There’s a crack in my driveway and it can be a trip hazard and can lead to other problems with your home.

Guess what comes after Fall? Winter! Yikes, here in Des Moines we’ve already had an early taste of it with the “squall” in mid October. 2020 seems to be the year of new words and new weather!

With colder temperatures and daily temperatures slowly falling, the ground begins to freeze also. Your yard can take care of itself but your driveway may need your help. If your driveway has cracks and you place a de-icing agent into it, it will melt the ice but then refreeze at night causing it to crack more.

An easy fix is to fill the crack with a product designed to fill the crack. Most big box stores carry a variety of driveway crack fillers. This product happens to be one that we recommend. Once you fill the crack, top it with silica sand to make it blend better with the cement. If you have a large gap, you can get a type of foam you can press into the crack first, then use the filler to seal it. If the gap is too wide or uneven, you may want to call a company to lift or replace the damaged section. The sooner you do the repair, the longer your driveway will appreciate you taking care of it.

Inspecting driveways is a part of your home inspection. We’ll make notes of driveway cracks in the report. Sometimes cracks become a safety hazard, many times they’re not; but if you like having a great looking driveway you might want to take a look at it before the snow flies and do some maintenance now.