Concrete repair in Kissimmee, FL
Cracks, sinking, spalling and trip hazards in Kissimmee
Repairing a sunken or cracked section of driveway costs less than replacing it only when the base under the rest of the slab is sound. Sectional replacement of a failed panel runs $8.50–$13.50 per sq ft for the new concrete plus $2 to $4 for removal; routing and sealing cracks or grinding a trip hazard is a minimum-charge visit of a few hundred dollars. We inspect first and tell you which repair is worth doing.
Which cracks are normal and which mean trouble?
Hairline cracks under 1/16 inch with no vertical offset are shrinkage cracks; every slab has them and they are cosmetic. Cracks that widen past 1/8 inch, show a step from one side to the other, run diagonally from a corner, or come with a hollow sound when you tap the slab mean the base has moved, and on Osceola's saturated flatwoods sand that almost always means water is getting under the slab.
| What you see | What it usually means here | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Hairline map cracks, no offset | Plastic shrinkage; too much water in the mix or finished in the heat | Cosmetic; seal if you want to keep water out |
| Straight crack near a joint or where one should be | Joints spaced too far or cut late | Route and fill with a flexible sealant; add a joint |
| Step at the garage door | Roof runoff washed the sand from under the slab edge | Fix the downspout, then lift (polyurethane) or replace the panel |
| Corner broken off at the apron | Truck loads on a thin, unreinforced edge | Replace the apron section at 6 in with edge steel |
| Panel sunk 1–2 in, hollow sound | Void from washout or a leaking irrigation line | Repair the leak; lift or replace |
| Surface flaking (spalling) | Finishing on bleed water, or sealer trapping moisture | Resurface with a polymer overlay if the slab is sound |
| Slab lifted at a tree | Live oak roots | Root barrier and panel replacement, or reroute |
Lift, patch or replace?
Polyurethane lifting (foam injected under the slab to raise it) works when the slab is intact and the void is small and dry; it is fast and leaves the surface as it was, and several national companies sell it aggressively in Kissimmee. It does not fix the reason the slab sank. If a downspout or a broken sprinkler line is still saturating the sand, the foam and the slab go back down within a few seasons. We recommend lifting when the slab is under ten years old, the cause has been corrected, and the panel is otherwise sound. We recommend sectional replacement when the panel is cracked through, when it is the apron or garage-edge panel that carries the load, or when the driveway is 1980s vintage and the rest of it is on borrowed time; at that point replacing the whole drive is often the better dollar. The decision tree with numbers is in Resurface vs. Replace.
Patching with bagged mortar over a moving crack is the repair we are most often asked to redo. It fails at the bond line within a year. Cracks get routed to a clean V and filled with a flexible polyurethane sealant that moves with the slab; spalled surfaces get a polymer-modified overlay (Concrete Resurfacing & Overlays); trip hazards over ¼ inch on a walk get ground flush or the panel replaced.
Repairs in Buenaventura Lakes and other 1980s neighborhoods
Buenaventura Lakes, Kissimmee Bay and the older Poinciana villages were built from the late 1970s into the 1990s on 4-inch slabs with little or no base. Forty years of wet seasons later, most of those driveways are cracked into three or four panels with a step at the garage. Repairing one panel buys time; the neighbors' panels show what the rest of the drive will do. We price both the repair and the replacement so you can decide with the numbers in front of you. City pages: Concrete Repair in Buenaventura Lakes, Concrete Repair in Poinciana, Concrete Repair in St. Cloud, Concrete Repair in Davenport.
Permits for repairs
Patching, crack sealing, grinding and lifting are maintenance and need no permit. Replacing a panel in the same footprint is generally treated as repair; replacing the apron or any section in the right-of-way needs the driveway/sidewalk application in Kissimmee and the driveway permit in unincorporated Osceola. HOAs usually want notice for a visible panel replacement because the new concrete will be lighter. Offices: City of Kissimmee, Unincorporated Osceola County, City of St. Cloud, Polk County (unincorporated).
Repair costs (Q3 2026)
| Item | Unit | Low | High | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway, broom finish, 4 in, 3,000 psi, fiber + rebar at edges | sq ft | $8.50 | $13.50 | New pour on prepared base; demolition of an old slab adds $2.00–$4.00 |
| Demolition and haul-off of existing concrete | sq ft | $2.00 | $4.00 | Thicker slabs and limited access cost more |
| Polymer overlay / resurfacing over sound concrete | sq ft | $5.00 | $9.50 | Only over slabs with a stable base |
Crack routing and sealing is priced by the linear foot with a minimum visit charge; panel replacement by the square foot at new-pour rates plus removal; grinding a trip hazard by the hour. Lifting is quoted per job by the injection contractor; we refer it when it is the right answer.
Where this service changes by city
The Kissimmee page above is the master; these pages cover what changes by city: soil unit, permit office, HOA and the age of the houses.
What we bring to a repair inspection, and what you get
A repair visit is a diagnosis, not a measurement. We bring a crack comparator card to measure width, a straight edge to find vertical offset, something to tap with to find voids, and a hose to see where water actually goes. Twenty minutes produces a marked-up sketch of the slab with every crack, every hollow panel and the drainage route on it.
What you get is that sketch, the cause we think is behind each defect, and two or three priced options rather than one number. On a driveway that means typically: seal the cosmetic cracks and do nothing else; replace the one failed panel and fix the water; or replace the driveway. Which one is right depends on how long you intend to be in the house, and that is your information, not ours, so we give you the numbers and stay out of the decision.
Repairs we decline, and why
There are three jobs we turn down regularly. Patching over a crack that has a vertical step, because the patch will fail at the bond line inside a year and make the eventual repair harder. Resurfacing a slab that sounds hollow, for the same reason at ten times the price. And injecting foam under a slab while the downspout that emptied the sand out from under it is still pointed at the edge, because the void will simply re-form.
In each case there is a version of the job we will do: route and seal the crack and monitor it, replace the failed panel, or fix the drainage first and then lift. Saying so costs us work occasionally. It costs less than being the second contractor a homeowner has paid to fix the same thing.
Questions we get about this
Why is my driveway sinking at the garage?
Roof water. The downspout or the roof edge dumps water at the slab edge, the fine sand under it washes out, and the panel drops. Fix the water first (extend the downspout, add a splash block or a drain), then lift or replace the panel.
Is polyurethane lifting worth it?
For an intact, relatively new slab with a small, dry void after the water problem is fixed, yes. For a cracked 1980s panel that carries traffic at the apron or garage, replacement is the better spend.
Can you repair a crack so it doesn't show?
Not invisibly. A routed and sealed crack shows as a clean line; a replaced panel shows as a lighter panel for about a year. Resurfacing the whole slab hides both.
Does homeowners insurance cover a cracked driveway?
Usually not for settling, roots or wear. Sudden damage from a covered event (a vehicle, a fallen tree) sometimes is. Check your policy; we provide photos and a written assessment for a claim.
How fast can you fix a trip hazard on my walk?
Grinding a lip under ¾ inch is a same-week visit. Replacing a panel is a two-day job once scheduled.
Do you charge for a repair inspection?
No. An estimate visit is free and produces a marked-up sketch of the slab with the causes and two or three priced options.
Get a written estimate for your project
Tell us the size, the surface you have now and where the lot is. We visit, measure, check access and drainage, and send a written proposal. No pressure calls.
What changed in this update: 2026-09-11 — first published