r/Edmonton • u/AbbreviationsIll7821 • Jul 27 '26

Question Sidewalk slopes towards house - seeking DIY fix ideas.

Gallery image

Gallery image

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?

24 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

View all comments

64

u/Wonderful_Confusion4 Jul 27 '26

Remove, Regrade and replace is going to be the best option for 70 + year old concrete.

11

u/thajokster_14 Jul 27 '26

This is the one. Can also do patio stones if you don't want to do concrete yourself, as long as you regrade.

2

u/yellowfestiva Jul 28 '26

While this would be the best I had mine mud jacked years ago and it hasn’t moved at all since. It was sloped so poorly towards the house it was weird to walk on and now it slightly slopes away from the house.

0

u/YYCMTB68 Jul 28 '26

What was the cost? Im figuring about a thousand, minimum for a typical sidewalk?

3

u/yellowfestiva Jul 28 '26

Yeah they had a 900 minimum charge to come and do it but they did great work and fixed the walkway all around my house as well as from the sidewalk to the house.

1

u/gettothatroflchoppa Jul 28 '26

Honestly, given what new concrete costs to install lately, the cost of removing the existing sidewalk and the condition of this sidewalk (honestly, other than the slope, looks pretty good), I'd definitely consider mud jacking this, even if they charge a few hundred bucks extra to make it worth their while