Sunken concrete lifted back to level in Rochester

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us where you live and which concrete has moved.

2. We connect you

   We pass your request to an independent concrete leveling contractor serving Rochester and the surrounding towns.

3. They call you back

   The contractor visits, checks the slab and quotes you directly.

Who calls us?

Rochester-area homeowners whose concrete has dropped, tipped or separated: driveways, garage floors and aprons, front walks, back patios, stoops, steps and pool decks. We also hear from owners who have spotted pink paint on the public sidewalk out front and want to understand what it means before they spend money.

Does sunken concrete have to be torn out?

Usually not, as long as the slab is still in a few large pieces. Concrete leveling raises the existing slab by drilling small holes and filling the empty space below it, so there's no demolition, no dumpster and no week of waiting for new concrete to cure. Tear-out and a fresh pour make more sense when the slab has shattered into many pieces, the surface is flaking apart, or the ground underneath has a problem that filling a void won't solve.

Foam or mudjacking: what's the difference?

• Polyurethane foam lifting. Two liquid components are injected through holes about the width of a pencil eraser. They react, expand and harden within minutes. The material is light, so it adds little weight to soft soil, and it doesn't absorb water.
• Mudjacking. A cement and soil slurry is pumped through larger holes, a bit over an inch across. It's the older approach, it's heavier, and it needs more time before the slab carries traffic, but it remains a common choice and is often the less expensive one.

Some Rochester contractors run both rigs; others do only one. Ask which material they would put under your slab and why. Details on the concrete leveling page.

Why does concrete shift so much around Rochester?

• Deep, repeated freezing. Rochester's January daily mean is under 15°F, and the city sees a little more than 50 inches of snow in a normal winter. Minnesota's building code requires footings in Olmsted County to sit at least three and a half feet down to stay below frost. A slab sitting on the surface gets no such protection: moisture beneath it freezes, swells, lifts the concrete, then thaws and leaves soft or hollow ground.
• Snowmelt with nowhere to go. Every spring, melting snowbanks and downspouts dump water along driveways and walks. When it runs under a slab it carries fine soil away and leaves a void.
• Backfill around newer homes. Rochester and its neighboring towns have added a lot of housing in recent decades. Soil pushed back against new foundations and over utility trenches keeps compacting for years, and the garage apron, stoop and patio poured on top of it go down with it.
• Karst country. Southeastern Minnesota is the state's main karst region, where limestone and dolomite bedrock can dissolve. A slab over a real sinkhole is a different job than one over a washout, so a contractor should look before promising a lift.

Which problems should you deal with soon?

• A raised edge on a walk or driveway that someone could catch a toe on
• A patio or stoop pitched toward the house so water runs at the foundation
• A step-down at the garage door that keeps getting taller
• A gap between the slab and the house wide enough to swallow a pencil
• Front steps that tip, rock or have pulled away from the threshold
• Ice that forms in the same low spot every winter

When do Rochester contractors do this work?

Most lifting happens between the spring thaw and the ground freezing in late fall. Foam can often go in during cooler weather than slurry, but no one can properly lift a slab sitting on frozen soil. Spring is when frost heave and washouts become obvious, so that's also when calendars fill. If you notice a problem in fall, get an estimate before the snow flies and you may land a spot early the next season.

What keeps a lifted slab from dropping again?

Lifting fixes the symptom. Controlling water fixes the cause:

• Run downspout extensions well past the edge of walks, patios and the driveway
• Point sump pump discharge away from concrete and toward the yard
• Seal the joint where flatwork meets the foundation, plus any open control joints
• Build up soil that has settled into a trough next to the slab

Our joint sealing page explains why that step matters in a Minnesota winter.

Are you a concrete company?

No. Rochester Concrete Leveling is a referral service. We connect you with an independent contractor who serves your address, and that contractor inspects, quotes, performs and warranties the work. Before you sign anything, read our notes on choosing a contractor and the Rochester concrete leveling guide.

Areas we cover

• Rochester
• Byron
• Stewartville
• Pine Island

Planning ahead? Read our Rochester concrete leveling guide.