Concrete repairs in Greater Manchester

Area: Greater Manchester
Pricing region: North West
Ground: Clay in parts
Towns listed: 23

What should you know about the ground under Greater Manchester?

Parts of Greater Manchester lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. What you mostly find across Greater Manchester: red-brick terraces, mill-town stone terraces, inter-war semis and post-war estates.

How we usually approach concrete repairs

Crack injection

Cracks are sealed at the surface, then a low-viscosity resin is injected under pressure through ports until it fills the crack. A rigid resin bonds the two faces back together, while a flexible one seals live cracks against water. The choice depends on whether the crack is still moving.

Best for: Cracks letting water in, or splitting a slab or beam

Protective coatings and sealing

After repair, an anti-carbonation coating, a waterproof deck membrane on a balcony, or a penetrating sealer slows the return of moisture and carbon dioxide. Restoring drips, upstands and falls so water drains away is as important as the coating itself.

Best for: Extending the life of repaired balconies and canopies

Patch repair

Loose and contaminated concrete is broken out behind the bar, the steel is cleaned of rust and primed, and the section is rebuilt with a repair mortar. The edges are cut square so the patch does not feather out and fail. A protective coating may be applied over the whole surface afterwards.

Best for: Localised spalling around rusting bars

What happens during concrete repairs, step by step?

Survey and tapping test
On site we tap the surface to find hollow areas, check the steel where it is exposed and note drainage. Where the extent is unclear, a cover meter, carbonation test or chloride test may be advised before repair.
Engineer where needed
If the steel has lost significant section, or the element carries a balcony, stair or wall, an independent chartered structural engineer is appointed to assess and specify. We can arrange this, and the repair follows their scope.
Written quote
You receive a no-obligation written quote setting out the estimated area of patching, the length of crack injection, coatings and access. It becomes a fixed price in writing once the repair is specified, with any re-measure terms stated clearly.

What to look for before calling about concrete repairs

Exposed steel bars showing where concrete has fallen away
Hollow sound when the surface is tapped with a hammer
Rust-coloured stains or streaks running down the concrete surface
Fine cracks running in straight lines along the line of the reinforcement

Concrete repairs prices in Greater Manchester

These are guide prices for Greater Manchester, using North West rates and including VAT. Your written quote follows photos or a survey, and is fixed once the repair is specified.

Guide prices inc VAT on North West rates. Items marked est. are our estimates.
Item	Guide price	Per
Concrete patch repair	£80 – £175	per m²
Crack injection	£175 – £460	per metre
Small jobs (minimum visit)est.	£430 – £865	per visit

Concrete repair: spalled cover broken out, steel treated and repair mortar placed. Indicative drawing, not to scale.

Do you need approval for concrete repairs in England?

Like-for-like repairs such as crack stitching and repointing do not usually need building control approval in England, but anything that changes or strengthens the structure, such as underpinning or rebuilding a wall, does. If the work touches a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.

Towns in Greater Manchester we cover for concrete repairs

Questions about concrete repairs in Greater Manchester

Is the ground in Greater Manchester prone to subsidence?

Greater Manchester is mostly glacial till over sandstone and mudstone, with the Lancashire coalfield beneath much of Wigan, Bolton, Salford and parts of the east. Historic mine workings, made ground and old mill sites are common. Parts of Greater Manchester lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Only an investigation on site can say why a particular building has moved.

How much will concrete repairs cost in Greater Manchester?

On North West rates, concrete repairs starts from about £80 per m², including VAT. The written price depends on the extent of the damage, access and whether an engineer or building control is needed.

Why does concrete crack and rust?

Concrete cracks as it shrinks, moves with temperature or carries more load than intended. Steel inside it rusts when carbonation or salts reach it and moisture gets in. The two feed each other: cracks let water in, and rusting steel expands and cracks the concrete further.

Can you repair a cracked concrete lintel?

Often, yes. Spalling and small cracks in a concrete lintel can be patch repaired and the steel treated. If the lintel is badly cracked, sagging or the bars have lost much of their section, replacement is usually better, and the opening is propped while it is done.

What is carbonation in concrete?

Carbonation is the gradual reaction between carbon dioxide in the air and concrete, which lowers its alkalinity from the surface inward. Alkaline concrete protects the steel inside, so when carbonation reaches the bars, they can start to rust. A simple test on a freshly broken surface shows how deep it has gone.