Floor Break Services in Madison Heights, MI

Why Madison Heights Homes Need Floor Breaks

Madison Heights has a specific set of challenges. Most homes here were built in the 1950s through 1970s. Back then, builders used cast iron drain pipes beneath basement slabs. Those pipes are now 50 to 70 years old.

Cast iron corrodes from the inside out. The pipes develop holes, cracks, and eventually collapse. When that happens underneath your concrete floor, you need a floor break to replace them.

The clay soil conditions in Madison Heights don’t help either. Clay expands when wet and contracts when dry, putting stress on rigid pipes buried in the ground. Michigan’s freeze-thaw cycles make things worse. Water freezes in tiny cracks and expands, making small cracks bigger every winter.

And then there are tree roots. Madison Heights has mature trees everywhere. Their roots constantly search for water and nutrients. Your sewer line is both. Roots enter through tiny openings in joints or cracks, then grow into thick masses that block flow and damage pipes.

We’ve done hundreds of floor breaks in this area. We know what fails, where it typically fails, and how to fix it permanently.

Common Floor Break Projects

Main Drain Line Repair

Your main drain line collects wastewater from all your fixtures and carries it to the city sewer. In older Madison Heights homes, this line runs beneath the basement floor. When it breaks, you need a floor break to access and replace it.

We cut the floor along the line’s path, expose the damaged section, remove old pipe, install new PVC pipe at proper slope, and restore your floor. The new pipe will last 50+ years.

Floor Drain Installation and Replacement

Floor drains keep your basement from flooding when you have leaks or water seepage. They’re required in certain locations by building code. Installing a new floor drain requires breaking the floor, digging down to the main drain line, installing the floor drain body and trap, connecting it to the main line, and finishing with new concrete.

Replacing an old, corroded floor drain follows the same process. The old drain gets removed, new one goes in, everything gets properly sloped and sealed.

Sump Pump Basin Installation

Sump pumps sit in basins (pits) that collect water from around your foundation. Installing a new basin requires a significant floor break. We cut and remove concrete, dig a pit deep enough for the basin (typically 24-30 inches), install the basin, add gravel for drainage, and pour new concrete around it.

We also install the discharge line that carries water from the pump outside your home.

Ejector Pit Installation

Ejector pits (also called sewage ejector systems) are required when you add a bathroom, laundry, or other plumbing below the level of your main sewer line. Gravity can’t drain water uphill, so the ejector pit collects it and pumps it up to the main line.

These installations require large floor breaks because ejector pits are bigger than sump basins. We break the floor, dig the pit, install the ejector system with pump, connect discharge lines, and restore the concrete.

Under-Slab Sewer Line Replacement

Sometimes the entire under-slab portion of your sewer line needs replacement. This means a long floor break, sometimes 10 to 30 feet. We cut the floor in sections, expose the entire line, remove old pipe, install new pipe with proper slope throughout, test everything, and restore the floor in sections.

It’s disruptive and takes several days, but it’s a permanent fix for chronic sewer problems caused by deteriorated pipes.

Our Floor Break Process

Step 1: Locate Existing Lines

Before cutting anything, we locate your existing plumbing. We use the drain locations above to map where lines run beneath the floor. Sometimes we run a camera through the drain to pinpoint problem areas precisely.

Step 2: Mark Cutting Lines

We mark where we’ll cut the concrete. The cut area is only as large as necessary to access the pipes and work safely. We don’t break more floor than needed.

Step 3: Protect Your Property

We put down heavy plastic sheeting to contain dust and debris. Furniture and belongings get moved or covered. Doorways get sealed with plastic to keep dust from spreading through your house.

Step 4: Cut the Concrete

Using a walk-behind concrete saw with diamond blades, we make clean, straight cuts. For dust control, we use wet cutting methods whenever possible. This keeps dust to a minimum and makes cleanup easier.

The saw cuts through the 3 to 4 inches of concrete that makes up your basement floor. Some older homes have thicker slabs, some newer ones are thinner.

Step 5: Remove Concrete

We break up and remove the cut sections. Concrete is heavy. A 4×4 foot section of 4-inch concrete weighs about 400 pounds. We haul all debris out of your basement and dispose of it properly.

Step 6: Excavate Beneath the Slab

We dig down to expose the plumbing, typically 12 to 36 inches below the slab depending on how deep your lines run. All the excavated dirt gets removed from your basement.

Step 7: Complete the Plumbing Work

With the pipes exposed, we make repairs, install new lines, replace floor drains, install sump basins, or whatever plumbing work is needed. We test everything to make sure it works correctly before moving forward.

Step 8: Backfill and Compact

We backfill around the new plumbing with crushed stone and soil. Everything gets compacted in layers to prevent settling. Proper compaction is critical. If the fill isn’t compacted correctly, your new concrete will crack or sink.

Step 9: Pour New Concrete

We pour new concrete to match the thickness of your existing slab. We use the same mix design and finishing technique as your surrounding floor so the patch blends in. The concrete is troweled smooth (or broom finished if that’s what matches your existing floor).

Step 10: Cure and Protect

Fresh concrete needs time to cure. We protect it from foot traffic for at least 24 hours and from heavy items for 48-72 hours. Full strength develops over about 28 days, but you can use the area carefully after a couple days.

Step 11: Complete Cleanup

We clean up thoroughly. All debris gets hauled away. Dust gets vacuumed. Protective plastic comes down. Your basement should be cleaner than it was when we arrived, minus the plumbing problem you had.

How Much Do Floor Breaks Cost?

Floor break costs vary widely based on several factors.

Small floor breaks for simple floor drain replacement might cost $800 to $1,500. This includes cutting a 3×3 or 4×4 foot section, doing the plumbing work, and restoring the concrete.

Medium floor breaks for sump pump basin installation or short sections of drain line typically run $1,500 to $3,500.

Large floor breaks for ejector pit installation or extensive under-slab pipe replacement can cost $3,000 to $8,000 or more depending on the length of pipe being replaced and the complexity of the work.

Factors affecting cost include the size of the area we need to break, how deep we need to dig, what we find once we get down there, whether we encounter unexpected issues like other utilities or extremely hard soil, concrete thickness, the type of finish you want on the new concrete, and disposal fees for concrete and soil.

Emergency floor breaks cost more because of immediate response and after-hours labor.

We provide written estimates before starting work. You’ll know what the project costs and what’s included.

How Long Does a Floor Break Take?

Simple floor drain replacement usually takes one day. We break the floor, do the plumbing, pour concrete, and clean up in 4 to 8 hours.

Sump basin installation typically takes one to two days. Day one is breaking, digging, and installing the basin and pump. Day two is pouring and finishing concrete.

Ejector pit installation takes two to three days because of the size and complexity.

Extensive under-slab sewer line replacement can take three to five days or more depending on the length of pipe being replaced.

Weather doesn’t affect interior floor break work, but we can’t pour concrete if your basement is too cold (below 50°F). We’ll bring in heaters if needed to maintain proper curing temperatures.

Will the New Concrete Match My Existing Floor?

We do our best to match your existing floor. For smooth trowel finishes, we can get pretty close. The new concrete will be slightly lighter in color at first because it’s fresh, but it will darken over time to blend better with the surrounding floor.

For broom finish or textured floors, we replicate the pattern as closely as possible.

Honestly, there will always be a visible seam where new meets old. Concrete poured at different times looks different. But we make the patch as clean and professional as possible. Many customers paint their basement floors after floor breaks, which makes everything uniform again.

Can I Avoid a Floor Break?

Sometimes, yes. If your plumbing problem is in a line that runs along the perimeter of your basement near the walls, we might be able to reroute new pipe without breaking the floor. We can run new pipe above the floor along walls and box it in.

This doesn’t work for every situation. Center floor drains, sump basins, and main lines that run through the middle of your basement can’t be rerouted. But we’ll always look for alternatives if they make sense.

For sewer lines outside your house, trenchless repair methods like pipe lining might avoid excavation. But once pipes are under your basement slab, there’s no trenchless option. We have to access them from above.

What About Finished Basements?

Floor breaks in finished basements are more complicated and more expensive. We have to remove flooring (carpet, tile, laminate) before breaking concrete. After restoring the floor, you’ll need to replace the flooring.

Sometimes we can work around finished elements like walls and furniture, but not always. The plumbing problem dictates where we need to break the floor.

If you’re planning basement renovations, address plumbing issues first. It’s way easier and cheaper to break floors before finishing the space than after.

Our Plumbing Services in Sterling Heights