A front stoop that has tipped or pulled away from the house has usually settled on the backfill along the foundation. Solid concrete stoops can often be lifted back toward the wall with polyurethane foam and the gap sealed. Hollow stoops need a closer look, so we check that from your photos before quoting.
By Rob Diederich, owner · Updated
Check first
Solid or hollow?
Time on site
1–3 hours
Use it
Same day
Warranty
Written warranty
The stoop is lifted back against the house and the gap at the wall is sealed. Drag the slider.
Why stoops pull away
Stoops are heavy and sit right on the backfill next to the foundation. As that soil settles, the stoop tips outward, a gap opens at the wall, and water runs into the gap and makes it worse.
Settling backfill
The soil pushed back against a new foundation is rarely compacted well. Anything sitting on it settles for years after the house is built.
Fix: Foam fills the voids and stiffens the zone under the slab without adding weight.
Water in the wall gap
Once a stoop pulls away, rain runs into the gap and keeps softening the soil underneath, so it tips a little more every year.
Fix: Lifting closes the gap; sealing it keeps it closed.
Freeze-thaw
Clay-heavy Green Bay soil holds water. Every winter it freezes, swells and thaws softer, loosening the base a little more each year.
Fix: Sealed joints keep water out of the base, which is what freezes.
Solid vs. hollow stoops
Many stoops are poured solid. Some are built hollow, with a concrete shell over fill or an empty space. Solid stoops lift well. Hollow stoops can sometimes be filled and lifted, and sometimes need another approach. A photo of the side of the stoop and any cracks tells us a lot.
How we lift a stoop, step by step
1Check the stoop firstWe confirm the stoop is solid enough to lift (photos of the sides and any cracks tell us a lot) and set a line to the threshold.
2Drill 5/8″ holesPenny-sized holes go through the slab a few feet apart, kept off the edges and corners where concrete is weakest.
3Lift it back to the houseFoam fills the space under the stoop, then raises the outer edge so it tips back toward the wall and the gap closes.
4Patch and seal the wall gapHoles are grouted and the joint against the foundation is sealed, so water stops running down behind the stoop.
Illustrations, not to scale. Most residential jobs take a few hours, and you can walk on the slab when we pack up.
Why lift the stoop instead of replacing it?
A stoop is a lot of concrete in one place. Replacing it means breaking it out, forming and pouring new steps, and using another door until the forms come off and the concrete can take foot traffic. A solid stoop that tipped can usually be lifted back in an afternoon.
Fraction
of what tearing out and pouring new concrete costs
Same day
Walk on it when we pack up, not days later.
No demo
No jackhammers, no dumpster, no torn-up lawn or landscaping.
5/8″ holes
Penny-sized and patched flush. No new slab that won't match.
Stays up
Foam adds almost no weight and doesn't wash out like soil.
Warranty
Written, and spelled out in your quote before you approve it.
Replace
tear out + pour
Demo
Base
Pour
Keep off
Still curing: full strength in about 4 weeks
Lift
foam, one visit
Done in a few hours. Walk on it right away.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Replacement timing is typical; a contractor's schedule and the weather can stretch it. New-concrete cure times from Concrete Network.
Questions
Common questions
Can you lift front steps that pulled away from the house?
Often, yes. If the stoop is solid concrete in one piece, foam can raise its outer edge and bring it back against the wall, and then the gap is sealed. We confirm it from photos first.
Is my stoop sinking or is my house settling?
Almost always the stoop. Houses sit on footings below the frost line; stoops sit on shallow backfill. If the gap at the wall is wider at the bottom or the top step tips outward, the stoop has moved, not the house.
What if my steps are hollow?
Hollow stoops can sometimes be filled with foam and lifted, and sometimes the shell is too thin or cracked to lift safely. Send a photo of the side and any cracks and we'll tell you which it is.
