Lifting a Sunken Concrete Driveway Slab DIY

A cheap technique to lift and fix sunken concrete slabs using a car jack and few dollars of concrete mix. Bottle Jacks are $12-$18 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000...

[@r3dzt]

I just can't help but notice how nice their lawn is

[@robertnee2606]

This video was the inspiration for me to fix my precast kitchen door cement steps that were pulling away from the house by several inches. Just like this video I dug under the bottom step, inserted a $18 bottle jack. Then the bottle jack raised the steps level again. Simply filled underneath the steps with concrete encasing the bottle jack. The next day backfilled dirt. It worked great!

[@label1877]

To save time we leave the $12 bottle jack in place and pour the cement.

[@chemdog73]

Thank you guys, just what I was looking for, I need to pour concrete under my driveway, great video

[@troylee3179]

This video saved me about a thousand dollars. Thanks

[@MrJpsullivan]

Great video of method. Had rabbits under back porch and slab and stairs were sinking. This was how I went after it. I appreciate the confidence your video gave me to do it myself.

[@annbloss7706]

Great video. Raised my front concrete porch in 2 places (72yo female) Had dropped and cracked back to expansion joint. It works great.

[@SarahVision]

+Ann Bloss lol thats awesome

[@rafirafia8135]

Sarah Christine

[@acorntree404]

Ann are you for hire?

[@hellohello2711]

You did not lol. No 72 year old lady is raising any slabs

[@marial4707]

Je s jealous of what women can do....or just freaked out on how strong we really are.

[@rep4666]

my entire walk up to my porch including two steps dropped 2 inches on one side due to rain water drainage,,i lifted one slab at a time with a pry bar and jammed gravel in as tight as i could,,looks brand new again,,company wanted 2 grand to tear it all out,,lololol,,it cost me a couple bags of rock,,been several years hasnt moved at all,,also took care of drainage issue that caused it,,goodluck to all

[@bluetarpsnob]

That's great! But realize companies have to pay tons of money for insurance, licensing, permits, gas to get to your sight, employees, workers' compensation...the list goes on. If you can do it yourself you should, but you can't compare apples to oranges.

[@melfordnunley1493]

@@bluetarpsnob true

[@joepfeiler5911]

I did that on my sidewalk. I had to raise one of the slabs an inch several years later but I thought that was no big deal.

[@MrTubeview22]

I put cinder blocks under my sunken slab. Then back fillled with concrete mix.

[@pswish2163]

I did this to a pool slab once. Had no issues with the repair. Recently had a polyurethane expanding foam company give an estimate for lifting a 20 by 2 section a half inch & it was $4,000. They tie their rates to 60% the cost of replacement, which seems absurd.

[@troylee3179]

I poured a small footer under a large concrete step and used this method. You saved me lots of money

[@phildesautels2720]

Thanks for sharing. So simple, yet so effective. Love the Accompanying music!

[@JorgeRamos-ix1jm]

This is a place to learn so thx. Bigger bases, compaction, gravel then fill with cement. The work was not performed correctly when initially built.

[@gregsettle9725]

I'll be using this technique to fix my driveway. Thanks!

[@thebluelunarmonkey]

good diy job. to prevent future erosion of soil under the driveway, fill all the cracks. I used about 3 large caulk-gun tubes of sikaflex self leveling concrete sealant and backer rods to fill large gaps (total about $50USD). I did not use sikaflex on the expansion joints. Although the sealant seems to soften a bit under the summer sun, I don't think the sealant would allow the expansion joints to do their job. I'd use a silicone or acrylic caulk for expansion joints (IF I ever get around to it). 6 years later and all the sikaflex is holding up perfectly.

[@thinkaboutit9891]

Thanks for this! I asked my mom's neighbor who is a custom home builder and he acted like this couldn't be done??? Well here it is and I'm gonna do it!!!

[@vspd303]

think about it he probably meant done correctly

[@SetitesTechAdventures]

This is a great video. Is there much difference if you were raising one of the bigger pavement stones, the ones the vehicle sits on? Can it be raised from the edge similarly?

[@michaelmasserang8922]

The bottle jack routine is a technique we have used for years on driveways to prep the area for grouting. The only challenge I see here is the remaining voids under the concrete that were not filled. The entire area may need to be pressure grouted. Also, the underlying issue of bad soil may still remain. Without installing a deep foundation and/or conducting soil improvements this repair will only last up to 5 years at the most.

[@wyomins]

That's what I was thinking. He fixed the symptom but not necessarily the cause. There is probably a leaking sprinkler that is eroding the soil under the cement away.

[@wwaynemcg]

@@wyomins Caulking all the expansion/dummy joints would help protect the base.

[@wyomins]

@@wwaynemcg if the issue was from the top yes, but if there is underlying erosion the problem will still persist.

[@wwaynemcg]

@@wyomins But, not knowing the condition underneath...sealing the top is a quick and cheap fix. I sealed all the joints in my 3-wide driveway the first year after construction. It's now 25+ yrs and only two hairline surface cracks have appeared.

[@wyomins]

@@wwaynemcg yeah preventing moisture from getting under is most of it I bet, especially if you live somewhere that rains then freezes.

[@Ktsjdu5xi6e86r9]

OP, it's been 8 years. How is this holding up? Thanks for the great video!

[@C18H19NaO5S]

This was incredibly helpful

[@ItsMefromSnuffys]

Love the jazz… and the fix how to. Love a level crack… fill it in

[@dongray6834]

Excellent musical choice!

[@charlestait5303]

Good job and nice looking grass!!!

[@bullrun44]

That was a very informative and super helpful video. Thank you

[@Wayne-fe1ed]

Nicely done.

[@markmiller6402]

Nice fix mate

[@shawnjackson4329]

Pretty good video. I do this for a living and this would be a great way to get you through the season. The issue is the soil underneath. When adding the jack and concrete to one spot you end up putting more weight in one area and this will cause it to sink over time. This was posted several years ago. Probably didn't hold up, but again good idea to get you through a season until you can get the $$ to do it right. Cheers!

[@lloyd.plywood2328]

Looks good!

[@andrewwiltzius6228]

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for

[@Hunter-ir4kp]

Super helpful! Great video

[@username8171]

Hey, music is a nice change from frickin heavy metal guitar !

[@bubbagreensmith7174]

Overall this is a good job. Thank you for posting!!!

[@darkvader47]

Thoroughly impressed

[@wwaynemcg]

About to do the same to mine. However, in my experience with concrete I'd definitely "over-raise" the slab by about a half an inch. The concrete may shrink a bit, and also likely settle some with vehicle weight and presence of water. I'd certainly finish up by caulking that crack that remains...water is the death of pavements.

[@diegojones2481]

I was thinking the exact same thing

[@MichaelJohnson-lx1lc]

Great video, I could not use mud jacking because have a heat wire in my concrete. What a great solution.

[@brokenarrowez]

First, for a diy video it was good. Second, the cost to repair by a professional of $350.00 with the labor and material was reasonable. Overall, good job.

[@garethkalber7236]

I do always get confused by people who compare cost of materials and materials and labor of a professional company. Good DIY job but it was hardly an attempt at extortion, in fact the price was almost concerningly low

[@matvanhorn1858]

I don't think he's to worried about termites either. He left the wood in there didn't he

[@alabastardmasterson]

@@garethkalber7236 what country is it where a 20 minute job with 4$ of materials is worth $350?

[@qanononabong8491]

@I Sexually Identify As A 4.2 GU Patrol When was your bar mitzvah?

[@Mhammy28]

Gareth Kalber p

[@annbloss7706]

oh, by the way used cinder block to support. filled with part way with gravel and topped off with cement when I made a footer.Of course not done by professional (which I couldn't afford but I figure it will out last me.

[@uredskivid]

great vid ! thanks

[@lendavidhart9710]

I seen a guy running a demo-saw in the slab joints, so to let them slide by each other, any resistance might cause the one your jacking to crack.

[@haiderconstruction2861]

Very good and efficient quick way to renovate concrete slab. Farrukh

[@fridaynighthikes]

The Little Bottle Jack That Could: I think I can, I think I can. 👍👍💪💪

[@juanventura6378]

Yeah right The pu foam used to film those gaps where is imposible to get with concrete, the foam can be injected and covers the área where you need to match the level filling the elements. Searchs in youtube illbruck pu 700 illbruck Fm 310 and 610 you find lots of information regards...

[@starlightengramA]

I use a piece of scrap steel (from a fab shop) on the jack head because wood is too soft for very heavy loads and the ram will punch through the wood. Then with cement underneath I can sacrifice the metal.

[@ChuckD59]

My thought too. @Starlight Engram I liked this (and the music), but the project went a little pear-shaped with the jacking. I also saw that little board and my first thought was plate (or at least two, or three layers of wood!) . @Expressions-LTD I'm getting ready to nudge and level a section of my old concrete pool apron and there's stuff here that'll help. Thanks.

[@fredschendstok1577]

Have the 2023 LG Gram Style 16" since 2 weeks. FABULOUS! Only the top is a bit more "finger magnet" than i was expecting. But that's all.

[@aaronsoto4622]

Great job. Wow. I would guess you can use a mortar base crack filler then do some concrete sanding. Looked amazing afterwards though.

[@MrTonyshit80]

Good video..

[@theskyerow]

Thanks for the video, too many negative people on here. An inexpensive way to fix a small issue.

[@jrivas5563]

White people always on some negative shi

[@neilrobson9485]

@@jrivas5563 bit racist

[@Laffy1345]

@@jrivas5563 no, just fuctard racist people. Like yourself. Idiot

[@Laffy1345]

@@neilrobson9485 not a bit...alot

[@notsohandytim5090]

@@jrivas5563: ...siiiiiit Rivas.

[@davidatkins2757]

Great Music!! thanks.

[@sixlucks2]

Wow!!! Thank you sooooo much. I know how to do it now

[@charlieharrison7234]

Thank you guys thats awesome

[@6977warrior1]

I liked your grass. I wonder if there was a way to "pump" in concrete instead of shoveling it in and hope for the best that it goes to the back or using that 'aircrete' stuff. Thanks for the video.

[@175IQLOSERS]

Gulfstream Manufacturing's slab-jacker pump...

[@TeslaBoy123]

Concrete supporting Concrete is best 👍

[@garybailey2578]

Thanks....nice video

[@Irenef7]

wow....impressive tool!

[@gw5309]

Pretty slick 👍

[@loganlopez3185]

I need to do the same with some of my pavement. I'm going to weld a jig with my everlast welder to help with jacking the slabs and keeping them level until everything is completed.

[@splash5974]

Pavement?? You cant jack up pavement. You just replace it. You can break it apart with a hammer and chisel.

[@marylawson6060]

Good video. First step off my porch has sunken almost 2 inches on left side. Was wondering about using a jack and filling in.

[@rep4666]

yes that would work,,did u fix it

[@anthonybattistoni1097]

L

[@susanflax2807]

I have to raise one side of a large chattahoochee covered concrete tile that a 3-tier concrete fountain sits upon to level the fountain. The whole area slopes but we did level the area under the fountain when we installed it. It lasted 2 years. Our soil in south florida is very sandy. Would I be able to use a jack to raise the side of the concrete tile while the fountain is on it? Would filling the area under it with pieces of concrete pavers and gravel keep it level longer?

[@capeheartriz]

very good!

[@elcomandante9299]

Question is,,,will it work on a 10x20 foot slab?

[@juanrrobledo89]

The hardware store has concrete type silicone you can fill in the cracks

[@ronschulz6026]

Cool video, very informative.

[@alfkey4155]

I think a dryer mix and some hardcore like brick ends ect

[@tomtebeau9930]

Need to know name of product that you put in the holes of your concreet 2:08 😊

[@NewsBroadcasting]

what if the garage is sitting on the edge of the concrete?

[@ben-vf]

That grass bro !

[@wheelsmcdealsace]

get some OSI and colored sand to make them cracks look better

[@peterlarssonhedlof6515]

Do you rember the concrete cube Hitler let Speer build in Berlin? It was to heavy and it sunk couple of decimeters each year. Its cooler to have a Atv or a 4 wheel drive when you dont need the plates perfect.

[@jboy7339]

It looks good! It's not even... But now the water can run off and keep your pretty grass growing.

[@bzins17]

I just raised my concrete slab using a Farmers Jack. Simple and safe.

[@TheMonkeyMan016]

The real problem here- no rock bed under the driveway

[@markcotter4213]

My original driveway didnt have rock under it, and it sunk. Replaced driveway with one foot of rock under it, and 10 years later it is as bad as when it was replaced. Sucks.....

[@nonyobussiness3440]

Mark Cotter I guess in Europe the pack the ground down for six months to a year before they put the driveway in

[@owbeer]

@@nonyobussiness3440 mostly some big compacted gravel,then a layer of stabilisé (sand+cement)

[@bitenmein]

The real problem is the drive was still isn’t level. Maybe it the took jazz to jazz up the slab.

[@kalijasin]

Or a couple big boulders underneath there before filling in with concrete.

[@JaimeGarcia-pe7bj]

I did that to my driveway myself. You should mix your Portland Cement mix high slump. Then don’t put any serious weight on it for a week. Both sides were sunken. I used pressure treated culls and lost 5 cheap bottle jacks. The lowest estimate was $1, 300.00. I spent less than $300.00 and did a better job. Those small bottle jacks at Harbor Freight are imported from China. Make the pours high slump.

[@carlthornton3076]

Very Good!

[@rogerswift3323]

I just bought a house here in the city and I would like to know if anyone can repair and patch concrete surfaces on my driveway

[@markfothebeast]

There's a good reason why slabs sink in some areas. Water run-off. Get that landscaping fixed first to divert water away or this will eventually happen again.

[@vivekdesai8500]

Thank you

[@yaseenmeyer8452]

Are you fixing a flat Tyre or a concrete driveway just lift up the slab fill and compact it relay the slab.

[@FatsacksAllday]

Song name? those cats were swingin!

[@TinnonFamilyFarm]

Man they sholl was Swanggin doc

[@philipthomey7884]

good tunes

[@maxjasmine]

Was Linus and Charlie Brown providing the music?

[@anon31415]

Great video!!! Someone did mention that the issue was water washing away the support. This is probably true. It wasn't shown but I would have put down filler stone lateral to the 2x6 he used as a concrete form. or maybe even a formal french drain. Note that I saying "maybe do this slightly differently" rather than "this video sucks, should have done blah, blah, blah"

[@alessandrawilson5571]

Genius. I learned a lot. But is there a reason you have the car parked on the end of the slab you are lifting.

[@anoka114]

So that end doesn't raise

[@9serios5shit13]

yooooo is this the same music from little bill lmao

[@augie6029]

@Ernie Stepro must be nice talking to your self

[@freedommakers101]

Love this

[@exnjute]

The section you raised is only about 2 feet wide....not a lot of weight, my driveway slabs are each about 10ft x 8 ft. I don't think they would budge with a bottle jack

[@jaykay643]

Nice lawn. What about sand instead of concrete?

[@mjb12141963]

NICE sod!

[@kennethiman2691]

Nice!

[@markanders250]

I did the same except I filled it with gravel. That way if it sinks again in a few years, I can easily add more gravel.

[@nv1493]

This can work on a small section as shown. BAD idea on a large slab, you'll snap the corner right off. Most drives either have no rebar or light mesh that gets trampled to the bottom as the concrete gets poured. Large slabs need to be drilled and lifted using a foam or slurry that supports the bottom of the slab.

[@alabastardmasterson]

A wrecking bar, a piece of firewood and some packed ROC worked for me

[@df56gh4d5h]

Packed ROC?

[@pebblesintheshoe4438]

Thanks. I could successfully do exactly the same thing as shown in this video. Now I have a sunken area in the middle of my stamped concrete. Any idea how to lift that up?

[@memargolis]

I know companies that bore a hole into the middle of it, and pump mud in the hole to lift if. Maybe there is a video on a do it yourself mud jack.

[@_MichaeI_]

Excellent. Insurance company is telling me that I need to fix the lower slab on my driveway and contractor estimated $1200 to slab-jack it. Wondering if this is feasible to do in the case of a slab that is 15x10, jacking up both sides at once.

[@jasoncurtis4404]

They have a way of lifting it by drilling holes and putting expanding foam thru it. It lifts the concrete, seal the holes, spread the powder concrete from drilling, and good as new. Might be less than 1200

[@flhusa1]

i would use dish washing soap between the seams to let them slide easier as it comes up.

[@Rick-lh3bm]

I mean man those are some swingin tunes there daddy-oh! I mean like man yer a real hip cat Jack. I mean like swingin groovy like cool on the beat daddy-oh...

[@jackcarlson8875]

Oh my God the cringe is too much

[@DrMarvinLara]

I would find big rocks to fill it up with the concrete for a more solid foundation

[@johngalt7313]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandjacking Ground squirrels drop a lot of concrete where I live.

[@kshitijtiwari9144]

I think the water cement ratio is a little high.

[@joepfeiler5911]

I haul concrete, I have seen flowable mortar use in this application by contractors inspected by engineering firms. High strength of the concrete is not as important as filling the void.

[@kshitijtiwari9144]

@@joepfeiler5911 noted

[@billathens7263]

Who did the background music on the video?

[@danielcarroll6010]

What about at a side walk right before a step up? Would it cause a problem with the step?

[@makmar4484]

Not likely

[@stevealexo]

I bought mine (4 ton husky) at homedepot for 10 bucks.(in canada)

[@mjj8788]

You da man!

[@Ratchman_5000]

Just leave the bottle jack and cement it in for extra support.