Overview
Patios, pool decks, porches and steps often settle when soil underneath compacts or erodes. Sunken sections can tilt toward the house, collect water and create trip hazards.
Lifting methods such as foam injection or mudjacking can raise slabs and restore slope away from the house. Pool decks need special care due to plumbing, coping and nearby structures.
Addressing drainage, such as downspouts discharging onto the patio, can help prevent re-settling.
The usual process
- Inspecting the slab for settlement and drainage issues.
- Recommending drainage improvements.
- Recommending lifting, void filling or replacement.
- Lifting slabs to restore slope away from the house.
- Patching holes and sealing joints.
Key considerations
- Joint sealing can reduce water under slabs.
- Decorative or stamped concrete patches may be harder to match.
- Pool decks may have plumbing underneath. Ask how it will be protected.
- Porch and stoop slabs can be connected to the foundation in ways that affect lifting.
- Slabs sloping toward the house can send water toward the foundation.
Local notes for Colorado's Front Range
Parts of Colorado's Front Range are known for expansive clay soils and claystone bedrock that swell when wet and shrink as they dry. That movement can affect foundations, basement slabs, driveways and sidewalks, and it is one reason many local homes are built with deep foundations or floating basement slabs.
Front Range weather brings freeze-thaw cycles, spring snowmelt and summer storms. Keeping water away from the foundation with working gutters, extended downspouts, grading that slopes away from the house and careful irrigation near the foundation is a common first step before or alongside any repair.
We take inquiries from Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo.
How to prepare your inquiry
- Mention any previous foundation, drainage or concrete work, and whether a warranty came with it.
- Note the age of the home and whether it has a basement, crawl space or slab.
- Mention any doors or windows that stick, no longer latch or show new gaps.
- Say whether you are buying or selling the home, since timelines may matter.
- Describe whether water shows up in the basement, crawl space or against the foundation, and when.
Red flags to watch for
- Vague warranty terms, or no answer about whether the warranty transfers to a new owner.
- Pressure to sign the same day, or claims that a discount disappears if you wait.
- Recommending major structural repairs without looking at drainage and grading.
- Unwillingness to explain the cause of the problem before recommending repairs.
- No written proposal describing the scope, materials and number of piers or supports.
What to ask before you commit
- Can my patio be lifted back to level?
- How will you protect pool plumbing and coping?
- How will patches look on decorative concrete?
- Will the patio slope away from the house afterward?
- What warranty applies?
Quick answers
- Can a sunken patio be lifted?
- Often, yes, with foam or mudjacking, depending on condition.
- Can pool decks be leveled?
- Yes, with care to protect plumbing and coping.
- Will stamped concrete patches match?
- Matching can be challenging. Ask how patches will be finished.
Related topics
- Polyurethane Foam Leveling: How polyurethane foam (polyjacking) lifts concrete slabs, its trade-offs, and questions to ask.
- Driveway Leveling: Why driveways sink and crack, leveling and replacement options, and questions to ask.
- Garage Floor Leveling: Why garage slabs settle or crack, options for leveling, and what to ask before work starts.