A sweet blog category, Garage Floor
Voids; Garage Floor Repair KC
In the tearing out process, homeowners and sometimes even the construction crew themselves might be surprised at what they find. Did you know that in older homes it is very common to find a void under your garage floor?
Void found in a garage floor
Voids can happen under existing garage floors. In garage floor repair, KC concrete crews tell us a void is a completely empty space or hole under a garage floor. These voids can be very dangerous. When the crew begins demolition of the garage floor, the dingo machine can fall into the void, possibly damaging the machine or injuring the dingo operator.
What Causes These Voids?
- Soil Settlement- According to The Constructor: “Inevitably, soils deform under the load of foundation structures.” They go on to say, “Foundations on bedrock settle a negligible amount. In contrast, foundations in other types of soil such as clay may settle much more.” Soil settlement happens over time. An older home, has a better chance that there could be some soil settlement.
- Poor base tamping in original structure- Tamping the base in garage floor repair, KC Concrete Contractors will tell you is of utmost importance. “Heavily compacted soils contain few large pores, less total pore volume and, consequently, a greater density,” according to the University of Minnesota extension. Tamping is done with a compacting machine or hand held tamper.
- Weather- It is impossible to overlook the impact of weather over time. Seasons of drought or excess precipitation can affect the soil under older homes.
The depth of one void under a garage floor
How Can You Tell You Have a Void in Your Garage Floor?
While this is not an exact science for most people, here are some things you can and should look for.
- Look for a dip in your garage floor.
- Listen when you pull into your garage. If there is a hollow place that sounds differently, you might have a void.
- Pay attention to any place on your garage floor that vibrates or seems to vibrate. A slight tremor could be a warning sign. It might be time for a new garage floor.
Measuring the depth of base rock needed to fill the void in this repair
So, these are all signs that a void could exist. If you think that you might have a void under your garage floor and would like an expert opinion, please contact us.
If you are interested in working with an experienced concrete contractor in Kansas City, please complete the estimate form. We will reach out to you.
Liz Burton Office Manager and Blog Developer
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