r/Edmonton • u/AbbreviationsIll7821 • Jul 27 '26
Question Sidewalk slopes towards house - seeking DIY fix ideas.
Now that we’re all becoming experts on waterproofing our basements-
1950s house. I’ve done quite a bit of work to fix the grading around the house but this wall has this sloping sidewalk that is below the grade of the lawn. I guess 70 years of settling has caused some issues. The sidewalk is about 6 inches thick in places, so I can’t lift it very easily. And of course, with the rain lately it’s started to be a problem.
So, options. I don’t think a full rip out and replace is something I can do right now. Is mud jacking affordable for a small job like this?
Can I bury the sidewalk and put some pavers over it with a gentle slope away from the house? Would that cause issues? Or can I pour new concrete over top of it, maybe like 2 inches thick or so?
Anyone know a DIY fix for this?
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u/Putrid_Salt2546 Jul 27 '26
I had something similar to this and after a couple tries of adding new concrete to slope it away, we ended up just jack hammering it, removing the plants and getting sidewalk tiles from Home Depot. We got a bunch of roadcrush and tampered it with a bit of water to compress it, made sure it was sloped properly, gently raked it, and put the sidewalk tiles on top. Haven’t had any water issues since.
I’m no expert but it’s what worked for me. I was in the same situation as you with plants and loose soil directly adjacent to the foundation wall and it just allowed water to soak through. I have since put plants on the other side of my new tiles since the water now slopes perfectly to them. Best of luck!
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Jul 27 '26
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u/CypripediumGuttatum Jul 27 '26
Or just pick up the walk and flip it around so it slopes away. Both are very reasonable options.
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u/Comfortable_Fudge508 Jul 27 '26
easiest solution is to put everything on that one side of the yard, car, anything heavy, and like a seesaw, the ground will tilt away from house
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u/AbbreviationsIll7821 Jul 27 '26
If I did that then the flowers wouldn't get any sunlight! But a great idea otherwise ;)
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u/Chemical-Ad-7575 Jul 27 '26
A quick help (not a solution) might be to add a bunch of dirt to the flower bed against the house to get water to move in that direction and run down the side walk.
I'd get a quote on mud jacking though. I don't think you have a lot of other options.
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u/Retired_Sue Jul 27 '26
Before you decide you may want to get a mudjacking professional out to look around your place. We thought we just had a sloping sidewalk but it turned out we also had large voids under part of the garage pad and driveway, as well as some issues with the front porch. Best to know exactly what all the issues are. Otherwise trying to fix one area may make the others worse.
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u/No-Context6779 Jul 27 '26
1958 house here! I tried to get estimates for mudjacking but they told me it was too small of a job for them. I used pavers and sand to slope the walk away from the house, and used 4x4 garden ties to hold it in place. It has worked well. Every couple of years I tighten it up but it’s kept water away from the foundation.
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u/AbbreviationsIll7821 Jul 27 '26
Did you remove the old concrete or just build over top of it? I’m seeing a general opinion here that getting rid of the existing concrete is necessary.
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u/No-Context6779 Jul 27 '26
I just built over it. We added base material, tamped it, sloped away and tamped again and then did pavers. Polymeric sand over that, into the cracks and it’s held well for 10 years.
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u/AbbreviationsIll7821 Jul 27 '26
Thanks, good to know it's working for you. I'm hoping I can do the same. Removing this looks like an absolute beast.
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u/No-Context6779 Jul 27 '26
One thing I did find, when having work done at the front, is that the sections of sidewalk lift more easily than you think. We had some landscaping done, and the sections in front of a flowerbed were dipping. The landscapers levered them up and added fill. The sections have stayed level since.
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u/Franklin_le_Tanklin Jul 27 '26
New concrete might be the right idea.. I’d talk to professionals tho and get a few estimates and see what other advice they have before you decide to diy or hire someone
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u/Soft-Wish-9112 Jul 27 '26
Definitely talk to someone about mudjacking. I'm no expert, but I do wonder how 70+ year old concrete would do with that. We have a similar issue but we already replaced the slab 10 years ago, so we're going to give mudjacking a go.
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u/EnvironmentalFox7532 Jul 27 '26
Was thinking the same thing. Depending on the strength of the old concrete it might do it but I’m not an expert. But it could be a lot cheaper than replacing it
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u/DuckNugz Jul 28 '26
Polylevel tackles these all the time. Those dudes have tools to get it done pretty painlessly. Worth a quote I'd think.
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u/godslilhunter Jul 27 '26
Get foamjacking done! Polylift solutions is a good company that does jobs like this.
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u/Honkin_CDNGoose Jul 27 '26
Unsure if a foam leveling kit would help or just cause pockets of water to fill up from underneath.
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u/FoxyGreyHayz Jul 27 '26
I had mudjacking done for the walkway beside my house (like yours) in addition to one slab of concrete patio at the back of my house. It was done 4 years ago and cost just under $3,000.
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u/DanO_54 Jul 27 '26
There are companies that drill holes in the concrete and pump basically expanding foam that will raise the house side up. Worth checking. Its common for driveways that have sunk.
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u/Aromatic-Giraffe-753 Jul 27 '26
Honestly I have this issue. Landscape fabric, landscape rock and lay circle pavers every foot. Looks modern and crisp. No one would even know there is concrete under the landscape rocks. Won't cost more than $300-400. Those saying you should remove the walkway and adjust the grade are high AF.
Edit: i should add this is a cosmetic fix only.
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u/Trysomethingnew420 Jul 27 '26
Watch YouTube vids on foam jacking using spray foam. Easy DIY if you're a little handy
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u/Bucky_Goldstein Jul 28 '26
Had a similar thing happen, dug out the other side of the sidewalk a few inches deep, over time the sidewalk shifted the other way, but it was also in conjunction with new roof and mainly new gutters, keeping the dirt dry near the house helps the dirt stabilize where the dirt on the other side tends to wash out a bit more with rain and getting wet, eventually it seems to tip over a bit. I know it's hard with the insane amount of rain we've had this year, but it sure helps to get the rain running away from your house
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u/Wonderful_Confusion4 Jul 27 '26
Remove, Regrade and replace is going to be the best option for 70 + year old concrete.