Water causes most concrete trouble in Southfield. The clay holds it, snowmelt arrives in a rush, and wet ground freezes and lifts. Plan for water and frost first, and the concrete lasts.
Do I need to worry about drainage when I pour concrete?
Yes, drainage is the first thing to plan. A slab sheds every bit of rain and meltwater that lands on it, and that water needs a set path to the street, a swale or a storm drain. We set the slope before the pour and look at where the downspouts empty. A downspout that dumps beside a slab soaks the clay below, and that water freezes and heaves the slab.
My patio or driveway slopes toward the house. Can that be fixed?
Yes, a slab that slopes toward the house can be fixed. It tips that way when the soil along the basement settles or frost lifts the outer edge. Fixes range from a trench drain at the low edge, to lifting the low side, to a new slab with the right pitch. Do not leave it, because water running toward a Southfield basement wall finds a way in.
Can tree roots crack or lift concrete?
Yes, tree roots crack and lift walks and driveways all over Southfield's older neighborhoods, where maples and oaks are now sixty years old or more. The roots thicken every year and push the panels up. The raised edge trips people, and the slab splits over the root.
Can I fix the concrete and keep the tree?
Often, yes, you can keep the tree. Options include raising the walk a little over the root, moving its line, using a shorter panel with extra steel across the root, or grinding the edge to buy time. Avoid cutting large roots, which can end up killing the tree or making it unstable. For a tree in the strip between the sidewalk and the street, ask the city before any root work.
My neighbor's new concrete sends runoff onto my property. What can I do?
Talk first, ideally during a rain or thaw so you can both watch where the runoff goes. A shallow swale, a small drain or a longer downspout often solves it. Cities generally do not want one lot's water pushed onto another, and the Southfield Engineering Department reviews private hardscape added with a right-of-way permit. We have not verified Michigan law on drainage between neighbors, so we do not cite it. If talking fails, ask the city or a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does clay change the job?
Yes, clay changes almost every step. Southfield's soil is dense clay left by glaciers and old glacial lakes. It swells when wet, shrinks and cracks when dry, holds water, and heaves when that water freezes. On a concrete job that means digging out the soft top layer, putting in compacted crushed stone that drains, adding steel, placing joints so the slab can move without breaking, and sloping it so water leaves. Even with good work, some movement over the years is likely on this ground, and we say so.
My gravel driveway turns to mud every spring. Will concrete solve it?
Yes, if the base is built properly first. A gravel driveway turns to mud because the stone is pushed down into wet clay during the thaw. Concrete poured over that mix heaves and cracks with it. We dig out the mixed mud and stone, lay a fabric where it helps, place compacted stone base and then pour.
My patio was poured over an old trench and it settled. Why?
Because the trench was filled loosely. Trenches for sewer, water, gas or a sump line are seldom compacted well, and the clay in them keeps settling for years. A slab across a trench cracks along its line and sags. The repair is to remove the slab over the trench, compact the fill in thin layers, and repour with steel bridging the old trench.
My lot is wet or near the Rouge River. Should I raise the patio or slab?
Raising a patio helps it drain, but near the Rouge River and its branches there are limits. Fill adds weight to clay and settles, and it can push water onto the neighbor. Some lots near the river are in a mapped flood zone, and adding fill there may need approval, so we check with the city first. Before raising anything, we work out where the water comes from and where it can safely go.
Does flooding damage concrete?
Floodwater does little harm to sound concrete itself. The damage is to the soil underneath. Moving water scours soil from under slab edges, and soaked clay settles as it dries, then heaves if it freezes wet. After a flood or a very wet spring, walk your slabs and look for new hollow spots, dips and gaps along the edges.
To get a price for your own property, book a free on-site estimate. Call (313) 789-3411, or text a photo of the concrete to that number.