Can I Fix the Shrinking, Compacting, or Settling Soil?

Of course, it may feel like you’re avoiding the root problem if you just repair the concrete around your property. Why not fix the soil itself? 

Soil Will Always Shrink, Compact, or Settle 

Unfortunately, all soil will shrink, compact, and settle to some degree. The real issue is that some types of earth are more vulnerable to it than others, and those soils are very common in North Carolina. There is no way to completely stop this from happening to the ground around your property, and there are no treatments that can magically cause your earth to act like concrete and stay perfectly in place. 

Instead, the best solution is to fortify any structures around your property that are subjected to this flux. You can use PolyRenewal™ to repair damage, level out your slabs, and protect them against future damage. 

Changing Your Soil 

Technically speaking, you could lift up your slabs, excavate the soil underneath them, replace it with new soil that’s less prone to these issues, and lay the slab back down. However, just because it’s technically possible doesn’t mean it’s a valid solution. It would take an impressive amount of money to do this, even if you could find a local team willing to undertake the job. If it was done incorrectly, it would also subject your soil to even more compaction and settling. That’s not to mention how invasive the process would be. You’d have to tear up your landscaping, and it may even require you to redo your foundation, depending on where you replaced the soil. It would be far better to try and safeguard the concrete structures around your property, instead of trying to redo the very earth your property is made of. The good news is, by using the right solutions, these can be one-time fixes that keep your home and its concrete in prime condition for decades to come.