How to Jack Up a Concrete Porch

Concrete porches can sag or crumble over time. The wooden framework beneath your porch may rot or crack with age and weathering, leaving the upper portions to fall under the weight. Rather than rebuilding the entire porch, you can take steps to raise and reinforce it. Concrete jacking is one such method which returns the porch to its original position, while creating a whole new substructure upon which it can rest. Professional mudjackers have high-pressure concrete pumping systems to which the typical homeowner does not have access. Instead of going pro, try a simpler method which makes do with basic DIY materials and tools.

2-inch by 4-inch studs
Power drill
5/8-inch wood bit
Hammer drill
5/8-inch masonry bit
Spring set anchors
1/2-inch threaded iron rods
Hammer
1/2-inch washers and nuts
Wrench
Concrete mix
Mortar mix
Trowel
2-inch by 8-inch lumber
Mortar sand
Silicone sealer
Work gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Lay two 2-inch by 4-inch studs across the surface of your porch to extend past the sunken portion and rest upon two level and sturdy high points. The studs should sit narrow side down, at the level you wish the porch to reach upon completion of the repair process.
- 2
  Use a power drill and wood bit to make two 5/8-inch pilot holes through each piece of wood, about 6 inches apart. Use your hammer drill and masonry bit to continue the pilot holes into and through the surface of your concrete porch. Make several more holes around the porch surface, staggering them to prevent the creation of a fault line. These holes will be used to fill the void beneath your concrete slab in step 5.
- 3
  Screw a spring set anchor onto one end of each of your four ½-inch threaded iron bars. Compress the anchors and slide into the pilot holes. Press the bars downward until the anchors clear the underside of your concrete slab and pop open. Use your hammer to force them downward if you cannot do so manually.
- 4
  Install a washer and nut atop each piece of threaded rod and use your wrench to turn the nuts clockwise. The nuts will cause the rods to rise, bringing the concrete slab upward with them. Turn each nut a few times, then move on to the next so the slab rises evenly. Continue this process until the porch surface returns to its normal state.
- 5
  Blend your concrete mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Use a large funnel to pour it into each open hole made in step 1. Continue to fill the void until the concrete reaches the underside of the slab, then remove the jacking studs and iron rods. To remove the rods, turn the nuts counterclockwise until the rod falls through the hole and into the concrete.
- 6
  Allow the concrete to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions, then fill each hole with dryly mixed mortar and use your trowel to even off the surface.

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