At Fish Concrete Raising, we only use a 1" hole. We use a screened material with no aggregate so we are able to pump our slurry through a smaller hole than other traditional mudjackers. Most mudjackers use a 1 5/8th-1 7/8th inch holes. This means that the surface area of our holes is much smaller than our competition. We use styrofoam in the base of every hole to act as a expansion joint so our patches don't heave from frost in the winter. We also patch our holes with Portland cement and the end result is a flush finish.
Yes. It is impossible to match the color of the patch to the color of the existing concrete. There are many different shades of concrete. However, our typical patch marks are only about 2" in diameter and will fade over time to blend better with your existing concrete.
One of the biggest benefits to mudjacking is very little downtime for use of your driveway. Typically, you only need to wait 24 hours prior to driving on a driveway that has been raising. You can walk on the concrete right away. Lawnmowers, motorcycles, and other smaller items may go on the driveway immediately after the work is done. Just be careful not to step on our patches for about 2 hours. The portland cement, we patch with, takes about 2 hours to set up.
One of the biggest advantages of mudjacking, compared to replacement, is there is very little impact to the lawn and landscaping. The heavest tool we have is slightly bigger than a wheelbarrow. If we are raising your driveway and/or walkway, typically we can keep the pump on the concrete. If we are working on back yard patio, we like to schedule this work when it has been dry so we don't rut up the yard. Very typically, if we have to take the pump on the yard, you will only see the grass matted down where the pump went. There will be very little, if no impact to surrounding areas around the concrete!
We request just a few things prior to the arrival of our crew. 1) Please have an outside water spigot turned on. We need to access water to be able to clean up well and mix our material. 2) Please remove the vehicles from the garage that you will need for 24 hours. You don't want to drive on the slabs we work on for 24 hours. So it's best to park these vehicles on the street and away from your driveway apron, prior to the arrival of our crew.
Mudjacking can be done when the frost is out of the ground. Typically, Fish Concrete Raising starts doing quotes about Mid March or when the snow is gone and the concrete is visible. We start doing the physical work around April 1st or when the frost is out of the ground. We work 5 days a week until around November 1.
The easiest way to get an estimate is to visit our Request a Quote page and can complete the form. Or call 608-609-6875. A representative will contact you within 24 hours.
Concrete slabs can sink for several reasons. First, concrete can sink due to faulty original construction. Usually, this means a lack of, or poor, compacting prior to concrete being installed. Also, concrete can sink because of erosion from rain and snow melting. Lack of backfill and caulk between the slabs can leave places where water can get under the slabs. This can lead to erosion and then settling. Downspouts and landscaping can also be a contributing factor in slabs settling. If downspouts or landscaping are directing water toward concrete slabs, erosion and settling can occur. Please read our "Concrete Maintenance" Tab to better understand what you can to protect your concrete from settling?
Typically, options to correct sunken concrete include replacement, concrete raising, or doing nothing. If concrete is too damaged, or has sunk irregularly, it probably needs to be torn out and replaced. Concrete, that has only a crack or 2 may be able to be saved with mudjacking.
Confused by all of these different terms? I get asked almost daily about the differences between all of these terms. However, all of them describe basically the same thing. Concrete Raising, Concrete Lifting, Mudjacking and Slabjacking all describe the same process of raising concrete using a slurry. The process involves drilling holes in concrete slabs, then pumping a slurry under the slabs to create pressure and raised the slabs up. The process has been around since the 1960's, however the materials and pumping equipment have improved dramatically. The quality of this process can vary greatly from vendor to vendor depending on the quality of the slurry, the pumping equipment and the skill and experience of the person doing the raising. Fish Concrete raising only uses 1" holes and uses a concrete slurry, which sets up hard after being pumped under the slabs.
Fish Concrete Raising services all of Dane County, WI and also outling countys. Service areas include Madison, Waunakee, Deforest, Sun Prairie, Cottage Grove, Stoughton, Oregon, Fitchburg, Evansville, Verona, Middleton, Cross Plains. We also service Janesville, Sauk City, Prairie du Sac and Lodi areas. Areas outside a 15 minute radius of Madison are a case by case basis.
Typically, If a concrete slab sinks, we can raising it back up to it's original height or very close to its original height. If the slabs have cracked, they still may be good candidates for being able to be raised. The best way to determine if slabs can be raised with concrete raising is to request an estimate from Fish Concrete Raising. Our estimates our free and we email all our estimates which include pictures and a description of the work to be done. Cases where concrete raising can't be used are concrete foundation walls and extremely broken slabs.
The type of material used is critcal in the quality of a concrete raising job. Without concrete in the slurry, the material can erode after being pumped under the slab. This will cause the slabs to sink yet again. Fish Concrete uses a slurry which is a combination of cement, engineered fine sand concrete, and water. The slurry is similar to the consistency of peanut butter when is s pumped under the slabs. Concrete raising done with agricultural lime or with other types of aggregate in the material, do not get as good of coverage under the slab. A video, of our Super Slurry, being pumped under the slab can be found on the "Videos" Tab above.
In 2011, Fish Concrete Raising was started by brothers Brett and Aubrey Fish. After extensive market research, they saw the need for a quality mudjacking company in the Dane County, Wisconsin area. Aubrey was already living in Madison and Brett moved his family down from Minocqua, Wisconsin to start the business. Currently, the company is owned and operated by Brett. “We’ve gone through a lot of changes in the last 10 years. Over the years, we’ve fine tuned our operations down to the smallest detail and we make those adjustments habit. Every day, we ask ourselves, “What can we do to make this a better experience for our customers.”
Fish concrete Raising is currently serving an area within 30 miles of Madison including Sun Prairie, Cottage Grove, Deforest, Middleton, Verona, McFarland, Oregon, Waunakee, Fitchburg, Edgerton, and Janesville.
