Any Mudjack company recommendaations?

[Romer]

My driveway near the garage floor has settled a bit creating a height delta that requires a bump to get into the garage

Mud Jacking would be a lot easier and cheaper than replacing

Any recommendations?

Thanks in Advance

 

[OilHammer]

I used “crackerjack” mud jacking back in 2020. I moved immediately after so I don’t know how it held up. What I was surprised to see was how one hole could lift a fairly large slab and it made me question the long term stability. That mixture was not thin enough to uniformly support the underside IMO. It’s been six years so might be worth going back over there to inspect. I have lots of slab problems down south now but I suspect new slab is the way to go

 

[DaveInDenver]

Take it for what it's worth but my better half says to "Avoid it."

The traditional mudjacking where they pump slurry under the slab usually doesn't last. The material adds weight to an already compromised subgrade, so the slab falls again.

The newer method uses expanding foam, which is lighter but doesn't work if the problem is ground water erosion or poor preparation. There's also the problem of the foam compressing and breaking down over time.

One thing to watch for with the expanding foam method if you're around a basement or foundation. If it's placed indiscriminately the foam may push horizontally as it expands and can crack walls.

I know you didn't ask but it repair solutions where they tie in and use jacks is legitimate. These are engineered and stamped on foundations and that requires excavation, so it's a permanent fix.

A similar thing can be done on slabs with helical or push piers. Success depends on how sound the slab is and it might not be much cheaper than just repouring the slab on a properly compacted base. You have to do this where you can't easily replace, like having a structure on top so breaking the old and repouring isn't really an option.

What it comes down to is expected lifespan and cost. Look at the warranty they're offering. It's unlikely a mud or foam jacking contractor is going to guarantee it for more than a year or two, so if you're in the house for the long haul that could get irritating and end up more expensive. If you want to know with some certainty then you have to involve geotechs and structurals, which for a driveway is unnecessary. Just repour in that case.

 

[Pz10420]

I am not saying I recommend doing this but I recently watched a youtube video of a guy who did this himself with a bunch of cans of expanding foam and it seemed to work quite well. He had a similar issue to yours where he had a bump going from driveway to garage. I would only attempt this because I am cheap and like a good science experiment. Also, I got a quote a few years ago to level up a small back patio and the cost was mind blowing for what they are doing and you still have concrete with cracks in it than wont look great afterwards.

 

[SteveH]

My parents in Fort Collins used Crackerjack and years later, there was zero sagging that I could see. The installers drilled a few 2" holes at the front of the garage (where it adjoins the house) and brought it back to level and plugged the holes.

Most of these places have a warranty, right? Can't believe that it doesn't work for most people or they wouldn't be in business.

 

[Telly]

Another Crackerjack endorser. I used them on a two commercial projects to lift an interior SOG (slab on grade) and both turned out great and no issues years later.

 

[DaveInDenver]

That screed was based on what my (informal in this case) consulting structural engineer told me. They jacked several slabs where she works, they've all failed and she gets to deal with them now. Some can be repaired, helical piers. Some just repoured.

Sample size of dozens in various municipal setting and high clay soil.

On our Loveland house we did new slabs with no change in elevation in 5 years of our ownership.

Some of that could be hyper critical client specifying base and inspecting, though. Concrete slab is just transferring the load, you need to do 80% of the work in subgrade prep.

Like I said, it's all about the warranty. Also root cause, extent of the failure and integrity of the slab.

Slabs are often jacked to level before sales. So warranty isn't transferred, no one is closing the loop on success.

YMMV

 

[Romer]

That screed was based on what my (informal in this case) consulting structural engineer told me. They jacked several slabs where she works, they've all failed and she gets to deal with them now. Some can be repaired, helical piers. Some just repoured.

Sample size of about a dozen in various municipal setting and high clay soil.

On our Loveland house we did new slabs with no change in elevation in 5 years of our ownership.

Some of that could be hyper critical client specifying base and inspecting, though. Concrete slab is just transferring the load, you need to do 80% of the work in subgrade prep.

Like I said, it's all about the warranty. Also root cause, extent of the failure and integrity of the slab.

Slabs are often jacked to level before sales. So warranty isn't transferred, no one is closing the loop on success.

YMMV

Dave,
I am thinking we are talking apples to oranges, but not sure.

What I have is part of the driveway that goes against the lip of thee garage cement has settled and I need that raised a couple of inches at the garage side. The other side of the section is fine. Everything else is good.

I don't have a clay soil issue in my hood

I am not wanting to raise a slab, just part of a section against the garage

 

[KC Masterpiece]

I have had good luck with Ground Works

 

[DaveInDenver]

@Romer we're talking about the same thing. They were trying mud and foam jacking as an alternative to things like fixing sidewalk heaving and settling. It just didn't work well enough to prevent them from having to replace sections anyway. I'm not saying it can't work but the conditions have to be right for it to be a (usually mud jacking with the slurry) permanent fix. Go in eyes open that municipalities faced with a lot of this mostly use it as a temporary solution and at least one I know stopped doing it. They grind ajoining high spots down instead and schedule for replacement.

 

[Romer]

I have Craackerjack coming by Wednesday for an estimate. Thanks for the recommendation guys

And Dave, I will keep your conceerns in mind when I taalk to them

 

[RDub]

Please post estimate cost details if you feel comfortable. I am in the same boat as you. Concrete work is out of this world expensive these days.

 

[60wag]

We have used Colorado Concrete Artisans for a couple of recent projects. I thought their pricing was quite reasonable and Philip is great to work with. It would likely cost more to replace the concrete than to level the old slab but might be worth an extra data point.

Colorado Concrete Artisans

www.coconcreteartisans.com

 

[Romer]

Please post estimate cost details if you feel comfortable. I am in the same boat as you. Concrete work is out of this world expensive these days.

They gave me a reasonable estimate so I hired them for work on Monday. It comes with a 2 year warranty

I am doing all along my 4 car garage where the drivewway has settled down a few inches below the garage floor

He told me setup fee is $695. I added a panel inside thee garage that had settled slightly and that increased the cost by $150

Total estimate is under $2K

Your costs may be different based on what is involved

 

[Romer]

They came out today and did a great job. Very happy with the results. Took them a little over an hour

I have a 2 year warranty on the work.

Not really concerned as my part of town doesn't have a clay issue. My last house did and the had a raised floor in the basement

 

[KC Masterpiece]

Thanks for posting on this including the pricing. I need to get a quote for our driveway. Its settled significantly.

If anyone else is looking for pricing when I had Groundworks out for this at the property I manage they did a ton of our sidewalks and we were charged the $1,500 minimum from them for commercial work. All of our concrete walkways are heated and we scaled the work back the day they came out. I was pretty pleased they brought a thermal camera to map out all the lines, and we had some concerns about the lifting process stretching or breaking the pex.

Here is what I am looking to fix for context. This driveway has really sunk, and I would have to sell a truck to have it re poured. Similar to what you described I just need the slab lifted where it meets the garage floor. The bump up is annoying.