Repair concrete when the slab is mostly whole and the problem is in one place. Replace it when it is broken through, thin, heaved in many spots or scaled deep. In Southfield, the deciding question is usually what is under the slab: a base that drains, or wet clay that freezes.
Every price on this page is a national figure published by HomeGuide for 2026. None of them is a quote from The Southfield Concrete Company. Local labor and material costs, access for the truck, the state of the ground under the slab and the finish you choose all move a real price. Checked October 2026.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace concrete?
Repair is almost always cheaper to repair up front. Nationally, leveling costs $3 to $12 a square foot and resurfacing $3 to $7, while removal is $3 to $8 and new driveway concrete $6 to $15 a square foot on top. Repair loses its edge when it has to be done again and again. A fix that frost undoes in two winters can cost more per year than a new slab on a proper base.
My 20-year-old driveway has one section sunk by the garage. I was quoted $9,000 to replace all of it. Do I need to?
Probably not, if the other sections are sound. One panel sunk by the garage is very common in Southfield, because the soil along the basement keeps settling. That panel can be lifted, or sawn out at the joints and repoured on new base. Ask for a price on that section alone and compare it with the $9,000. Replace the whole driveway only if the other panels are also cracked through, deeply scaled or tilted.
Should I repair for $7,000 or replace for $14,000 if I am selling in two or three years?
For a stay of two or three years, the $7,000 repair usually makes more sense, as long as it fixes the cause. You keep $7,000, and most of the longer life of a new slab would go to the buyer anyway. Ask how long the repair should hold and get it in writing. Remember that a buyer's inspector will notice a slab that has started moving again.
I am selling the house and the driveway has a few long cracks. Repair, replace or leave it?
If you are selling the house and the cracks are tight and level, clean and seal them and leave the rest. Inspectors and buyers look for trip edges, sunken or raised panels, and slabs that send water toward the house. Fix those first. A full new driveway right before a sale seldom pays back its cost.
One contractor says tear it out and another says pour a new layer over it. Who is right?
In Michigan, the one who says tear it out is usually right. A new layer does nothing about the base, and frost keeps moving the old slab under it, so the cracks come back through. It also lifts the surface at the garage and the sidewalk. Pouring over makes sense only when the old slab is solid, flat and not moving, and the extra height does not cause problems.
My 30-year-old driveway has root cracks and I am on a tight budget. Can I grind and patch it?
Yes, grinding and patching is a sensible plan on a tight budget. Grind the lifted edges so nobody trips, seal the cracks so water stays out of the base, and replace just the worst panel if money allows. Be clear about what that buys: a few safe years, not a permanent fix, because the roots keep growing. Do not cut large roots to make the patch last, as that can harm the tree.
There are lots of small cracks but nothing has sunk. Is sealing or resurfacing enough?
Yes, sealing or resurfacing is enough when the slab is flat and solid. Small cracks are mostly cosmetic. Sealing them keeps meltwater out of the clay below. Resurfacing gives a new top if the look bothers you. Check again after the next winter. If cracks have widened or one side has dropped, the ground is moving and the plan changes.
My old patio has cracks and flaking. Can it be resurfaced, and how long will it last?
A patio can be resurfaced if it is still level and the concrete under the loose flakes is sound. How long resurfacing will last depends on the slab below, the prep, drainage and how much salt and standing water it gets, so we do not promise a number of years. If the patio has tipped toward the house or rocks when you step on it, resurfacing is wasted money.
What do you check before recommending repair or replacement?
- Whether both sides of each crack are at the same height.
- Whether the slab sounds hollow or rocks underfoot.
- Where the downspouts empty and where meltwater runs.
- How deep the salt scaling goes.
- How thick the slab is and whether it has steel.
- Trees nearby and roots under the slab.
- Signs of frost heave, such as panels that rise in winter and drop in spring.
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.