Steps & stoops
Sunken Step Repair in Central & Western Iowa
A stoop that has dropped below the threshold leaves a tall first step, a gap at the door sill, and water running into the foundation. We raise it back flush to the sill in an afternoon.
Sunken step repair by mudjacking is straightforward: the water-and-sand mixture is pumped beneath the step or stoop slab through small holes until it is back flush with the door sill and tight to the house. The step is not rebuilt and the door is not touched. The job takes an afternoon.
Steps and stoops sit on the backfill closest to the foundation, which is the loosest soil around a house, and they carry the downspout's water more often than not. They drop at the house side first, which is why the gap opens at the sill and the first step gets taller. Rebuilding a stoop means demolition, forms and a new pour that never quite matches; lifting keeps what is there.
Signs your steps need lifting
A gap between the top step and the door sill or the house wall. A first step that is noticeably taller than the others. The whole stoop tilting away from the door. A handrail post that has loosened because the slab moved under it. Water in the basement below the door after rain. If the steps are one solid unit or a poured stoop on a slab, they can be lifted as a piece.
How we lift steps
We drill small holes into the stoop slab or the step unit and pump the mixture beneath it, watching the sill and the house wall as it rises so it lands flush and square. The void beneath fills completely, which is what keeps it from dropping again. Holes are patched. Where a handrail has loosened, the post is re-anchored once the slab is level.
A typical stoop is a two-hour job, and you can use the door the whole time.
A step we lifted
Sunk below the patio door, raised back flush to the sill.
before
after
Sunken concrete steps repair in Iowa: the step raised flush to the sill, trim back on.
Where we work
We travel. CC Mudjacking is based in Des Moines and has lifted concrete everywhere from the metro to the Iowa Great Lakes — Ames, Boone, Fort Dodge, Carroll, Storm Lake, Spencer and Okoboji, and the towns between. Wherever you are in central or northwest Iowa, the on-site estimate is free; tell us where the job is and the estimate says exactly what is included.
Step and stoop questions
Can hollow precast steps be lifted?
Precast steps are lifted as a unit by raising the pad they sit on, or by injecting under the unit itself when it is solid. We check which kind you have at the estimate; most can be lifted.
Will the gap at the door sill close?
That is the point of the lift. The stoop is raised until it is flush with the sill and tight to the wall. Where trim was removed or damaged by the drop, it can go back on afterward.
Do I need to stay off the steps?
No. You can use the door and the steps as soon as we finish.
Is it cheaper than rebuilding the stoop?
Almost always, and by a wide margin. Rebuilding means demolition, haul-away, forms and a pour that takes days to cure. Lifting is a two-hour job with no waste.
Do you really come out to my town?
Yes. Our jobs have run from Des Moines to Okoboji, and the rig travels with us. There is no minimum distance and no town too small. Tell us where you are when you ask for the estimate and we will schedule the trip.