DIY guideDriveway and walks
Walk the driveway and walks for cracks, heave and settlement
Walk every slab, mark the edges someone could trip on, and photograph new cracks near the house so you can watch them.
- 15 to 40 min
- 7 steps
- Every step animated
7 steps
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Walk the driveway, the walks and the steps slowly, and look along each slab and joint.
Look for a slab edge raised above the one beside it: a lip a toe could catch.
Mark each trip edge with bright chalk or marking paint, so no one catches it until it's fixed.
Look where the slab meets the house. Has it sunk, tipped toward the wall or pulled away from it?
Photograph each new crack with a coin beside it, and look again next season to see if it has grown.
Fill thin, flat cracks with crack filler on a dry, mild day, so water can't widen them.
A slab that's lifting, sinking, tipping toward the house or breaking up: ask Handyman for a concrete pro.
What you need
- Bright chalk or marking paint
- A phone for photos
- A coin, for scale
- Crack filler, for thin cracks
Call a pro if
- A slab lifting, sinking or breaking up
- A walk or patio tipping toward the house
- A trip edge on a walk people use
Handyman says: Mark it for now. I'll find a concrete pro.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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