Leveling
One slab has sunk, and you are tripping on the edge every day
A sunken slab is a trip hazard, and it can return if nobody fixes why it dropped. Tell us which slab and how big the step is. We will help you ask whether lifting suits it or a new pour is the honest answer.
Leveling booked here takes $100 off your first job
From the house to the street
- Garage floorYours
- Steps and walksYours
- DrivewayYours
- ApronYours, with a permit
- Public sidewalkCity or your town
- StreetRoad owner
Questions
Questions people ask before they book
- 1
Can any sunken slab be lifted?
No. A slab has to be sound enough to lift. One that is broken through, crumbling or patched many times may need replacing.
- 2
Will a lifted slab sink again?
It can, if the water that caused the first drop is still reaching the same spot. Ask what is being done about drainage.
- 3
Why did my slab sink?
Common causes are soil washed away by water, soft spots in the base and uneven frost movement. Ask the contractor what they found.
- 4
Is leveling cheaper than replacing?
Not always. Ask for both options priced separately, with the reasons written down.
- 5
When should I level a slab?
Ask about the season. Cold nights and wet spring ground change the plan, so get a date and a fallback in writing.
- 6
Does the lift fix a cracked slab?
No. Lifting restores level to concrete that is sound. Cracks can stay, so ask what the finished slab will look like.
- 7
Who fixes a sunken apron or public sidewalk?
The apron is yours with the road owner's say. In the City of Syracuse, public sidewalks are the city's to repair.
Ask about your slab
Tell us about your slab
Send the details once. Nothing is booked and you owe nothing for asking.
We help you work out whose concrete it is and what to ask for, then introduce you to an independent Syracuse-area contractor to quote it.
Put it in writing before anyone pours
Seven questions for any contractor, any slab. Copy them into your messages and keep the answers with your contract.
- Air-entrained mix, with the air content namedThe mix decides whether the surface flakes again in a few winters.
- The pour date, and a plan if it turns coldCold nights after the pour count, even when the pour day is mild.
- How the slab is cured and coveredCuring and cold protection run for different lengths of time.
- No de-icer on the new slab this winterClean sand gives traction without feeding the scaling.
- Whose road it is, and who pulls the permitWork in a county road right of way needs a county permit first.
- A signed written contract before work startsNew York asks for a written contract on home improvement jobs over $500.
- What is removed, what is poured, what is leftA clear scope stops arguments about patching versus replacing.
$100 off your first job
Your $100 comes off once your first concrete job is booked.
- The credit comes from us, not out of the contractor's price.
- One credit per customer, per property.
- Your job needs to be booked by December 31, 2026.
- Mention the $100 when you book the work.
The straight-answer slab promise
- No charge to ask, and no obligation once you have.
- If the city or the road owner should fix it, we say so.
- We ask about the mix and the pour month up front.
- Your $100 is applied the way our Terms spell out.
Your contract is with the contractor, who answers to you for the work.
Concrete Repair Syracuse, (315) 640-3590
This fits when
When the slab leveling job is next
A step between slabs
One slab sits lower than its neighbor and the edge catches your shoe.
A slab that tilts to the house
Water runs toward the wall instead of away. Ask how the tilt will be corrected.
A void under the edge
You can see or hear a hollow space under the slab. Ask what the contractor found when they probed it.
A slab that sank before
It was raised once and dropped again. Ask what changed about the water this time.
A slab broken into pieces
The concrete itself is cracked through in many places. Ask honestly whether it can be lifted at all.
Drawing
What the slab leveling job reads off the slab
- Void
- Empty space under the slab where soil moved away.
- Drop
- The step between a slab and its neighbor.
- Fill
- What the contractor puts under the slab to carry it.
- Water path
- Where roof and yard water runs near the slab.
The job
What you are booking with slab leveling work
Lifting a sound slab
A sound slab that has dropped may be raised back to level. Ask which method, what fills the space and how the fill resists water.
Replacing a broken slab
A slab too broken to lift is removed and poured new. Ask about the base and the mix.
Fixing the cause
Drainage and base repair come first, or the slab will drop again.
Checking the neighbors
A sunken slab often has neighbors that are next. Ask the contractor to look at the full run.
By season
How the first winter shapes slab leveling work
- An air-entrained mix
- If a slab is poured new instead of lifted, the mix matters as much as it does anywhere else. Ask for air-entrained concrete, because a replacement that scales has not solved the problem.
- The right pour month
- Lifting and pouring react differently to cold. A replacement pour in a cold month needs protection, so ask the month and what the contractor does if nights fall to 40F or below.
- First-winter protection
- Whichever route you take, ask what stops water from reaching the same spot again. Drainage decides whether the slab stays where it is put through its next winter.
Basis: Portland Cement Association American Concrete Institute
Whose job
Who decides on the slab leveling job
A sunken driveway, walk, patio or garage slab on your property is yours. If the sunken piece is the apron at the street, or a public sidewalk, ask the road owner or the city first.
Basis: Onondaga County City of Syracuse
Why a slab sinks, and why it may sink again
Slabs drop when the soil under them loses support. Water washes fine material away, soft spots settle, and freezing ground can lift one slab while its neighbor stays put. Uneven movement is the destructive kind.
If your slab dropped once, ask what fixed the cause. Without a change in how water moves, a raised slab can drop again.
When a slab is too far gone to lift
A slab that is cracked through in many pieces, crumbling at the edges, or already patched more than once may not be worth lifting. Lifting moves concrete that is sound. It does not mend concrete that has broken down.
Ask the contractor to tell you plainly if yours is past that point. Heavy, spreading surface damage may not be repairable, so a straight answer saves you from paying twice.
Questions to ask about the method
Contractors raise slabs in more than one way. Ask which method is proposed, what material goes under the slab, and why it suits your soil and your slab.
Ask how the hole pattern will be patched and how the contractor will check the level afterward. Put the answers in the scope and keep a copy for spring.
Ready to ask about your slab?
When the answer is a new pour
If the slab is replaced, the same winter rules apply as for any pour. Ask for air-entrained concrete, a month that avoids cold nights, and a plan to protect the slab through its first winter.
Compare the two quotes side by side if you can get them. Ask which one costs less over the years and why, and ask for the base work to be named.
The sequence
From your first message to a finished slab
- 01
Probe and measure
The contractor finds where the slab dropped and how much support is missing.
- 02
Decide lift or replace
Ask which one and why, with the reasons on paper.
- 03
Do the work and fix the water
Ask what is done about gutters, grading and drains at the same time.
- 04
Watch it through spring
Check the slab after the thaw and report any new drop in writing.
Written down
The paper trail for slab leveling work
The written scope
It states whether the slab is lifted or replaced, and what goes under it.
A note on the cause
Ask the contractor to write what they believe made the slab sink.
The drainage fix
Gutters, grading or drains that change where water goes, listed as part of the job.
The contract
A signed written contract with dates and a description, as New York asks for jobs over a set amount.
Ask for the mix and the pour month in writing.
Cost
What swings a slab leveling quote
- The size of the area and the depth of the void decide how much material goes under the slab.
- A slab too broken to lift becomes a replacement and is priced that way.
- Drainage and grading work is a separate line.
- The method chosen changes both the equipment and the cost.
- Access to the slab can change the time on site.
- A cold-month replacement adds protection cost.
Same property
The other four jobs
Where
Where to read about slab leveling locally
The city
Villages
Guides
Read before you decide
- Pour month
The Last Good Month to Pour Concrete in Syracuse
Fall pour or spring pour? The nights decide.
- Sunken slab
Why a Sunken Driveway Sinks Again
Water under the slab decides if it stays level.
Ask about the mix before you ask about the price.