunk the disinformation.

Time and Expense Myths

The first and most common misconception regarding our services is how long they will take. Some assume they’re a weeks-long project that will render your driveway or other surfaces completely unusable during the work.

But with a high-quality company like us, this simply isn’t the case. We’ll give you an early estimate of how long your project will take, an estimate that’s often well under a single day. Only projects that truly require it will take multiple days, and these are the kinds that are preventing far more expensive fixes later on.

Down similar lines, the costs of our services are often highly overstated. For starters, costs here aren’t stagnant – they can vary widely based on your exact needs. But because we use modern techniques that don’t require us to remove and haul away concrete for every small job, we can keep the cost low and affordable for you.

Procrastinating

Perhaps the biggest single mistake when it comes to concrete surfaces of any kind is assuming you can hold off on fixes to small issues. They’re not that bad, you might be thinking, and you can put them off with other things on your mind.

Unfortunately, this often leads to far more expensive issues down the line. Concrete cracks or foundation issues aren’t to fix themselves, and will only get worse. Taking the time to repair them now could save you a much bigger project and cost later.

Just Fill the Cracks

If cracks are truly your only issue, filling them with epoxy may get the job done. But in many cases, cracks are just one symptom of an underlying foundational issue, and just filling them with no attention to the larger problem will only put a Band-Aid on a big wound.

All Contractors Are the Same

We’d love to tell you that every contractor in our field is highly reputable and legitimate, but unfortunately this just isn’t true. Like in any industry, there are a combination of scammers and simply inexperienced contractors out there who won’t provide you with high-quality work at all. Don’t simply assume every contractor is the same – do your research and go with a quality company like ours for all concrete services.

Buying a Home With Foundation Issues

There’s a common myth in the real estate world that you should never buy a home with foundation issues or damage. And while it’s certainly important to assess these issues before making a purchase, it’s okay to purchase such a home as long as you have a plan for addressing these issues. In fact, some buyers are able to get a great deal by purchasing homes with foundational issues for a significant discount – one that’s far more than what they actually have to pay us for foundation repair services.

For more on dispelling disinformation on concrete services, or to learn about any of our concrete leveling solutions, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

Whether we’re talking about the garage or another important area of your home, leveling a concrete floor is a common need. Important for everything from safety to property and home value, concrete leveling services can range from small fixes to raising entire damaged slabs.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we can help with all garage floor lifting and leveling you require in your home or business. Garage doors are known to sink, unfortunately, especially if they don’t have the right kind of drain functioning installed or are exposed to significant snow and ice on a regular basis. They may also show large cracks in some cases.

What are the steps you should follow with our professionals if this has happened to your garage floor? Here are some basics of what to expect during concrete floor leveling and lifting services.

Quote

For starters, we’ll work with you to assess the damage present on your floor or surface, then determine exactly what kind of work needs to be done to repair it. From here, we’ll give you a basic quote that will include things like the cost of all materials, how long the job will take, the cost of labor, and finally the cost of the entire job. If you’re getting quotes from our competitors as well, know that we welcome this and know our services stack up with anyone – but be sure to check for all the important details, as there are unfortunately a few less than reputable competitors in this industry.

Drilling

In the past, concrete leveling was a long, arduous process. Companies like ours would have to manually remove entire slabs of concrete, haul them away, and then pour new concrete in the required area – a process that was both more time-consuming and exponentially more expensive. Luckily, newer technology and processes have allowed this to be a thing of the past.

Instead, we now use a lifting process that’s far easier and more affordable. It involves first drilling small holes into the block or area of concrete that has been sunken or otherwise damaged. This is in preparation for our next step.

Filling

Once holes are drilled, we pump a green, environmentally-friendly grout mixture into any voids or sunken areas of the concrete slab. This requires no removal, and lifts the surface of the concrete up evenly across the entire area. It’s then filled with non-shrinking grout that will trap this mixture under the surface, keeping the concrete level permanently.

Smoothing

From here, we just take the small steps of smoothing everything off to make it look and feel perfect. The process is simple and takes nowhere near as long as older, manual services.

For more on what to expect during concrete floor leveling, or to learn about any of our concrete driveway services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

Concrete is a strong and durable material, but even it has imperfections and can wear down over time. One of the most common visual signs of this happening to your concrete is the appearance of cracks, which may be large or small and can appear on several different sections of your concrete driveway, patio or other area.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re here to provide high-quality commercial and residential concrete lifting and leveling services for these and all other concrete concerns. Some driveway cracks may just need simple caulking as a filler, while others may signal the need for more significant leveling services that may also include caulk. Let’s go over some of the basics on why your driveway or other concrete surface may crack, plus why it’s important to fill these if they’re present.

Why Driveways Crack

There are a few different reasons why a concrete driveway might begin to crack:

• Drying: In some cases, concrete that isn’t cured or poured correctly can dry too quickly after being applied to a given surface. This will cause it to craze and crust over – the former refers to a network of small cracks that take place due to moisture content, while the latter occurs on stamped concrete when the pattern is pressed too early in the process.
• Shrinkage: Concrete is made from a combination of cement and water, which hardens as water evaporates. This causes a shrinking process, but if too much water is used, the shrinkage will be more than expected and can cause cracks.
• Weather changes: Another cause of concrete shrinking and expanding, even sometimes months or years after the concrete has been installed, is temperature or moisture changes. Temperature and humidity increases lead to expansions of concrete, while the other sides of these coins cause it to contract. When this happens too often, concrete can crack from the strain.
• Settling: When the soil collapses below concrete for various reasons.
• Heaving: When the ground pushes up against concrete and leads to cracks, usually due to growing tree roots or a heavy freeze and thaw cycle.
• Overload: In some cases, too much weight can put such large amounts of pressure on the concrete that it cracks.

Importance and Benefits of Filling Cracks

A few reasons why being sure to fill cracks that appear in your concrete surfaces, particularly driveways, is important:

• Safety: Driveways free of cracks prevent injury to you and any pedestrians.
• Damage: Cars, tires, bikes and any other items that touch the driveway will be at lower risk of damage.
• Leveling: Procedures like concrete leveling with raise and align your slabs, and this process is often combined with caulking to seal any cracks and keep the driveway level.
• Appearance: Finally, from both a comfort and home value standpoint, a clear driveway without cracks is the way to go.

For more information on why sealing concrete cracks is important, or to learn about any of our concrete raising or leveling services, speak to the pros at Lift-Up Concrete today.

Concrete is a strong and durable material, but even it has imperfections and can wear down over time. One of the most common visual signs of this happening to your concrete is the appearance of cracks, which may be large or small and can appear on several different sections of your concrete driveway, patio or other area.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re here to provide high-quality commercial and residential concrete lifting and leveling services for these and all other concrete concerns. Some driveway cracks may just need simple caulking as a filler, while others may signal the need for more significant leveling services that may also include caulk. Let’s go over some of the basics on why your driveway or other concrete surface may crack, plus why it’s important to fill these if they’re present.

Why Driveways Crack

There are a few different reasons why a concrete driveway might begin to crack:

• Drying: In some cases, concrete that isn’t cured or poured correctly can dry too quickly after being applied to a given surface. This will cause it to craze and crust over – the former refers to a network of small cracks that take place due to moisture content, while the latter occurs on stamped concrete when the pattern is pressed too early in the process.
• Shrinkage: Concrete is made from a combination of cement and water, which hardens as water evaporates. This causes a shrinking process, but if too much water is used, the shrinkage will be more than expected and can cause cracks.
• Weather changes: Another cause of concrete shrinking and expanding, even sometimes months or years after the concrete has been installed, is temperature or moisture changes. Temperature and humidity increases lead to expansions of concrete, while the other sides of these coins cause it to contract. When this happens too often, concrete can crack from the strain.
• Settling: When the soil collapses below concrete for various reasons.
• Heaving: When the ground pushes up against concrete and leads to cracks, usually due to growing tree roots or a heavy freeze and thaw cycle.
• Overload: In some cases, too much weight can put such large amounts of pressure on the concrete that it cracks.

Importance and Benefits of Filling Cracks

A few reasons why being sure to fill cracks that appear in your concrete surfaces, particularly driveways, is important:

• Safety: Driveways free of cracks prevent injury to you and any pedestrians.
• Damage: Cars, tires, bikes and any other items that touch the driveway will be at lower risk of damage.
• Leveling: Procedures like concrete leveling with raise and align your slabs, and this process is often combined with caulking to seal any cracks and keep the driveway level.
• Appearance: Finally, from both a comfort and home value standpoint, a clear driveway without cracks is the way to go.

For more information on why sealing concrete cracks is important, or to learn about any of our concrete raising or leveling services, speak to the pros at Lift-Up Concrete today.

If you’ve recently noticed uneven concrete issues in your driveway, patio or other major concrete areas on your Utah property, you might be thinking of simply leaving them alone until the spring. The snow is about to fall, after all, and how much worse could these issues really get over the winter?

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re here to advise you against this kind of thinking. If you require driveway lifting or leveling services, we highly recommend you call us and get these scheduled for before the snow drops and the full winter has completely hit. Here are a few of the primary reasons why we will never advise that you wait through the winter to get your concrete leveling issues handled.

Hazards

Snow and ice that come during winter are already hazards to begin with, and uneven concrete issues can exacerbate them in several unsafe ways. Trips and falls become far more likely, often due to the fact that you simply can’t see the uneven areas you have to navigate on your patio or driveway.

Even when you can see them, it’s much easier to lose your balance and risk a fall. This kind of thing goes double for any children you have in the home, who have less balance and may not pay as much attention to danger areas as they play outside. Not only will getting leveling done before the ice and snow hits save you money in the long run on your concrete, it will prevent costly medical bills and other negatives that come with safety hazards.

Snowblowing Issues

Have you ever tried to use the snowblower on a driveway that’s badly uneven? Not only will the job simply not get done as well – which can in turn lead to additional hazards, which we discussed above – you’re also risking major damage to your snowblower itself. Those blades aren’t invincible, and they will bend or even fully break if they’re regularly hitting uneven concrete.

Rather than deal with these issues, which might reduce the lifespan of your snowblower by as much as 50 percent, simply call us about concrete leveling before this becomes a problem. Both your driveway and your snowblower will appreciate the gesture.

It’ll Only Get Worse

You may think you can simply let your cracked or uneven concrete sit over the winter and get to it when the snow thaws, but this simply isn’t the case – at least not if you’re talking about the same level of damage being present, and therefore the same level of repair needed. Moisture from snow and ice will spend the entire winter infiltrating these cracks and uneven areas, widening them through the expansion and contraction of water at freezing temperatures. What you come back to in the spring will likely be exponentially worse than what you could have addressed in the previous fall.

For more on why having your concrete issues addressed before the snow sticks is vital, or to learn about any of our concrete leveling or raising services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

If you’re considering selling your home in the near future, or even just having it appraised so you’re aware of the value moving forward, your home inspection will be a vital element of this process. This is when a third party inspector comes to your home and assesses various areas that may need to be addressed or fixed before the home can be sold.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we can help with one area that’s commonly raised by home inspectors: Concrete issues. Our various residential concrete leveling and lifting services can assist you as you look to address all related concrete areas, from minor cracks to major voids or settling damage. Here are some of the primary concrete issues found by inspectors during home assessments, plus how to go about addressing these if they come up.

Pitch Problems

When we talk about pitch, we’re referring to the flatness or slope of your concrete. This is a primary concern for larger concrete areas like driveways and patios – during periods of moisture, incorrectly sloped pitch surfaces can lead water toward the home, where it may leak into the basement, foundation and other areas. Drainage is a big point of emphasis for inspectors, and they will absolutely notice this sort of thing.

Luckily, basic concrete raising services will allow you to achieve the pitch you need without replacing your entire slabs. This is a faster process as well, and one that doesn’t require major renovations.

Cracks and Potholes

Perhaps the most noticeable forms of concrete damage that an inspector may spot are cracks, potholes and various bumps found in the driveway of your home. Not only do these signal possible property damage issues, they’re physical hazards for both people and vehicles and could draw you a big demerit on your assessment. Similar issues may also take place in the garage, or in the section between the garage and the driveway. We can help with alignment and smoothing for all these areas at a low cost.

Step Height

After many years of foot traffic that have put more and more strain on concrete steps, they may experience similar sinking effects to other concrete areas. Once again, these are not only property value detractors, but direct safety hazards that will not look good on a property inspection.

In addition to basic visible sinking, inspectors will be looking for a standardized step height. Anything above 8.25 inches between steps will generally be regarded as a problem, so you should measure your steps and contact us about leveling them off if they don’t fit this qualification.

For more on the issues property inspectors will be looking for relative to your concrete, or to learn about how our concrete lifting and leveling services can help, speak to the pros at Lift-Up Concrete today.

Concrete is a fantastic and durable product for several important areas of a given property, whether residential or commercial, but it’s not invincible. It can be damaged over time, either through specific events or, more commonly, by the natural wear and tear they go through over the course of the passing years.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re here to help if your concrete is dealing with these wear or damage issues of any kind. Our concrete leveling and lifting services are available at the residential, commercial and municipal levels, and can assist with everything from minor concrete issues to major damage. One common type of damage to concrete in various areas is the concrete void – how do voids appear, what are some signs they’re present underneath your concrete, and what are your options for addressing them? Let’s take a look.

Signs of Void Presence

Concrete voids may appear in slabs for several reasons, and they refer to gaps beneath the concrete slab between it and the soil or foundation area. Voids may form for a variety of reasons, from lack of proper compression to water erosion that takes place due to leaks at the surface. Voids will weaken your concrete slabs, first just a little but eventually to the point where surface dips, tilting, cracks and even major breakages take place.

When voids are first forming in your concrete, they may be a bit tougher to spot or notice. But as they worsen, they will present visible signs that you should be able to pick up on. These signs include the following:

• Cracking: Cracking will generally begin in small ways, with tiny fissures forming, often near the corners. Eventually this will become larger and full pieces may begin falling off.
• Deterioration: Beyond basic cracking, you may also notice chipping or erosion based on moisture or other elements.
• Corners: A telltale sign of hollow ground below the concrete is breaking corners, which signal that the slab itself is falling in areas.

Options for Addressing Voids

If you’re unsure whether you have voids underneath your concrete, our professionals at Lift-Up Concrete can help determine it for you. And if we do assess voids present, you’ll have a few options available for how you address them:

• Ignorance: Unfortunately, too many home and business owners choose this option. Trust us, we can tell you from experience: All this will do is make your problem worse and cause it to cost more when you do eventually get it taken care of.
• Replacement: In most cases of concrete voids, full-on replacement of your slab is not necessary. This is quite expensive in most cases, and usually does the same job that much more affordable leveling services can do just as well.
• Leveling: Using our expert services, we can drill into your concrete and help raise the void areas with no replacement needed.

For more on your options for concrete voids, or to learn about any of our concrete raising or leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re here to help with all your concrete raising and lifting needs, whether they’re residential, commercial or municipal. We’ve helped clients achieve comprehensive and affordable solutions to concrete sinking issues large and small, from sidewalk repair to basic driveway leveling.

We can also help with the prevention of future sinking issues, much of which comes back to understanding why your sinking took place to begin with. There are several possible contributors to this happening, depending on where you live and what kind of concrete materials you’re using. Let’s look at some of the most common reasons for sinking concrete, plus how to prevent them.

Base Erosion

One of the most frequent reasons why concrete sinks is erosion of the slab’s base. This is generally caused by water that’s able to make its way under the concrete, then begins to slowly decompose it over time.

Stopping this from happening is as simple as making sure your concrete areas are protected from water flow. Make sure water lines, downspouts, gutters and other water transportation elements are directed properly, plus sealed firmly.

Climate Effects

Depending on where you live, concrete sinking might be more or less likely due to the climate. Harsher climates lead to quicker breakdowns of numerous materials, and concrete is among them. Know that visual damage is only one part of this picture – if you can see damage on your concrete, chances are there’s more significant damage below the surface as well.

Workmanship Issues

In other cases, your sinking issues will be due to concrete slabs that were not built or installed correctly. During this process, crews have to spend time on details like the compacting of the soil, gravel and anything else under the area where the slab is going – if poor workmanship is done here, the foundation won’t be able to support the actual concrete piece. This will lead to sinking that you can’t do anything about, and that might require costly repairs.

Slab Curl

The slab curl is a term for when the concrete is in the curing stage and actually curls up a bit. This happens due to some of the concrete curing faster than the rest, changing the shape slightly. This impacts the way the concrete settles, and may cause it to sink in certain areas faster than it would in others.

Nearby Vibrations

If you live near heavy traffic or there’s been major construction taking place in your area, these vibrations could impact your concrete. Vibrations settle the earth underneath your concrete, which can lead to major impacts on sinking.

For more on the precursors to your concrete settling, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting, raising or leveling services, speak to the pros at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

There are a number of issues that can affect the handy DIY homeowner, and a sunken patio is among the more major ones. Problematic for both practical and visual reasons, sunken patios can be major hassles and cost a significant amount to get cleaned up.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, though, we’re here to help through our concrete lifting and leveling services. We can help with even the worst sunken patios, those with exposed foundation or other major structural issues. Here are some basics on the dangers of a sunken patio, plus why it generally makes far more sense to repair it using a service like concrete leveling rather then replacing the entire patio.

Sunken Patios and Safety Hazards

Sunken patios are an eyesore and not something any homeowner wants seen, but this is a relatively minor issue compared to the safety concerns they can pose. Particularly in homes that have any children or pets, but even in those that don’t, sunken patios can be major hazards in some of the most common walking areas out there.

Exposed wood can lead to splinters and similar issues, presenting safety issues. And in the worst cases, long enough exposure may lead to moisture coming into contact with wood and causing mold or mildew formation, which can be harmful for personal health.

Why Repair Beats Replacement

If you’re dealing with a sunken patio, you should be doing everything in your power to attempt to repair it rather than replace it entirely. Costs are far greater for a full-on patio replacement, often up to double the cost of simply using leveling or raising to repair.

Here are a few benefits of repairing the sunken concrete patio instead of replacing it:

• Saves time: Using a technique like concrete leveling, which pumps material in from the bottom up, allows you to walk in your cement right away after the procedure is done. Other processes, such as mudjacking, leave wet concrete that can’t be contacted for days after the project is done.

• Saves money: As we noted above, repairing concrete is much cheaper than replacing it.

• Helps with water damage and sealing: The foam used in our concrete leveling is water-tight, meaning no further water damage can take place to any exposed areas.

• Less intrusive: Unlike other processes that take a lot of time and force you to alter a bunch of your daily routines, raising your concrete is not intrusive. We drill holes the size of a dime, meaning you’ll never even notice we were there. We’ll also then match your concrete with what we put in the hole, plus won’t bother you with loud jackhammers or other noises.

How We Can Help

If you’re dealing with a sunken concrete patio, call the pros at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today to learn about whether leveling is the right choice for you. Contact us today.

With fall in full swing and winter on the way, it’s vital for home and business owners in Utah to be thinking about keeping moisture out of their homes. The winter is the riskiest time for home floods and leaking issues, with snow melting into water runoff and creating issues in some situations.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re here to help. Our commercial and residential concrete lifting services can benefit your entire property in several ways, including preventing water leaking and flooding issues that you may not have thought were even related to your concrete. Let’s look at some of the common misconceptions with home waterproofing, plus how concrete leveling might be able to help if you’re having problems.

Waterproofing Basics

When it comes to the home, waterproofing refers to any techniques and materials used to prevent water from making it inside the home, namely into the basement. A properly waterproofed home will have no leaks or moisture seepage into the basement or anywhere else, even after significant snow or rain storms.

If you’ve had flooding in your home, though, it’s important to know that the waterproofing of the actual structure itself might not be the problem. Let’s look more at this.

Is Waterproofing Even the Issue?

In many cases, homeowners assume they have a structural waterproofing issue if water gets in when this isn’t truly the case. And while this is sometimes true, there are cases where it isn’t – namely, if you notice that the basement looks find and doesn’t have any foul smells or mildew present.

If this is the case, it’s possible your issues actually relate to the concrete outside your home. This concrete could be sunken, cracked or sloped in a way that allows moisture to move toward the home during or after a storm, causing water to leak into the basement for this reason. In situations like these, a waterproofer won’t be able to do much – rather, our pros might be able to perform a simpler leveling procedure on your concrete that will save you huge amounts of time and hassle.

How Concrete Leveling Can Help

There are a few different approaches to leveling concrete, but the general goal is the same: Restoring both the look and overall performance of the concrete itself. If you have holes that are causing sloping issues or water pooling, for instance, leveling will fill these easily along with any other minor cracks that might be contributing. Rather than rainfall or snow runoff flowing toward your home during or after a big storm, you’ll have a flat surface that doesn’t promote flooding or pooling in any way.

To learn more about how concrete leveling can help with water leakage issues, or for more on any of our concrete lifting, leveling or raising services, speak to the pros at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.