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How long will it last?

CRC has repairs that are over twenty years old which haven’t moved; however, we also have warranty work. Consider the slabs we work on. There are panels that took over fifty years to move and others that aren’t even a year old.  These disparities are sometimes easy to explain such as a pipe failure or a tree next to a slab. But, the true reason is usually a bunch of little factors that lead to the problem.

I like to say past performance is usually indicative of future performance.  If a slab took five years to fail, then odds are our repair will start to move in about five years.  Now some will say this is a failure, but if you instead went with tear out and replacement the odds would still say that the new slab will move in about five years. The truth is you are where you are, and the soils in that particular area are going to do what they want to do.  Of course, there are usually ways to engineer around most of these issues, but for residential or commercial projects the cost is usually prohibitive.

So, where does that leave us. We have repairs that are long term fixes, and we have others that are just managing issues (soils, trees, drainage, etc).  Looking at the problem from a cost perspective you should try to extend the length between tear out and replacement as long as possible. Imagine a leaky roof. Sometimes you just need to patch the leak and other times you need a new roof. That is where our repair fits in. Our method of repair extends the useful life of your concrete, but the time between repairs is dependent on the soils underneath.  After all we are just along for the ride.

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Leveling Concrete

It’s a jungle out there!

I guess you can call this post my PSA for the year, and I’m not just talking about leveling concrete but for contractors in general.  In our line of work, like may others, you can buy some equipment, take a short two day course and presto you are a certified installer.  Now, we all have to start somewhere but I think experience is sometimes undervalued when customers compare proposals.  Price isn’t a good measure of competency.   An inexperienced contractor could be the high bidder.  Maybe they haven’t worked on something similar, so they think the work will be harder than it really is.  In this case no harm no foul, you just paid more.  On the other hand they could be the low bidder, because they don’t realize the amount of time and material a given job will actually take to do it right.  There are a few possibilities with this outcome.  First, they figure out the are outside of their realm of expertise and gracefully bow out.  Second, they carry on and consider this as additional classroom time.  Lesson learned, job finished.  Finally, they find a way to cut a corner which may or may not impact the final result and don’t look back.  We occasionally buy equipment from failed ventures and their stories are similar.  We took the class and we felt prepared.  The classroom is where everything works, but the field is a different animal.  You have to deal with tree roots, contractors who didn’t follow the plans, and other people who just cut corners. I know our company has seen a lot since 1994, but we still come across things and wonder what were they thinking.  I guess this post is a little doom and gloom, but there are things you can do.  Get a referral from a friend or another company you trust, get multiple bids, be wary of companies that can fix it tomorrow(no backlog of work), make sure they have insurance, and most importantly follow your gut.

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Why Poly?

This job could have been repaired with cementitious grout (mudjacking) or polyurethane foam.  The client in this case went with polyurethane, due to the smaller injection holes.  If we went with mudjacking, then we would have needed to core the holes adding time and expense.  If aesthetics weren’t a concern, then mudjacking would have been the cheapest option.  Luckily, with CRC you have options and the know how.

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Polyurethane Lifting – No Problem

Just wanted to show off our recent wrap of our foam lifting rig.  It’s now decked out in the Red, White and Blue.


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Expansive Soils

Yes, we have them.  I ran across this video on YouTube that really explains the issue, and thought I should share.

Have a LOOK

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It’s a Sign

SPALLING

While the world isn’t ending, this concrete is moving.  A void has developed under the slab, which in turn has allowed the slab to flex as traffic goes by.  There are many factors that can cause the initial void, but at this point water will expand the damage.  Water gets under the slab and fills the void, then traffic travels across pushing out the water.  This water contains some of the base material, which means the void increases in size as each vehicle passes.  This damage spreads out, slowly destroying the pavement as it goes.

Our process can stop the spread by a process we call stitch grouting.  We drill holes on either side of the joint and pump our cementitious grout to displace any water and replace the lost base.  There could be some additional steps depending on usage, but that’s about it.  Sometimes you can even avoid the spalling if you are very observant.  If you are walking on a street or drive and notice a lot of sand(especially at the joints), then it’s possible this process could be in the beginning stages.

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How bad is too bad?

We are often asked about slabs that are severely broken – “Can I repair this with mudjacking or is it time for tear out and replacement?”.  The answer really is “It depends”.  Specifically it depends on your expectations and our experience.  Have a look at the pictures below.

My recommendation to this homeowner’s association was the drive needs tear out and replacement.  The manhole most likely has some issues which is causing settlement along the centerline of the drive (over six inches of drop at its worse).  In addition, the concrete has cracked up.

Of course from the pictures you can tell there isn’t any new concrete.   The association’s budget couldn’t handle the price tag of tear out and replacement, so we came in and did the best we could.  It is also safe to say that our material sealed up some of the manhole issues.  After many years this area has moved around a little, but it is still usable and has yet to be replaced.  This additional time has given the association flexibility with their budget and in this case the cost vs. time gained was definitely worth it.  So, as I said in the beginning – It depends.

 

 

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The Correct Answer Is?

tree-before-after


TREE


Trees can cause settlement or their roots can heave the slabs.  Good news, we can usually fix the problem.  Of course if you go back in our blogs you’ll find a tree issue where tear out was the only fix.  Moreover, if this tree was by your house you’d probably be searching for a foundation company.

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Parks and Recreation

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The weather is cooling and people are starting to enjoy their community parks and recreation centers.  Trip hazards and standing water issues will start to pop up as a result.  Cities, Municipal Utility Districts, and Homeowner Associations all need to inspect these areas which are sometimes overlooked.

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Driveway at Garage Settlement

publication1

If it is hard to pull your car into the garage or you’re getting a scraping sound as you pull in, then CRC may be able to help.  Lifting a driveway with our method isn’t much different then raising a sidewalk or street. This customer was able to drive into their garage by that evening.

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