What concrete leveling costs in Wichita

Typical prices by job

These are national ranges for common residential jobs, by method. Each row is HomeGuide's per square foot range multiplied by a typical size for that job, with the contractor minimum applied to small jobs like steps, so you can see where every number comes from. Your slab will differ, but this is a fair starting point.

Per square foot, mudjacking runs roughly $4 to $9 and foam lifting roughly $8 to $25. Most contractors also have a minimum charge, commonly $300 to $700, so a single small slab often costs the minimum. Want a range for your own slab? Try the cost calculator.

All figures: HomeGuide, Concrete Leveling Cost. National ranges, not a quote.

Why Wichita jobs sink in the first place

Much of the Wichita area sits on clay that swells when it takes on water and shrinks as it dries, and a slab poured over it moves with it. That matters for price because leveling is priced by the material that goes underneath. A slab that dropped two inches over a seasonal void needs far more fill than one that settled half an inch.

How much of that clay sits under a given house varies across the metro, from about 2 percent of the soil area in Goddard to about 92 percent in Andover. Soil by town has the figures, and why concrete sinks in Wichita covers the clay and the weather that drives it.

What pushes the price up or down

• The size of the void. The contractor is really selling the material that goes under the slab. A slab that dropped two inches over a big washout takes far more fill than one that dropped half an inch.
• Method. Foam costs more per square foot than mudjacking, mainly because the material costs more. It can still come out close on jobs where speed or a light fill matters.
• How many separate areas. Two driveway panels and a sidewalk section in one visit usually cost less than three separate visits, because the setup is paid once.
• Access. Slabs the crew can reach easily cost less than a back patio behind a fence or a garage floor full of storage.
• Condition of the concrete. Badly cracked slabs take more holes and more care to lift without breaking.
• Add-ons. Sealing joints and cracks afterward is common and worth doing. HomeGuide puts joint caulking at roughly $275 to $1,000 depending on the length.

Leveling compared with replacing

At the midpoints of these ranges, replacing a slab costs about 1.6 times what mudjacking it does, before you count the wait for new concrete to cure. HomeGuide puts concrete replacement at roughly $6 to $15 per square foot, against roughly $3 to $12 for leveling. Replacement also means breaking out the old slab, hauling it away, pouring new concrete and waiting for it to cure before you can drive on it.

Replacement is still the right answer when the slab is broken into many pieces or the surface is crumbling. If the concrete is in good shape and simply sitting too low, leveling is usually the cheaper and faster fix.

Getting an accurate estimate

Leveling is hard to price from a phone call alone, because the cost depends on what is under the slab. A contractor will usually want to see it, or at least see photos. To make the estimate quick:

• Measure roughly how big each sunken area is and how far it has dropped.
• Take a photo from a distance and one close up with something for scale.
• Note anything that sends water toward the slab, like a downspout or sprinkler head.
• Ask for a price on both methods if either would work.

Where we work

We take calls from across Wichita, including College Hill, Riverside, Delano, Crown Heights and Historic Midtown, and from the surrounding towns in Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties.

• Wichita
• Derby
• Andover
• Haysville
• Maize
• Park City
• Bel Aire
• Valley Center
• Goddard
• Mulvane
• Augusta
• El Dorado
• Newton