AAA Concrete Raising Co.

Info | F.A.Q.

What Will My Mudjacking Job Cost?
Prices usually range from about $300 to $1,600 per job depending on the size of the project.

Concrete and Trees and Tree Roots
Be careful not to plant trees to close to the concrete drives or walks. Tree roots can and will lift concrete over time. Consult with your landscaper before determining the location of your trees. Distance is dependent on the type of tree you plant, but remember to plant your trees far away from concrete slabs. A common mistake homeowners make is planting flowers to close to the concrete flatwork such as porches and sidewalks. Watering these areas can make the ground sink, and the concrete will follow.

Animals Living Under Concrete Voids
It is so important to prepare for mud jacking a porch or a patio if there is a void under the slab that animals have access to. The last thing you want to do is trap a skunk under the slab you will literally need to get the dead carcass out because the stink will be so bad. To expel the animals from the void, you should first put moth balls thrown under the slab also ammonia soaked rags work well. I suggest doing both. This makes it so stinky that the animals will abandon the void under the concrete slab. You can put a radio on under a porch animals don't like loud music. After a couple of days ball up some news paper and stick it in the openings under the slab. If the paper is not disturbed you know animals are not going in and out. Now is the time to mud jack and fill in the voids, after the animals have abandoned the nest under the concrete slab.

Water Drainage Problems
Structural engineers suggest having a minimum of 8 feet of positive drainage around your house. This includes downspout extensions. (8 feet long). The same is true for concrete flat work it's important to have the landscape sloped away from the concrete. After we raise a porch, patio, drive and sidewalk we typically will leave instruction to re-do the slope on the dirt next to the concrete so the water can run away. Also we ask people to add 8 foot extension to their down spouts. This will protect your new mudjacked slab.

Alluvial Soil and Soil Settling
Most of the soil in Denver metro is not ideal for concrete flatwork. The reason being is when you disturb the soil (dig a hole to build a house) it take years for the ground to settle and become very dense again. As the ground settles, so does the concrete flatwork. All soils are different so it depends on were you are and what kind of settling your property has. There are some problems mudjacking cannot correct; one problem is with soils that heave upward. When a concrete slab has heaved upward, there is little we can do for that case. This soil condition is called expansive soil conditions. If you demolish and re-pour a floor that has heaved up make sure you ask your contractor to prepare the soil prior to repouring otherwise you will continue to have the same problem. Another problem mudjacking is not a solution for is a garage floor that has heaved upward in the center of the floor where the garage door comes down. This cannot be repaired with mudjacking because the center has heaved upward, but the sides are at their proper elevation, this is not a candidate for mudjacking. There are companies that will cut or shave the concrete down so the garage door fits better. This process is called milling and I've heard it's kind of expensive.

Concrete Chipping or Spalling
Concrete spalling is typically caused on freezing nights by water getting into the pores of the concrete and freezing. The ice melting on a warm winter day, followed by night time when the temperature falls, the water freezes, expands, causing the top surface of the concrete to pop lose. Maintenance will help prevent this from happening. Buy a good commercial grade water sealer to apply to the surface of the slab. This will seal the pores and prevent the water from getting into the pores of the concrete. Water sealers can also help protect the concrete slab when different products are sprinkled on top of the ice to help prevent people from falling down. Make sure you ask your sales person if there products are safe to use on concrete.

Concrete Cracking
When your concrete cracks, I recommend you patch and seal the cracked area. Sealing cracked concrete is a good idea as rain water can fall on the slab and get into the crack to cause further damage. When a crack or gap in concrete becomes larger then ½ inch I recommend the following. I like getting sticky clay dirt and mix in small amounts of water to the dirt till you build a paste. Put on some rubber gloves and rub the mud deep into the crack or gap sealing the void. Now you can wash that excess from the surface. This process works well from keeping water out. For smaller cracks, I like buying a latex caulk (latex cleans up with water). Again put on your rubber gloves and rub the caulk deep into the crack. I use a product DAP brand name made for concrete. Next sprinkle some vinyl patch powder over the top of the caulk. Add a little water and rub the patch powder into the caulk. Next with a slightly damp sponge, wipe the surface to a beautiful finish. The patch powder is the same color as the concrete so you shouldn't see the caulk.

Concrete staining
There are different products available to put on the surface of concrete. Some are stains that are applied to the concrete slab. Other companies have a coating that is applied to the concrete slab. Make sure you ask the company for literature or referrals that show the product will stay on with our changing weather conditions. These products are mainly used for changing the look of the concrete surface, and may help with unsightly staining problems.

Concrete Maintenance
It's important to protect the exterior concrete if you want it to last its full life of 30 plus years. Make sure not to let ice remain on the slab. This can cause spalling issues and your surface will become chipped. Even with a concrete sealer applied to the surface, ice left on the surface can start the spalling process.

Concrete Specs for Your Contractor
There are different thickness and strengths of concrete. When pouring a slab I like to see fibermesh in the concrete. Some contractors will use wire mesh pulled up in the center of the concrete. However if the wire mesh is not positioned properly in the concrete, it will have no value. Some concrete contracters fail to pull the wire mesh into the center of the concrete slab. I have repaired concrete with the wire mesh in the dirt under the concrete, which is installed incorrectly. The most common residential concrete used is 2500 p.s.i (pound per square inch) I like to see 4000 p.s.i this a harder and tighter concrete that works better for keeping water out of the surface. You want to make sure the concrete is poured at least 4" thick. I also like larger rock added to the mix for stronger concrete. If you have heaving soil conditions make sure contractors prepare the soil properly to guarantee your concrete will not heave and cause a host of problems.

Concrete Temperature
If you are having concrete poured in the winter, make sure your contractor has a special cold weather mix. There should be special additives to the concrete mix to allow for the cold conditions. Some concrete contracters will add calcium to the mix. If the temperature is mild enough there is no need for the additive.

Concrete lifecycle
The life cycle of concrete depends on maintenance and what type of concrete was poured. Typically concrete becomes harder with time. Then after concrete life ends, it starts going the other direction and becomes softer. Again it depends on how thick and what type of concrete was poured to determine the life cycle. I feel any concrete over 30 years old has served you well.

What to Expect with Impact and Cleanup.
When we come out to raise a slab don't worry about your grass or flowers. The slurry won't hurt them. We do an excellent job of cleaning up after completing the job. We are never in a hurry to leave. Being the owner of the company I do all the office work, estimating, and go to the job site to perform the work. Having this hands on approach keeps things running smooth. I went out and purchased the best equipment. This makes our work go so much smoother. There is lot of pride in doing stellar work.