Sinking Sidewalk

I have a sidewalk that has separated from the stairs leading into the house and has sunk about 3"-4". The sidewalk is in good shape, except for this problem, and I was wondering if there are contractors out there that could raise the sidewalk to its proper height? Another idea is to demolish the two blocks of the sidewalk leading from the steps, put in additional soil and compact, and re-pour these two blocks. Do you have any suggestions, or should I start over from scratch?

Thanks

SW, Laurel, MD
I am not aware of anyone raising sidewalks. It is simpler and cheaper to R&R [remove & replace].

Matching new concrete to 5 years old is practically impossible. Concrete appearance changes as it matures.

I suggest you talk to the builder. The law gives you some rights beyond the 1 year period. A good builder will fix his errors. You may also consult an attorney for advise. However, that may be too much hassle and not worth the time and effort...
Thank you for your prompt response.

Your assumption is correct, the sidewalk is the walkway leading to the front door of the house from the driveway. Our home is about 5 years old. Other homes in the neighborhood have experienced the same problem with the builder fixing it at the one-year point, so appears to be a local problem. There are no other symptoms like those that you mentioned. Unfortunately, we bought our home as a resale and it was an existing problem.

Question concerning raising the sidewalk. What is the technique they use and why isn't it as good as remove and replace? It would seem to be similar to a hypothetical situation of lifting the sidewalk, putting more compacted soil underneath, and replacing(?).

With repair and replace, is there a method to use to try and get the concrete to match the other (texture/color)?

Thanks, S
When you say sidewalk, I assume you mean the walkway on your property and not the public sidewalk. I also assume that the landscape around it settled the same way.

Raising the sidewalk is not a good idea. These are usually made of un-reinforced concrete that will not take such stresses. It will probably be as expensive to do it right as to start over.

The R&R (remove & Replace) option should work fine and should not be very expensive. Make sure that the new soil is compacted well and wet before placing any concrete.

Another option to consider is adding a topping layer of concrete to fill the gap. This may be tricky and not much cheaper than the R&R option.

I, however, am concerned about the 3-4" settlement. It may indicate a serious potential problem for the whole house. How old is the house? How long before it started settling? Was there any event leading to that (such as heavy rains, plumbing leaks, slope failure...)? Are the foundations moving?

I suggest you walk around the house and check all the openings (doors, windows) for cracks at corners. Any diagonal cracks starting at corners could be a sign of foundation settlement. Are any interior doors sticking?

Check the gap above the doors. Is it uniform, or is the gap on the hinge side smaller (or larger) than on the lock side? If there are differences, are these everywhere or only in one direction (North-south...)? Do the neighbors have similar problems?

If any of these signs are present (and seem serious enough) you should get a qualified Civil (Geotechnical) engineer to look at it. The sinking walkway may be just a symptom of a larger problem.

Or, it can be just a local problem if the builder did not compact the soil under it. I hope that is the case.

Feel free to contact me again with your findings.

Good luck

 

 Thank you for your advice. You were correct, a good builder will fix their errors. I contacted the builder (Centex Homes) not expecting to even receive an answer but, lo and behold, met with reps on site today and they will be fixing the sidewalk, no questions asked.

Thanks again
Q4:

 

 Update 9/21/00:

The sidewalk is complete. Approximately 1/3 of the sidewalk was removed, new fill brought in and compacted, new rebar installed to the entrance steps and concrete poured that matched up well with the existing sidewalk. I brought in new soil to ensure proper drainage from the sidewalk and steps and planted new grass which has started to grow. It took a few months after the start of the process before completion given the small size of the job (waited until the subcontractor was in the area doing another job) but it turned out well.

Thanks for you assistance.