Concrete leveling in Filer
Filer is a small town just west of Twin Falls, and a lot of its concrete belongs to older homes on in-town lots: driveways, sidewalks, front steps and back patios that have had decades to settle. When those slabs sink or tip but are still in decent shape, polyurethane foam can usually lift them back into line without tearing them out. The evaluation is free.
About Filer
Filer sits just west of where US-93 and US-30 meet, with US-30 running through town. It was founded in 1906 as the end of a railroad branch line, and it’s named for Walter G. Filer, who supervised construction of the Milner diversion dam on the Snake River. Today it’s a town of a little under 3,000 people and home to the Twin Falls County Fair each September.
In short, it’s an established small town surrounded by irrigated farmland, and its concrete reflects that.
What older concrete in Filer usually needs
On an older lot, the soil under the concrete finished its initial settling long ago. When a slab moves now, something changed, and it’s usually water.
- A driveway panel that dropped along the lawn side where sprinklers hit the edge
- Front steps that sank and leaned away from the house over the years
- A patio corner that dropped under a downspout
- Sidewalk squares tipped into a lip beside a mature tree
- A walk that’s been patched before and moved again
Older concrete also tends to have more wear on the surface, so part of the evaluation is checking whether the slab is still worth lifting. A panel that settled but is still sound is a good candidate. One that’s broken up or crumbling across the surface usually isn’t. Is my concrete too damaged to lift? goes through the checklist.
Steps on older homes
Front steps are one of the most common calls from older homes. They’re heavy, they sit on backfill against the foundation, and they’ve had years of roof water dripping at the door. Over time they lean away from the house, leaving a gap along the wall and a tall first step at the threshold. Solid steps can often be lifted back up against the house. Concrete step leveling explains how, and what we check first.
Selling an older home?
Settled steps, sidewalk lips and patios tipping toward the house are the kinds of things that come up on home inspections. If you’re getting a house ready to sell, lifting the slabs that moved can take care of trip edges and water running at the foundation without the cost and mess of new concrete. We can’t tell you what an inspector will write, but we can tell you what the concrete needs.
Settled or pushed up?
Filer’s older streets have mature trees, and tree roots push concrete up. That’s worth knowing before you call, because lifting only raises concrete. A sidewalk square or driveway panel that heaved from a root can’t be lowered, but the slabs next to it that settled can often still be lifted. Uneven concrete shows how to tell the difference.
Keeping water off the concrete
A few changes help any lift last on an older property:
- Get downspouts discharging away from steps, patios and walks
- Turn sprinkler heads away from slab edges
- Seal the joint between the steps or patio and the house
- Fill in soil along slab edges so water runs away from the concrete, not under it
Soil washout under concrete explains why these matter.
Lifting older concrete, step by step
Sunken
Concrete has settled or lost support.
Lifted
Polyurethane foam is injected beneath the slab.
Level
The slab is raised toward its proper position, and the void space is stabilized.
With older concrete, the evaluation does a little more work. Besides measuring how far the slab moved, we look closely at the surface, the edges and any old patches to decide whether it’s still worth lifting. When it is, the slab is raised in small steps through patched ports so older concrete isn’t stressed, and the area is washed down when we finish. How concrete leveling works walks through it, and concrete leveling cost explains what affects the price.
Services in Filer
We handle driveway leveling, sidewalk leveling, patios, walkways and steps at homes, plus commercial concrete leveling for businesses along the main roads. For the background on why concrete moves at all, see why does concrete sink?
Nearby areas
Filer sits between Twin Falls and Buhl on US-30. We work across the whole area.
Filer questions
Is older concrete in Filer still worth lifting?
If it's in one piece or a few large pieces and the surface is sound, usually yes. Age matters less than condition.
My front steps lean away from the house. Can they be fixed?
If they're solid, they can often be lifted back up against the house. We check how they're built first.
Do you come out to Filer?
Yes. Filer is just west of Twin Falls and part of our regular service area. The evaluation is free.
My concrete was patched before and moved again. Can it still be lifted?
Often. Old patches can make it harder to see what's going on, so we look closely at what's under them and why it moved.