A sinking garage is frustrating in many ways. From having issues with opening/closing the door garage to having an uneven surface, this is challenging.
And if left unattended, the issue may become severe and lead to costly repairs and replacements.
In this post, we’ll be looking at what causes the garage to sink and how to rectify the problems. You can avoid most of the causes if proper excavation, compaction, and installation are done.
Besides, you should handle this problem to avoid affecting your home’s foundation.
Some of the things that cause garage sinking are soil erosion, improper installation, aging, water drainage, and heavy loads. All of these issues can be addressed by contacting experts, depending on the issue at hand.
Continue reading to find out what’s causing your garage to sink and how to fix it.
Causes Of A Sinking Garage
There are many reasons why your garage is sinking. It is usually quite challenging to detect them early, but most can be rectified in time. Here are some of the things that might cause your garage to sink:
1. Soil Erosion
The garage may sink because there is a soil erosion problem. The soil erodes over time, or it can erode at once. This results in a sunken garage floor, which is insecure and dangerous.
The first reason for soil erosion taking place is poorly compacted soil. When the soil is not evenly compact, it will erode after some time and cause sinkage.
How To Fix It
If you discover that soil erosion is causing your garage to sink, call a contractor immediately.
They will assess the situation and fill the voids or remove the sunken side. Then, they will compact the soil properly before installing a new concrete floor.
However, this can be avoided in advance by hiring a professional and reputable contractor to build your garage.
Professional contractors understand the importance of solid compaction. This reduces the chances of your garage sinking in the future. But if the soil is not properly compacted, this is bound to happen.
2. Water Drainage
A leakage between your garage and house can cause your garage floor to sink. Besides, it may also make your home sink if not handled in good time.
Water leakage can impact the foundation of the garage and your home. That’s why you need to fix this issue immediately when you discover it.
How To Fix It
If you notice that leakage is causing your garage to sink, you should call a plumber right away. The leakage has to be fixed and the water redirected from the garage’s foundation.
Next, the floor should be mud jacked to lift it back to where it is supposed to be.
There is no need to demolish the entire foundation and build a new one. But if the situation is severe, you can destroy and replace the garage floor.
3. Settling With Age
Another reason why your garage may sink is because of aging. After many years of installing your garage, it will age and have issues. It may start with small cosmetic cracks that may widen as time goes by.
If the cracks stay small, you’ve got nothing to worry about. But if the cracks start to increase in size and make the floor sink, you need to reconsider. Hire a mud jacking specialist to salvage your garage floor.
How To Fix It
Repairing a sunken floor because of aging is very simple. Get in touch with a mud jacking specialist to lift the sunken area. This will help lift the site and make the garage floor even again.
4. Poor Installation
One of the main reasons for a sinking garage is poor installation. When it comes to installing your garage, go for the best contractors to avoid problems in the future.
Many people assume this and settle for cheap contractors who do a shady job.
Mainly, contractors fail when it comes to compacting the soil. Also, most contractors fail to excavate foundations, and they only level them. With time, the soil will loosen and cause your garage to sink.
How To Fix It
Rectify poor garage floor installation by mud jacking. If it is in a terrible state, you should reconstruct the entire floor. However, this can be avoided in the first place by hiring an experienced contractor.
Ensure that the foundation is excavated, properly compacted, and leveled.
This will prevent the soil from loosening easily and leading to sinkage.
5. Heavy Vehicle
Do you know that your vehicle can cause your garage to sink? This may sound hilarious, but it’s true. Some vehicles are heavy for your garage floor and may cause sinking.
This may not happen at once but gradually. This is true, especially for poorly installed or compacted garage floors.
So, before you build your garage, think of the weight or type of vehicle you intend to park in it.
How To Fix It
Contact an expert and find out if the slab thickness cannot hold the weight of your vehicle. If that’s the case, you may have to replace the floor or park the car elsewhere.
Alternatively, you can contact civil engineering to suggest other possible options.
Besides, you may have to reconstruct the garage floor so that it can hold the weight of your vehicle. Proper compacting will be done, and a thicker slab that can hold your vehicle’s weight will be installed.
How To Fix A Sinking Garage
Most of the problems that cause your garage to sink can be rectified without reconstructing the entire garage floor.
Things like leakages should be rectified, and the floor mud jacked. If there is soil erosion, the sunk areas should be filled to have an even surface.
But if one of these issues is out of hand, the entire floor should be reconstructed to prevent the same problem from happening after a short while.
Note that if your garage deals with heavy loads, there is no need to fill it. Instead, you should replace the entire floor and ensure you install a thick and durable slab.
What Are The Signs Of A Sinking Garage Floor?
The best way to deal with a sinking garage is to detect the signs and make the necessary repairs early.
Many people ignore garage sinking signs, and they end up making costly repairs or replacements. To help you avoid such issues, here are some of the signs to look out for a sinking garage.
1. Cracks In The Garage’s Wall
If you notice a crack in the garage’s wall, you should find out the cause. Typically, a crack on the floor may mean that your garage is sinking. If left unattended, the issue may aggravate and lead to costly repairs.
2. Lighting Coming Through The Door Or Window
Another common sign of a sinking garage is lighting entering the garage. If you notice that light passes through the window or door frame, there is a problem.
It may be because a sinkage on the floor is causing an uneven window or door frame, thus allowing light into the garage.
3. Cracks In The Garage Floor
Besides having cracks in the wall, you should also look for cracks on the garage floor.
This is usually caused by poor compacting or soil erosion. If the problem is not handled in time, your floor will sink and even affect the entire garage foundation.
4. Uneven Floors
This is one of the easiest signs to let you know that your floor is sinking. If one corner of your garage is uneven, it may be sinking.
You don’t need even a specialist to realize this. Get in touch with a professional contractor to help you level the floor.
5. Sticking Garage Door
If you try to open your door and realize that it is difficult to open or close, then you should inspect your floor.
When the garage floor starts to sink, it will affect your door. One side of the door frame may be raised than another. This may cause closing or opening the door to be problematic.
6. The Pipes Start To Burst
If you have a leaking pipe in your garage, you should examine the foundation of your garage.
When the soil changes in composition, it becomes displaced. And since the water pipes are rigged, they may be affected in the process.
If you discover that your pipe has burst and is leaking, check your garage floor properly as it might be sinking.
Summary
Because of soil erosion, poor compaction, water drainage or leakage, aging concrete, or a heavy vehicle, your garage may sink. Regardless of the cause, you should have it repaired or replaced in good time.
Most of the causes of a sinking garage can be handled earlier to prevent the garage from serious damage.
What’s more, you should contact a professional contractor to make the repairs. We hope that this post will help you to fix your sinking garage!
James has been a car enthusiast since his childhood when he learned the differences between a ford and a chevy from his father. He loves to drive and restore old cars with a special drive for Italian marvels. Currently, he has a 1968 Alfa Romeo. He has studied aeronautics and civil aviation in his college and still gets smitten by Galant SS and Lancer GSR.
He is a New York-based product training director working with a giant automotive retailer. He loves to review and uncover the vehicles and their fascinating stories. He believes in keeping it legitimate with a keen passion for research on the latest technological upgrades in cars. While reading his articles or blogs, you can sense the extensive research and dedication backing the piece of text. He loves fried chicken, music, and spending quality time with his pet dog.
