Home Improvement Tips: Sidewalk and Driveway Repairs

If you're satisfied with your existing driveway and have decided that improvements to it are not warranted, you'll still want to examine it for wear and tear. While concrete drives are known to settle, shift, and crack, asphalt drives tend to develop holes and become worn looking. If you've ever pulled into a driveway that's cracked or full of potholes, you'll agree that it's an immediate turnoff.

If someone pulls up to look at your house and is greeted by a large crack in the driveway, he may begin to wonder what else is wrong with the house. Logical reasoning could lead him to conclude that if the driveway is cracked, the foundation of the house is likely to be cracked as well. As he walks into your house for further examination, he is entering with the preconceived notion that not only does the house have problems, but that it may in fact have serious problems. Although your house may be immaculate on the inside, the bad seed has already been planted, so as he enters and walks through your home, it is difficult to see how beautiful it is because he is asking himself, "What else is wrong in this house?" Your best bet is to repair any such problems.

Driveways can crack or settle for any number of reasons:

1. If there is a large tree planted close to the drive, it's quite possible that the root system from the tree has grown underneath it for years, all the while remaining undetected until one day you begin to notice a separation in it. Before you know it, the separation has turned into a large crack, and the roots are finally pushing a portion of the concrete up.

To repair this type of problem, the concrete will, of course, need to be replaced and the roots that have grown up under the drive will need to be cut out. It may even be necessary to move the tree that has caused the problem to begin with to another location in your yard, if possible, or to cut it down for firewood.

2. Water and sewer lines underneath. In new construction, before the driveway is ever poured, the ground must be properly prepared by compressing and compacting the soil as much as possible with a bulldozer or grader, followed by adding a layer of sand several inches thick to provide a stable base or the concrete. It also helps to have a good, heavy rainfall before pouring the driveway because this will enable the soil to become more fully compacted.

If water or sewer lines run beneath any areas that are to be covered with cement, special care must be taken to ensure that the trenches that they are buried in are completely filled in. If they are not, after several rain showers, the soil above the lines and trenches will settle down into the voids. Sometimes, the settling can be so severe that the surface ground sinks several inches. If the sinking occurs under the driveway, then the driveway itself will eventually give way, too.

3. Chances are if you have moved into a brand new home and see an area that appears to be unusually depressed, it's more likely related to underground utility lines. If your home is still in its warranty period, then your builder should cover the cost to repair the depressed area, including any drives or walks that may have been damaged as a result.

If the crack or damage to your concrete is severe, it may need to be replaced. For smaller cracks, most hardware stores sell concrete filler that can be purchased in a tube similar to caulk. The filler is then used to fill in the cracks and helps to reduce their visibility. If the concrete needs to be replaced, it will certainly be more costly because the old concrete must be broken out, then hauled away, and then properly disposed of. The cost to replace concrete that requires a tear out can run three to four times that of a normal pour job. If it's noticeable enough to affect a prospective buyer's first impression, however, you should go ahead and have the concrete replaced so that you can sell your house.