Slabs we lift
A tipping condenser strains its mounts and refrigerant lines. The unit stays connected while we level the pad.
Thin slabs on uncompacted gravel that dropped at a corner or a joint, so the door won't close square.
Slabs that settled at the edges or at a crack, lifted from inside through the same small holes.
Slabs on grade between the house and the garage, or under a three-season room.
Lifted level once the tub is drained and moved; a standby generator stays put.
Any small slab with a lip or a tilt. Bundle them into one trip.
Slab leveling at a glance
Signs a small slab has settled
- An AC or heat pump unit that's visibly tilting, or whose lines look stretched.
- A shed door that won't close square, or a floor that slopes to one corner.
- A crack across the basement floor with a step in it, or water collecting along one wall.
- A hot tub that rocks, or a generator that's no longer level.
- A landing or breezeway slab with a lip at the door.
- A spot that feels soft or sounds hollow underfoot.
- Shed or sunroom doors and windows that stick, because the slab under that wall settled and racked the frame.
Why small slabs sink
Small pads get the least care when they're poured: a couple of inches of gravel, rarely compacted, often right beside a downspout. Interior slabs settle where the base under them was thin or where water runs along the footing. The fix is the same as for a driveway, just quicker. A crack doesn't rule it out: a slab in a few large pieces is lifted piece by piece, and filling the void under it usually stops the crack from growing.
Lifting an AC pad
A tipping condenser pad is one of the quickest lifts we do and one of the most worthwhile: a unit that runs tilted strains its mounts and refrigerant lines, and HVAC techs will tell you to level it. The unit stays connected. We drill one to three holes in the pad beside it, raise the pad in small steps while watching the line set, and the whole thing usually takes under an hour. If the pad has tipped far enough that the lines are kinked, have your HVAC company look at the lines before we lift.
Lifting a basement floor
Basement slabs settle at the edges and at cracks when the base under them was thin or water runs along the footing. We lift from inside: floor coverings come up over the low area, holes are drilled through the slab, foam goes in, and the holes are patched flush. Dust is vacuumed at the drill. If water is coming up through the floor, that's a drainage problem to solve first; lifting doesn't stop water, and foam under a slab doesn't waterproof it.
Lifting a shed or pole barn floor
Shed floors are often poured thin on a gravel pad that was never compacted, so they drop at a corner or a joint and the door stops closing square. We lift at the joints and corners like any other slab. Move the mower and anything heavy off the low area; the shed itself stays put.
How we lift a small slab, step by step
Illustrations, not to scale. Most residential jobs take a few hours, and you can walk on the slab when we pack up.
What it costs
Every lifting job has a minimum that covers travel and setup, so one AC pad on its own costs about the same as the pad plus a walk square. If you have more than one low spot, send photos of all of them and we'll price the trip once. See the leveling cost guide.
Send three photos and a tape-measure shot. You'll get a firm price by text within 24 hours.
After the lift: what you'll see, and how to keep it there
Level slab, sealed joints, and a few penny-sized gray patches where the foam went in. The patches are close to concrete color and fade into older slabs within a season. We text you before-and-after photos before we leave.
Keeping it level means keeping water out from under it. Three things do most of the work: keep the joints and cracks sealed, backfill soil against any slab edge the lift left exposed, and keep downspouts discharging away from the concrete. Sealing is its own line on your quote; the rest is in what to do after your concrete is lifted.