Concrete Leveling Lawrence KS: Fix Your Uneven Concrete Today

When Sarah's Driveway Nearly Cost Her a Sale

Last spring, Sarah from Old West Lawrence was getting ready to sell her beautiful Victorian home. Everything looked perfect until potential buyers started tripping over the sunken section of her driveway. One couple actually stumbled so badly they decided not to even tour the house. That’s when Sarah realized her concrete problem wasn’t just an eyesore – it was costing her real money.

Sarah called us at Lawrence Concrete Pros for concrete leveling in Lawrence KS, and within two days, her driveway was level and safe again. She sold her house three weeks later for asking price. The buyers even commented on how well-maintained everything looked, including the driveway.

This story happens more often than you’d think around Lawrence. Concrete settling and sinking is incredibly common here, and most homeowners don’t realize how easy it is to fix until they’re facing a real problem.

What Exactly Is Concrete Leveling?

Let me explain concrete leveling in the simplest way possible. Imagine your concrete slab is like a heavy book sitting on a soft pillow. Over time, parts of that pillow compress more than others, making the book tilt and become uneven. Concrete leveling is basically adding support back under the “book” to make it level again.

The technical term is “slab jacking” or “concrete lifting,” but really we’re just filling the empty spaces that formed under your concrete. When soil washes away or compresses, it leaves gaps. We pump material into those gaps to lift the concrete back to where it should be.

It’s way cheaper than tearing out and replacing concrete, and it works incredibly well. Most of our concrete leveling jobs in Lawrence KS are done in a few hours, and you can walk on the surface that same day.

Why Lawrence Concrete Gets So Uneven

Living in Lawrence means dealing with some pretty challenging weather for concrete. Our climate is tough on concrete slabs, and here’s why:

Our Wild Temperature Swings

Lawrence gets brutally hot summers and freezing cold winters. Concrete expands when it's hot and contracts when it's cold. This constant expanding and shrinking creates stress that can cause cracks and settling over time.

Heavy Spring Rains

Those April and May storms we get every year do a number on concrete. All that water soaks into the soil under your slabs, and when it dries out, the soil shrinks. This leaves gaps under your concrete that cause sinking and settling.

Clay Soil Issues

Much of Lawrence sits on clay soil, especially in areas like Deerfield and around the KU campus. Clay soil expands when wet and shrinks when dry more than other soil types. This creates a lot of movement under concrete slabs.

I’ve been doing concrete leveling in Lawrence KS for over a decade, and I can tell you that these weather patterns create predictable problems. Most of our calls come in late spring and early fall when the soil movement is most noticeable.

Common Concrete Problems Around Lawrence

Massachusetts Street Business District The older buildings along Mass Street often have sidewalk settling issues. The combination of heavy foot traffic, old infrastructure, and that clay soil underneath creates perfect conditions for concrete sinking. We’ve leveled sidewalks for several businesses there, and the difference is night and day.

Deerfield Neighborhood This area has a lot of concrete driveway problems. The soil conditions there seem to cause more settling than other parts of town. We probably do more residential concrete leveling in Deerfield than anywhere else in Lawrence.

KU Campus Area Student housing and rental properties around campus deal with a lot of concrete issues. Landlords call us regularly because uneven walkways and driveways are liability issues. Plus, students and their parents notice these things when they’re looking at rental properties.

Old West Lawrence The historic homes in this area often have beautiful old concrete work that’s settled over the decades. We’ve helped preserve some really unique concrete features by leveling rather than replacing them.

Signs You Need Concrete Leveling

You might think concrete settling is obvious, but sometimes it’s more subtle than you’d expect. Here are the signs I tell homeowners to watch for:

Trip Hazards This is the big one. If people are catching their toes on uneven concrete, that’s a safety issue that needs fixing. I’ve seen too many people get hurt from concrete that’s only sunk an inch or two.
Water Pooling When concrete sinks, it changes how water flows across the surface. If you’re seeing puddles where water used to drain away, that’s usually a sign of settling.
Gaps at Building Connections Look where your sidewalk or driveway meets your house foundation. If there’s a gap that wasn’t there before, your concrete has probably settled.
Doors and Windows Acting Up This one surprises people, but settling concrete can actually affect how doors and windows work. If your garage door suddenly doesn’t close properly or your sliding patio door is sticking, settling concrete might be the culprit.

How We Fix Concrete Leveling in Lawrence KS

We use a method called polyurethane foam injection, and honestly, it’s pretty amazing to watch. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Assessment We look at your concrete problem and figure out exactly what’s causing the settling. Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes we need to do a little detective work.

Step 2: Drilling We drill small holes in the concrete – about the size of a penny. Most people are surprised how small these holes are.

Step 3: Foam Injection We inject expanding polyurethane foam through those holes. The foam flows into all the empty spaces under your concrete and then expands to lift the slab back up.

Step 4: Monitoring We watch carefully as the concrete lifts to make sure it goes back to exactly the right level. This part takes some experience to get right.

Step 5: Cleanup We fill the small holes with concrete patch and clean up. Most people can’t even tell where we drilled once we’re done.

The whole process usually takes a few hours, and you can use your concrete the same day. Compare that to concrete replacement, which takes days and costs way more money.

Why Foam Leveling Beats Other Methods

I’ve tried different concrete leveling methods over the years, and foam injection is hands down the best option for most situations in Lawrence. Here’s why:

It’s Permanent Unlike sand or grout injection, foam doesn’t wash away or compress over time. Once it’s in there, it stays put.
Weather Resistant Our Kansas weather doesn’t affect polyurethane foam. It won’t freeze, crack, or deteriorate like some other materials.
Lightweight Foam adds almost no weight to your soil, so it won’t cause new settling problems down the road.
Quick Cure Time You can walk on foam-leveled concrete within 15 minutes. Try doing that with traditional concrete work.
Precise Control We can lift concrete to within a quarter inch of where it needs to be. That level of precision is impossible with other methods.

Residential vs Commercial Concrete Leveling

We handle both residential and commercial concrete leveling in Lawrence KS, and while the basic process is the same, there are some important differences.

Residential Projects Home concrete leveling is usually about safety and appearance. Homeowners want their driveways, sidewalks, and patios to look good and be safe for their families. Most residential jobs take half a day or less.

Commercial Projects Business concrete leveling is often about liability and accessibility. Companies need level surfaces to meet ADA requirements and to avoid slip-and-fall accidents. Commercial jobs might take longer just because there’s usually more square footage involved.

We’ve worked on everything from small residential sidewalks to large commercial parking areas. The biggest difference is really just the scale of the project.

When to Call for Concrete Leveling

The best time to fix settling concrete is as soon as you notice it. Here’s why waiting usually makes things worse:

Problems Get Bigger Concrete settling rarely stops on its own. What starts as a small issue usually becomes a bigger one over time.
Safety Concerns Trip hazards are liability issues. If someone gets hurt on your property because of uneven concrete, that’s a problem you could have prevented.
Cost Increases The longer you wait, the more concrete might settle, and the more it costs to fix. Early intervention saves money.
Weather Damage Uneven concrete lets water collect in places it shouldn’t, which can cause additional damage to your property.

I always tell people that concrete leveling is like fixing a small leak before it becomes a flood. The sooner you address it, the easier and cheaper it is to fix.

Why Choose Lawrence Concrete Pros

We’ve been doing concrete leveling in Lawrence KS since 2012, and we’ve learned a lot about what works in our local conditions. Here’s what sets us apart:

Local Experience We understand Lawrence soil, Lawrence weather, and Lawrence concrete problems. That local knowledge makes a huge difference in getting jobs done right.
Quality Materials We use high-grade polyurethane foam that’s designed for our climate. Not all foam is created equal, and we’ve tested different products to find what works best here.
Fair Pricing Our prices are competitive, and we always give you an upfront quote. No surprises, no hidden fees.
Quick Turnaround Most concrete leveling jobs are done in a day. We know your time is valuable, and we work efficiently to get your life back to normal.
Warranty We stand behind our work with a solid warranty. If something goes wrong with our concrete leveling, we’ll come back and make it right.

Getting Started with Concrete Leveling

If you’re dealing with uneven concrete around Lawrence, the first step is getting an assessment. We offer free estimates for all concrete leveling projects in Lawrence KS.

During the estimate, we’ll look at your specific situation, explain exactly what needs to be done, and give you a clear price. We’ll also answer any questions you have about the process.

Most homeowners are surprised how affordable concrete leveling is compared to replacement. Sarah from Old West Lawrence (remember her story from the beginning?) spent less than $800 to fix her driveway problem. Replacing that same driveway would have cost over $3,000.

Don’t let uneven concrete become a bigger problem than it needs to be. Give Lawrence Concrete Pros a call today, and let’s get your concrete back to level where it belongs.

Address:

Lawrence, KS 66046

Email:

info@lawrenceconcretepros.com

Phone Number:

+1 785 465 5639