Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Mudjacking a patio - worth the $$$ ?

It this process really worth the money or only a costly temporary fix? I have two slabs that I would rather replace, but the demolition cost almost triples all the bids for a pour.

Thanks for any advice.

So how does the cost of mudjacking your existing slabs compare to the cost of removing and repouring the existing?

I realize that demo-ing the existing slabs is going to add to the cost of the project. But tripling the cost? Why not demo the slabs yourself? An electric jack hammer is about $100 a day to rent. The trick will be finding a place to dispose of the old concrete. (Makes great rip-rap, but none of the landfills around here will take it!)

In my area the real cost of concrete demo is getting it hauled away. You cannot take it to the local fill and no matter how much demo you have, a residence does not generate the volume that makes trucking to a landfill economical. My advice is to find "innovative" uses for the concrete slab, such as backfill for a retaining wall, or just bury it in the back yard.

Lefty/Jeff

Too much concrete for DOY project and burying in the yard is NOT an option considering I just killed/reseeded 4000 sq ft of my lawn and still more sections to go!

My real concern:

Is mudjacking a real solution or just a temporary fix?

I don't want to pay to do this and then replace the slabs just a few years down the road. I'm looking for a guarantee on what I feel is a band-aid solution, but I'm not ready to expend the capital on a demo&pour.

Your thoughts?

It really depends on the soil/drainage conditions that caused the initial slab movement. If it is not rectified, the mudjacking will be an expensive temporary patch. How bad are the slabs? Exterior slab jacking without garage walls, as in the typical application, may leave a grout mess around the slabs that is worse than the existing condition.