There is water migrating to and pooling in the corner near my entry steps. The pooling water has nowhere to go once it gets there, so it’s draining into the crack between the house and the existing concrete. I’ve considered a few different ways to combat this issue. Currently, I have a sand-bag-type baffle that’s encouraging most of the water to flow past the end of the steps. But this isn’t the best approach. I want to explore pouring a small (~4’ x 4’), concrete pad in that area, and I’ve a few questions about it. Please share your thoughts.
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PpJ8WhcJGbRuDzpP8 . The water is coming from the walkway, under the gate, and (generally) heads toward the spot that I’m standing (where the photos were shot). But that area behind the steps is every-so-slightly lower, and water will head that way over time.
How thin can I pour the pad? I don’t need it to be very tall, but I want to pour it thick enough to be durable. I am contemplating 1" thick.
Do I prep the existing concrete or just pour over it? Any reinforcements?
On the sides… should I interface (expansion joint) between the newly poured concrete and the existing brick veneer? I assume there is purpose-made, backer board or something. I can see some pieces of this type of material were used in the original construction. Further question… should I handle the interface with the side of the house differently from the side of the steps?
While the walls of the house and steps will enclose the mixture on 2 sides, how will I ensure that the concrete doesn’t try to creep under the wooden form on the open sides while things are curing? I’m assuming I can use cinder blocks to hold those sides of the form in place, but that doesn’t solve any issue of the concrete leaking up-under. Maybe the little bit of creep is no big deal and/or easy to clean-up afterwards.
I’d like to avoid pouring the concrete pad altogether, if we can come up with an alternative approach.
1" of concrete won’t hold up. It looks from the photo that perhaps your slab has cracked L-R in the first picture and there’s a gap below your steps? Possibly the water penetrating back there has washed out under the slab and it has sunk near the house. What’s your budget? The best fix might be mud-jacking it back to having a slope away from the house as it originally did.
Oh, the budget is basically the coins I found in my couch last weekend. Not really, but it’s close to that. I want to band-aid the situation, so it doesn’t continue to wash-out or get any worse. I agree with your thoughts about the concrete settling near the house. However, it hasn’t sunk much; I’d extimate the difference b/t the baffle and the back of the steps is 0.1" or so. The water slowly creeps over there, but after a day of rain, it becomes significant.
I’ve even considered putting a cover (that I can still park the trashcans under) over the area, and then running a bead (of caulk/?something) in place of the unsightly baffle.
I agree with mud-jacking. I think if you add a layer of concrete you’re just making a heavier bit of concrete and it will sink back down and water will get back in there and wash away the underlying soil and you’ll be back to where you’re at.
Push it up from the bottom, with non-penetrative material, and you’ve solved the problem for good.
I just had some jacking done and the piece they did was huge, and they did some sidewalk too. I think the going rate is about $250 for an area about the size of one driveway section (5’x10’?)
Maybe that’s more than your budget is but it’s going to look better, last longer and be easier for you than trying to add concrete yourself. It might be worth it to get a quote or two, then decide if it’s worth the money.
You can mortar on a section of brick up against the house. Just one brick down in the corner where the wall and concrete meet could work but you might want to go a few bricks out from the wall to slope it correctly, and maybe as far out as the end of the stairs so you can channel all that water away correctly. But you could get started just to seal up that joint at the house with just one line of bricks and add more over time.
Here’s maybe another idea for a budget DYI fix: Seal that crack up, then lay a brick platform in the corner to set the trash barrel on. Would that be far enough out to get the water running away, or would it just run under the steps or to the other side?
That could work. I don’t think that a single brick (in the corner) would do it. A line of them laid against the house could be beneficial, though. With that in-mind, it raises another question; could I just put a type of sealant in that crack to keep the water from seeping-in between the driveway and the house? That wouldn’t entirely solve my problem, though. The water would still pool there; it just wouldn’t get under the house/drive.
If I understand you correctly, you’re proposing that I fabricate a pad of bricks instead of pouring a pad. It would need to come out to the end of the steps there, to assure that the water runs past and away. The grade is (slightly) sloping toward the house all along those steps. Are you guys proposing that I “brick and mortar” it (including mortar to the house and steps), or just stack the bricks? Or am I misinterpreting you altogether?
Also wanted to comment that ~US$250 isn’t prohibitive. I might consider that. But, I don’t think my problem has gotten to the point that it needs that level of attention.
Brick and mortar. I think you could get it done with your budget, just depends on the number of bricks. Looks like you may have to do something if the stair rail posts are going all the way down to the concrete pad.
Putting down one layer of bricks like that is not that difficult, much easier than stacking them to make a wall.
Thanks guys. A brick pad would have the benefit of looking good, too. My wife would like that part of it. I uploaded another photo to that site that shows the water flow patterns with red arrows. I measured along the purple line today, and found the surface drops 0.2" from the black baffle as it moves towards the wall. No water pools on the other side of the steps (behind the blue can); it drains away from the house very well.
This is intriguing. I’ll have to research it. I assume I could rent the saw/rails for the day. It wouldn’t look as nice as the brick, but it just might do the trick.
Prevent the water from coming in in the first place. Fix the problem instead of band aiding a solution.
Myself, I would put a concrete blade in a circular saw and make a groove in the pavement to drain water away before it gets under that gate. Do it slowly, and be cautious. Then, because there is still slope towards the house, I would get masonry calk and fill that up.
it looks like that corner (behind the garbage cart) where the bushes are has an exposed dirt background, right? So it would seem best to try to divert the water into the ground there. That would have it eventually going deep into the groundwater reserves, and watering your bushes on the way.
Consider digging a hole there that would serve as a miniature drain pond, and then diverting the water into it. Either get the water from the walkway behind the fence to go under the fence (to the right of the gate where it is currently coming) and into that dirt area, or just below the gate at the bottom of that slope sending the water to the right into the bushes. Possibly with a small trench cut into the concrete and going under the landscape timber that outlines the bushes area.
Wanted to drop in, and thank everyone for their insight and replies. I had pushed this project off the main burner, but the copious amounts of rain we’ve had the last few days has given this a little more urgency. That being said, I’m now considering having the concrete lifted. I’ve got some guys coming out to quote me later this week.
How much do you girls/guys know about the fluid used in this mudjacking procedure? Most of the companies I’ve found use foam. I have some reservations on the reckless use of plastics, so I’m specifically trying to find someone who’ll grout it. But maybe my fears are unfounded.
One of the vendor’s websites says, "We use a concrete leveling polymer injection along with state of the art technology developed by the department of transportation (D.O.T.) for highway repair, adopted for industrial and residential applications. We are a green business and our products are made from **recycled materials. They are inert, non-toxic and cause no negative environmental impact. Our process is a green, economical **and permanent alternative[…]" (bolding mine).
Is this a sales pitch, or is this stuff fairly benign? Is it made of recycled grocery bags or water bottles or other post-consumer stuff? Also, is there an advantage to using the foam over the age-old grout approach?