We are often asked about slabs that are severely broken – “Can I repair this with mud jacking or is it time for tear out and replacement?”. The answer really is “It depends”. Specifically, it depends on your expectations and our experience. Have a look at the pictures below.
My recommendation to this homeowner’s association was the drive needs tear out and replacement. The manhole most likely has some issues which are causing settlement along the centerline of the drive (over six inches of drop at its worse). In addition, the concrete has cracked up.
Of course, from the pictures you can tell there isn’t any new concrete. The association’s budget couldn’t handle the price tag of tear out and replacement, so we came in and did the best we could. It is also safe to say that our material sealed up some of the manhole issues. After many years this area has moved around a little, but it is still usable and has yet to be replaced. This additional time has given the association flexibility with their budget and in this case the cost vs. time gained was definitely worth it. So, as I said in the beginning – It depends.
