As a homeowner, you take great pride in keeping your home looking great. From keeping your lawn and garden trimmed and pristine to keeping the interior neat and tidy, maintaining your home properly ensures its beauty will last for years to come. Safety is just as important, and if you have sinking concrete surfaces around your property, contacting a local concrete raising company should be high on your priority list. Tilted Concrete Solutions is a Top Rated Local® concrete leveling company in Houston and we are here to help! Check out a few common residential trip hazards below and learn how they can affect your insurability, then contact us for a free estimate!
Common Residential Trip Hazards
Cracked Driveways
Aside from the foundation of your home, your driveway may be one of the largest slabs of concrete on your property. This makes it very prone to settling over time, and if the soil beneath it is not stable enough to support the weight of the slab, large cracks can develop. These cracks make for more than just a bumpy ride pulling in and out of your garage — they can pose major safety hazards for anyone on your property.
Uneven Steps
The steps leading up to your home provide guests with an easy path up to your front door. Concrete stairs are usually poured after the foundation of your home, making them an independent piece of concrete that is susceptible to sinking if there is not proper drainage around your home or if the soil was not compacted properly. Even the slightest amount of settling can leave an uneven surface that can cause someone to trip.
Sinking Pool Deck
In-ground pools are popular features in Houston yards, providing homeowners and their guests with a reprieve from hot summer weather. Unfortunately, if the backfill soil that was added around the pool was not properly compacted, the pool deck surrounding the pool will eventually sink and settle. This creates a troublesome hazard that can bring your next pool party to a screeching halt.
Uneven Walkways and Sidewalks
There is nothing more frustrating than having your Sunday stroll interrupted by a trip and fall over an uneven slab of concrete. Commercial property owners and homeowners alike should take care to maintain their sidewalks so that they are safe for pedestrians to navigate. If the walkway or sidewalk on your property has areas that are higher than others, you could be putting passersby at risk of tripping, and this should be remedied as soon as possible.
Insurance and Concrete Leveling
Can I Get Insured If I Have Trip Hazards?
You may have heard your neighbors talking about their homeowner’s insurance rates and various factors that affect them. The overall safety and condition of your property is one factor that can have a significant effect on your insurance rates. After all, insurance companies don’t want to insure a “high-risk” home that is likely to cost them money in the form of liability claims. Having tripping hazards on your property makes it more risky in the eyes of an insurance company, and if you are able to get insured, your rates could be high until you address the sinking concrete. Furthermore, your insurance company could raise your rates or cancel your policy if someone is injured on your property.
Does Insurance Cover Concrete Repairs?
Once they discover sinking concrete slabs around their home or business, property owners may wonder if their business or homeowners insurance policy will cover the necessary repairs. While we are not insurance professionals, we have discovered that property insurance doesn’t cover concrete leveling services. This is because most insurance policies exclude conditions that cause uneven concrete, such as settling, erosion, and land movement. Additionally, any repairs that are covered are subject to your deductible. The cost of concrete raising may not exceed your deductible, depending on how high it is.
Contact Our Houston Concrete Leveling Company
Have you noticed that the sinking concrete surfaces around your Houston property have become more than an eyesore? If they have become trip hazards, then it is important to get them repaired as soon as possible, both to lower risk of injury and your insurance rates. Call our team to learn more about our concrete leveling services and the innovative polyurethane foam that we use, or request your free estimate online now. We can’t want to speak with you!
