Concrete Lifting Cost Calculator

Concrete lifting typically costs $3 to $25 per square foot, depending on the method. Mudjacking runs $3 to $6 per square foot, polyjacking (polyurethane foam injection) runs $5 to $25 per square foot, and full tear-out and replacement runs $8 to $15 per square foot. Your price moves inside those bands with settlement depth, crack condition, site access, and your state. As a reference from this calculator, lifting a 400 sq ft driveway with mudjacking in Texas estimates $2,379.46 (planning range $1,586.31 to $3,172.62, 10% contingency included) - about $3,701.40 less than replacing the same slab.

Mudjacking costs $3 to $6 per square foot for most residential jobs. Because crews charge a minimum job fee (typically $300 to $700), small jobs cost more per square foot than large ones. As a reference from this calculator, a 400 sq ft driveway that settled 2 to 4 inches, with moderate cracking and easy access, estimates $2,379.46 in Texas ($1,586.31 to $3,172.62, 10% contingency). A tiny 25 sq ft porch section with the same simple conditions estimates $385.00 - that is the $350 minimum job floor kicking in (plus the 10% contingency used here), which works out to $15.40 per square foot on a job that small.

Polyjacking - also called foam injection or foam jacking - lifts sunken concrete by injecting a two-part polyurethane foam that expands under the slab. It costs $5 to $25 per square foot, roughly double to triple mudjacking, because the material and rig cost more. You get smaller dime-size holes instead of 2-inch holes, a cure time of minutes to hours instead of a day or more, and foam that weighs 2 to 4 pounds per cubic foot instead of a heavy cement slurry. As a reference, a 200 sq ft patio lifted with foam in California estimates $4,125.00 ($1,375.00 to $6,875.00, 10% contingency) - with an expected service life of about 13 years versus about 8 for mudjacking - about $317.31 per year of service.

Yes - lifting usually costs 50 to 70 percent less than replacement. In this calculator's 400 sq ft driveway example, mudjacking estimates $2,379.46 while full replacement estimates $6,080.86, a saving of $3,701.40 (60.87 percent). Lifting stops making sense when the concrete itself is failing: crumbling or spalling surfaces, settlement over 6 inches, or slabs heaved by frost or tree roots. In those cases the calculator flags a replacement verdict instead of a lift estimate.

Mudjacking typically lasts 5 to 10 years; this calculator uses 8 years as the planning figure. Polyjacking lasts longer - 10 to 15 years, 13 used here - because the foam resists water erosion and adds almost no weight to weak soil. New concrete lasts 25 years or more. On a cost-per-year-of-service basis the 400 sq ft driveway example works out to $297.43 per year for mudjacking, $610.12 per year for polyjacking, and $243.23 per year for replacement. Lifting wins on upfront cost; replacement wins if you plan to stay decades and the slab is marginal.

Do not lift concrete that is crumbling, spalling, or flaking apart - the lifting material cannot bond to failing concrete and the repair will not last. Also skip lifting when settlement exceeds about 6 inches (it usually signals major voids or soil failure), when slabs are heaved upward by frost or tree roots (lifting only fixes sinking), or when water still pools against the slab (fix drainage first or it will settle again). This calculator returns a replacement verdict automatically for crumbling concrete and for settlement over 6 inches - for example, the same 200 sq ft patio with severe cracking gets a replacement estimate of $2,764.02 instead of a lift price. If the sinking structure is your house foundation rather than flatwork, use a foundation repair estimator instead - different methods, different pricing.

Contractor-published ranges for mudjacking: sidewalks $675 to $2,160, garage floors $810 to $4,050, porches $1,080 to $5,400, pool decks $1,350 to $3,960, driveways $810 to $3,780, steps $890 to $2,160, and patios $810 to $3,150. Driveways cost more in total because they are bigger, but less per square foot because crews work faster on large open areas. The calculator's own 400 sq ft driveway example lands at $2,379.46 with mudjacking in Texas - squarely inside the published driveway band.

Five things, in rough order: the method you choose (foam costs 2x to 3x mudjacking), the area in square feet, how far the slab sank (deeper voids need more material - this calculator applies up to a 45 percent factor for settlement over 6 inches), crack condition (moderate cracking adds about 10 percent for extra prep), and site access (fenced yards, interiors, and slopes add up to 25 percent for slower crew work). Your state matters too: labor multipliers in this calculator run from 0.85 in the cheapest states to 1.30 in Hawaii. Small jobs are dominated by the minimum job fee - a 25 sq ft lift can cost $15.40 per square foot while a 400 sq ft lift costs under $6.00 per square foot with the same method.

Almost always. Most mudjacking and foam contractors charge minimum job fees of $300 to $700 to cover mobilization, and this calculator enforces a $350 floor for lifting methods ($1,500 for replacement, which needs demolition equipment). That is why per square foot pricing misleads on small jobs: a 25 sq ft porch lift estimates $385.00 - the $350 minimum plus contingency, not 25 times $4.50. If you have several small sunken areas, bundling them into one visit is the cheapest way to beat the minimum.

Yes - and foam is often the better choice there. Polyurethane foam weighs only 2 to 4 pounds per cubic foot, so it does not add load to the weak soil that let the slab sink in the first place, while a cement slurry is far heavier. Foam also cures fast, so a garage can often take vehicle weight the same day. This calculator prices garage floors about 5 percent above open driveways for the extra interior work. Published contractor ranges put garage floor mudjacking at $810 to $4,050 depending on how much of the floor sank.

After mudjacking, wait 24 to 48 hours before driving or parking on the slab - the cement slurry needs time to cure, and loading it early can undo the lift. After polyjacking, the foam cures in minutes to a few hours, so foot traffic is usually fine the same day and vehicles often the same day too. Full replacement is the slowest: new concrete needs 3 to 7 days before it takes vehicle weight. If downtime matters - a business entrance, a single-car driveway - that speed gap alone can justify foam's higher price.

No - this calculator covers flatwork (driveways, patios, sidewalks, garage floors, pool decks). A sinking house foundation needs structural repair: steel push piers at $1,300 to $2,000 each, helical piers, wall anchors, or carbon fiber straps - a completely different job with different pricing. Use the foundation repair cost calculator for that (linked below). One exception: if the 'foundation' issue is actually a sunken garage floor or porch slab next to the house, concrete lifting usually does apply.