Selling a home can be a stressful, especially when the inspection report comes back with a list of items that need to be addressed before the home can be sold. Concrete raising with either mudjacking or polyurethane can help eliminate some of the stress by offering an inexpensive and quick solution to many concrete issues that may be on a home inspectors report. As a polyurethane and mudjacking contractor the items I see flagged most often are concrete pitch, step height, and trip hazards.
Concrete raising simply put is the process of drilling holes through the existing concrete and injecting light weight polyurethane foam or mudjacking grout under the concrete in order to lift the concrete back in place. There is very little equipment involved and most projects can be completed within a couple of hours. Concrete Raising is generally half the cost or better than the cost of replacement. For these reasons many people selling their homes will turn to a concrete raising contractor to correct concrete issues on an inspection report.
Quite often concrete patios and driveways settle and produce a negative pitch back towards the home. Prolonged water running towards a home can develop into serious foundation issues and leaky basements. A home inspector will check the concrete around the home to ensure that the water is draining away properly. A home inspector will flag concrete that has settled to level as well. Flat concrete is not pitched concrete. The concrete can easily be raised to produce pitch away from the home and pass inspection.
Our business receives calls all the time from realtors whose homes have been flagged with step height issues. Often the step that gets flagged is the step leading from the front walk to the front porch. Different states have different required step heights. Most states require step heights to be between 7-8”.
Here in Wisconsin, where our company is based, the standard is an 8” step. I usually prefer to lift to a 7 ½” step to allow for the possibility of soil settlement. Sometimes the patio step heights may be too large and will need to be corrected. Settled patio steps usually go hand in hand with negatively pitched patio slabs.
A home inspector may also look for large trip hazards. These may be within sidewalks and walkways. A trip hazard may also be at the garage approach where the driveway and the garage floor meet. If you have a large bump you need to drive over in order to get into your garage there is a good chance that a home inspector will note it on the report.
With a simple level and tape measure you can determine if your concrete will pass inspection. If you have an area around your home that is a concern, call Raise-Rite for a FREE estimate (877-407-2473) . For over 40 years we have been helping our customers—home owners, commercial properties and municipalities—raise, level and repair their concrete, fix their foundations, and provide home waterproofing solutions.