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Serving Tacoma, WA and surrounding areas. (253) 354-9370
A sunken slab does not always mean a full replacement. We lift settled concrete in Tacoma using mudjacking and foam lifting - getting your garage floor, patio, or walkway back to level at a fraction of replacement cost, usually in a single day.
Foundation raising in Tacoma is the process of lifting a sunken or uneven concrete slab back to its original level position without tearing it out. A contractor drills small holes through the concrete, pumps material underneath to fill voids and push the slab up, then patches the holes. Most residential jobs - a garage floor, a section of patio, a settled walkway - are complete in one day, and you can walk on the surface within a few hours of the crew finishing.
Foundation raising works best when the concrete itself is structurally sound but has shifted or settled due to soil movement beneath it. In Tacoma, where clay-heavy glacial soils hold moisture through the long rainy season and then dry and contract in summer, slab settling is one of the most common concrete problems homeowners deal with. If the surface is cracked and crumbling rather than simply sunk, a replacement may be the better long-term call - and we will tell you honestly which situation you are in. For projects that need a full structural fix, we also handle slab foundation building from the ground up.
Stand at one end of your garage or patio and look across the surface. If it slopes where it used to be flat, or water pools in the middle after rain instead of draining toward the edges, the slab has likely settled. In Tacoma, the saturated soils of the rainy season wash away the fine material under concrete, leaving a void that lets the slab sink unevenly. The longer it stays low, the larger the void grows.
A door that used to swing freely but now drags on the floor - or a window that suddenly feels stiff in its frame - can signal that the structure around it has shifted. In Tacoma's older homes, this is often one of the first signs a foundation or slab has moved. The frame shifts with the slab, and the door or window no longer fits the way it was built to.
Small hairline cracks in drywall are common in any home, but diagonal cracks running from the corners of doorways or windows - or cracks wider at one end than the other - can indicate part of the structure has settled unevenly. In Tacoma, these often appear or worsen after a particularly wet winter. New cracks or old ones that are growing are worth having assessed.
Standing water collecting against your foundation wall or along the edge of a concrete slab after a rainstorm is actively working against you. Over time, it saturates the soil, erodes the material supporting the slab, and accelerates settling. In Tacoma, where rain is near-constant from October through April, this drainage problem is one of the most common reasons homeowners end up needing foundation raising.
We lift settled concrete slabs throughout Tacoma using two proven methods: traditional mudjacking and polyurethane foam lifting. Mudjacking pumps a mixture of soil, water, and cement under the slab to fill voids and push the concrete up - it works well for larger voids and heavier slabs and is typically the more cost-effective approach. Foam lifting uses an expanding polyurethane material that is lighter, cures faster, and suits smaller residential slabs or areas with limited access. Every project starts with a site visit where we assess the slab, evaluate the soil conditions underneath, and recommend the method that makes the most sense for your specific situation - not a default one-size-fits-all approach.
After the lift, we patch the drill holes with concrete and walk the job with you before we leave. If the assessment reveals that the slab is too far gone for lifting - cracked in multiple places, crumbling, or broken into sections - we will tell you and explain why replacement makes more sense. When partial sections need to be removed cleanly rather than replaced whole, our concrete cutting service handles precise removal without damaging the surrounding slab. We also look at drainage alongside every raising job, because fixing the slab without addressing the water that caused it to sink means you may be calling us again in a few years. For projects that go beyond raising into full structural replacement, we also provide new slab foundation work and can connect you with drainage solutions.
For homeowners with a garage slab that has settled or developed a noticeable slope, restored to level using the method best suited to your slab thickness and soil type.
For settled patio slabs and walkway sections creating tripping hazards or drainage problems, raised back to level with minimal disruption to the surrounding landscape.
For driveway slabs or panels that have settled below adjoining sections, creating a step or water pooling problem, lifted without replacing the entire driveway.
For homeowners preparing to sell who want a settled slab inspected and raised before it becomes a negotiating issue during inspection, handled quickly and with minimal disruption to the property.
Tacoma averages about 38 inches of rain per year, and the heaviest of it falls between October and March - right when homeowners are least likely to be outside looking at their concrete. That steady, persistent moisture is the main reason slabs settle here. Water erodes the fine particles under a slab, creates voids, and the concrete sinks into them. Add in Tacoma's glacially deposited soils - which range from dense, stable till in some neighborhoods to looser, compressible fill in others - and you have conditions that make slab settling more common than in drier or geologically younger cities. Homeowners in Lakewood and Puyallup deal with the same soil and climate conditions and often need the same foundation raising work.
Tacoma's older housing stock compounds the issue. Many homes in the North End, Proctor, and Hilltop neighborhoods were built between the 1920s and 1960s, when concrete slab standards were lower and drainage planning was minimal. Those slabs have had decades of wet winters working against them. Washington State requires contractors performing structural work - including foundation raising - to hold an active license through the Department of Labor and Industries. You can verify any contractor in minutes at verify.lni.wa.gov before signing anything.
The first conversation is short - you describe what you are seeing and we schedule a time to come look in person. We reply to all inquiries within one business day and do not give firm prices over the phone, because the scope depends on what we find at the site.
We walk the area with you, look at the slab from multiple angles, check for signs of what caused the settling, and assess the soil conditions. We explain what we find in plain terms and give you a written estimate before any work is agreed to - no surprise charges.
If the scope requires a City of Tacoma permit, we handle the application - you do not need to navigate city hall yourself. Once permits are in hand and the work area is cleared, you get a confirmed start date and know exactly what to expect on the day of the lift.
The crew drills small holes, pumps the lifting material underneath, monitors the rise carefully to keep the slab level, patches the holes, and cleans up. Before we leave, we walk the job with you so you can see the finished result and ask any questions.
Free written estimate, no obligation. We respond within one business day.
(253) 354-9370Foundation raising is the right call for a slab that has sunk but is otherwise sound. If the concrete is too deteriorated to lift successfully, we say so clearly rather than take your money on a job that will not last. That transparency is how we earn repeat calls and referrals in Tacoma rather than one-time work.
Every job starts with a site visit and a written estimate that spells out the method, the scope, and the price. There are no extra charges mid-job for things we should have seen on the estimate visit. You know what you are paying for before a single hole is drilled.
Tacoma's glacially deposited soils vary block by block - dense, stable till in some areas and looser fill material in others. We work across the city and recognize what the soil conditions in different neighborhoods mean for how a lift should be approached and whether drainage work is needed alongside it. The National Foundation Repair Association sets the industry standards we follow on every job.
When a foundation raising project requires a City of Tacoma building permit, we pull it - full stop. Permitted structural work is inspected and recorded, which protects you if you sell the home or file an insurance claim later. We never suggest skipping the permit process to save time or money.
Every foundation raising job we do is performed by a Washington State licensed contractor, with a written estimate up front and a walkthrough at the end so you can see exactly what was done. That is the standard we hold ourselves to on every job in Tacoma and the surrounding communities.
When a settled slab is too damaged to lift, we cut out the affected section cleanly so it can be repoured correctly.
Learn MoreFull new slab pours for garages, ADUs, and additions when a raise is not the right answer and a fresh start is needed.
Learn MoreEvery rainy season in Tacoma makes a sunken slab worse. Get a free written estimate and a plan to fix it before next winter.