A panel that dropped two inches at the garage door, a slab tipped toward the house or a section shoved up by a tree root all mean the ground under the driveway moved. On Dallas clay that happens a lot. Call (469) 257-3979 and we will measure how far it moved, find out why and tell you what it takes to fix.
Why driveways sink
- Settling fill: the backfill along a house foundation keeps compacting for years, and the garage panel rides down with it
- Washout: water from a downspout or a cracked sprinkler pipe runs under the slab and takes dirt with it
- Drought: clay shrinks as it dries out, and the slab drops with it, often at the edges first
- A soft base: concrete poured on loose dirt that was never compacted
A panel tilted toward the house is the one to fix first. It aims rain at the foundation.
Why driveways heave
Heaving is the opposite problem. Clay swells when it soaks up water, and a slab can lift where the ground stays wetter than the rest, like near a leaky irrigation line or a flower bed that gets watered every day. Tree roots push panels up too, mostly near the street where the parkway trees grow. A heaved panel creates a ledge that catches toes and mower wheels.
Call and we will measure it and find the cause.
How we fix it
For a panel that sank or heaved, we usually saw cut it out on the joint lines, fix the cause, rebuild and compact the base and pour a new panel doweled into the concrete on each side. If the cause is a root, we talk with you about the tree before anything gets cut.
Some shops lift sunken slabs by pumping foam or grout under them. We do not do that work. When a panel is still in one piece and a lift would hold, we tell you so you can weigh it against a new panel. If the damage runs through most of the driveway, see driveway replacement, and for water problems see water pooling on the driveway.
Questions about Sunken Driveways in Dallas
- Can a sunken driveway hurt my foundation?
- A panel that tips toward the house sends rain at the foundation, and on clay that is the costly problem. Level it so water runs away from the house.
- Why did only one panel sink?
- Something under that panel was different: softer fill, a water source or a void. We find it when the panel comes out.
- Will a new panel sink again?
- Not if the cause is fixed and the base is compacted. Pouring a new panel over the same washout only buys time.
Call or send the form. We walk the driveway with you, measure it and write the price down before we leave.