Seeing parts of your driveway sink after just purchasing a home or having it put in is a disheartening experience. It will immediately conjure up the expenses you had gone through and make it impossible not to wonder how much fixing the problem will cost you. There are several reasons your driveway might be sinking. Read on to see if it’s possible to avoid them with enough prep work and knowledge and how difficult it is to fix a sunk driveway.
Cracked driveway
The first of the reasons your driveway might be sinking is because it has developed cracks. So, it is wise to look into asphalt maintenance tips and put them into practice regularly. The problem with your driveway cracking is that this allows water to seep under it. If this continues for a long time, puddles can form under the driveway. This can happen much more quickly if you have particularly heavy rainfall in the area. The cracks weaken the foundation of the driveway, erode the land, and gradually cause serious problems. If you do not react quickly and handle any cracks that have popped up in your driveway, you may pay for much more serious repairs down the road.
A leaking or burst pipe
One of the worst reasons your driveway might sink is a leaking or burst pipe. The problem, in essence, is similar to the previous one on our list. Water starts softening and dislodging the ground under your driveway and causes it to sink. However, a burst pipe’s so much worse because of what fixing the underlying issue entails. Such a problem would be a priority to fix for various reasons. And yet, the pipe would be located under your driveway because its sinking is what gave it away in the first place. So, you need to dig up your driveway in a cruel twist of fate—all to get to the pipe underneath it. You could get away with a simple fix before, but you’d need to invest serious money into fixing things at this point.
Land settling
If your home is newly built, you may encounter an entirely new sort of issue, especially if there had never been a house on that particular plot of land before. Namely, after coming under so much pressure and construction work, the ground may still not be sufficiently compressed. At least not enough to ensure the structural integrity of what is on top of it. In an overwhelming number of cases, this is not an issue for your house itself. After all, your home needs to follow stringent safety standards. However, it often happens that the work done on your driveway’s much less thorough. As the moving experts from Big Man’s Moving Company like to point out, in the end, it is impossible to plan for everything. It’s true when organizing a relocation, and it’s true when building a house. And unfortunately, the chance that your land might not have settled right is one such scenario.
Poor foundation
There is a particular way to lay the foundation of a driveway. Most demand that either a tarmac or concrete foundation is built to prevent compression due to the weight of your vehicle traveling over the driveway or remaining parked on it. It is imperative to do this. If inferior material is used or the foundation is not laid correctly, the driveway will quickly sink in spots where the foundation is beginning to decay or give way. If you continue to delay dealing with the issue, you can run into some of the dangers of avoiding driveway repairs.
Poor construction work
Sometimes, your driveway might be sinking because of the shoddy work. Not every project is completed to the most exacting standards, and even if the construction crew does their best, accidents happen. For example, it is crucial that your driveway’s edging is high quality. It entails lining the edges of your driveway with a wall of bricks to prevent shifting while the driveway settles. If this process is not done correctly, your driveway will develop issues. This is why it is imperative to be careful when selecting a construction company or crew. Make sure to get as much info on them as you can. And always ask for references. The contact details of their last two or three customers would do the trick.
How difficult it is to fix
Thankfully, it is typically not that difficult to fix most of them. For example, cracks are simple to seal or fill in. And even having puddles underneath your driveway is not impossible to handle if you notice in time. If the worst happens and your driveway does sink, it is still possible to fix it at a fraction of the cost of replacing it entirely. Of course, you want to find a trustworthy and skilled driveway repair service to avoid it happening again.
Final word
Now that you know the reasons your driveway might be sinking, you will hopefully be able to catch the problem in its inception. And even if you can’t, there is no reason to despair! It will still cost you a little, but it is still a valid strategy to have your driveway repaired. Just remember: never delay the repairs! The longer you wait, the greater the chances of something else going wrong and even worse problems developing with your driveway, which may eventually make it a better idea to demolish it and build a new one from scratch.
Recent Comments