Is Your Backyard Oasis Sinking? The Real Reason Utah Patios Crack and How to Fix It

There is nothing quite like enjoying a warm Utah evening out on your back patio, grilling with family and looking up at the mountains. But if you’re constantly stubbing your toes on an uneven concrete slab or looking down at ugly, gaping cracks, that backyard retreat doesn’t feel like much of an oasis. When homeowners see their patio sinking, they usually stress, thinking they have to tear the whole thing out and start over. But as we like to tell our customers here at Landmark Lifting, We can make two promises about concrete: Number one is that it will crack, and number two is that no one is going to steal it. The trick isn’t expecting concrete to be perfect forever; it's knowing how to take care of it when it moves.

The Real Culprit: It’s What’s Underneath Your Patio That Counts

The truth is, your concrete is only as good as the material underneath it. Here in Utah, we deal with a lot of settled and shifted ground. Much of our local soil was basically "terraformed" years ago, mixing dirt of different densities that settle naturally over time under the weight of a slab. If you live in a newer home, especially one built in the last five years, settling is highly common as the loose backfill around your foundation slowly packs down. Most of our calls for settling issues come from homes in that one-to-five-year window. But soil density isn't the only issue. The real "hidden enemy" of your patio is water. When water sheets off your roof or patio, if you have a broken sprinkler pipe, or if your rain gutters dump water right next to the slab, it creates underground channels. That water washes away the supporting dirt, leaving empty cavities, or voids, beneath the surface. Eventually, the heavy concrete loses support and cracks, settling right into the void.

The Big Mistake: Slapping a Band-Aid on a Sinking Slab

When these cracks appear, many homeowners run to the hardware store, grab a bucket of concrete patch, and try to slap a quick fix over the cracks. We see DIY repair attempts about 20% to 30% of the time, and unfortunately, they fail almost 100% of the time because the underlying void isn't addressed. A surface patch is just a temporary Band-Aid. If there is an empty void underneath your patio, a cosmetic patch won't stop the slab from continuing to sink. Even worse, rigid DIY patches don't bond long-term, crack under Utah's extreme freeze-thaw cycles, and can trap water underneath, causing the surface to flake. Need a hand looking at your patio? Don't let a sinking slab paint you into a corner where a cheap fix turns into a massive replacement project. Contact us and schedule a free patio assessment with Landmark Lifting today!

The Landmark Lifting Solution: Lift It and Seal It

Instead of tearing out your concrete, a loud, messy, and expensive hassle that can cost twice as much, a smarter move is usually to have the concrete lifted. At Landmark Lifting, we use a state-of-the-art polyurethane foam injection process to save your patio:

Drill: We drill a few small, dime-sized (5/8") holes in the sunken sections.
Lift: We inject our eco-friendly, expanding polyurethane foam beneath the slab.
Patch: The foam expands rapidly, fills the underlying voids, and gently lifts your patio back to its original level. We then patch the tiny holes with concrete, and it's ready to walk on in just 15 minutes!

Our polyurethane foam is water-resistant, made from 40% recycled materials, and will last as long as the concrete itself. Now, if your concrete is badly broken into tiny "spiderweb" pieces, lifting might not work, and a full concrete replacement is required. As a true one-stop shop for our customers, we handle both! If replacement is inevitable, we'll demo the old patio, haul it away, prepare a rock-solid compacted road base, and pour a brand new slab that matches your yard perfectly.

Stop Waiting and Restore Your Peace of Mind

Our best advice to any property owner in Salem, Spanish Fork, or Salt Lake is simple: Stay on top of it. Catching a void early might mean a quick, inexpensive lift or a simple professional caulking job to keep water out. If you wait, that simple fix can turn into a major replacement project costing thousands. Don't wait for the next freeze-thaw cycle to do more damage. Contact Landmark Lifting today to schedule your free estimate and get your backyard back on solid ground!