Garage slab: heave, settlement and frost

Distinguish settlement, frost, poorly compacted fill, water and threshold/drainage issues before simply lifting or resurfacing a slab.

Important: this tool helps decide what to verify; it does not replace calculations, permits or professional design where required.

VERT / GREEN

Map elevations, cracks, seasons and ponding areas.

JAUNE / YELLOW

Seasonal movement often suggests frost/water interaction rather than progressive fill settlement.

ROUGE / RED

Slab pushing walls/door, major settlement, affected buried service or continuing movement: diagnose soil/drainage before correction.

Indicative triage

Mostly winter movement
Investigate frost, water and adjacent insulation/foundations. Slab pushing wall/door
Verify slab-foundation/structure interaction. Stable localized settlement
Identify void/fill and services before lifting method. Stable documented elevations
Keep measurements as baseline.

Useful tools and data

Laser level/straightedge
Drainage/slope map
Seasonal history

What the professional checks

Distinguish frost from settlement
Check fill/drainage/services
Select cause-compatible repair

Official sources

Sources checked / sources vérifiées: 2026-08-22

Related path

Continue with the right tools

These links connect this page to the next useful checks and decisions without repeating the full content.

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