high & about 5'x6'. It is solid concrete & the front was starting to crumble so we bought some concrete in a buchket type stuff to patch the front only to discover that there was a huge crack running through it and water , I guess, has been seeping in and destroying it. My husband wants to rip it all down & put up a wood porch. I want to re-do the concrete. Does anyone have any suggestions of effective yet inexpensive ways to fix my porch? Also there is a roof over it so I imagine it's important to have something to hold it up.
2007-04-20 03:07:47 · 4 answers · asked by autumn 5 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
We do have a basement and we do have slight water problems, but the water that occasionaly seeps in down their is coming from the back of the house, not the front.
2007-04-20 03:33:41 · update #1
it's not the steps that are crumbling, ....maybe I will take a phot & repost my question.
2007-04-20 06:38:05 · update #2
If this porch is required to hold the weight of the roof over it, filling in the crack is only a temporary solution. It is cracking for a reason! Either the weight isn't distributed evenly or the ground has shifted. Too, the area under the porch where the crack is has been affected by the water as well so you would need to be concerned about just how bad it is under there.
As a property specialist, I suggest you remove the damaged porch and replace it with either wood or the new "plastics" porches. Maintenance wise these new composite porches are a breeze. They cost more but will last five life times.
I have repaired many porches in the temorary manner, with crack fill from Menards. Then, painted the porch. It is for cosmetics only! I always tell the buyer about the crack so they can watch for what needs corrected.
PS...I do so hope you don't have a basement!!! If so...remove the porch NOW! The water damage may not show in the basement yet..YET... but it will and boy will you have some costs over that one~
If it is a crawl space, just know that the joists under the house in that area are subject to termites, carpenter ants, rot and mold. As you can see...a small crack is just the start of the problem!!!!!
2007-04-20 03:24:53 · answer #1 · answered by mrscmmckim 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I recommend replacing the steps. If you patch concrete on the front, it will always be weak where the old and new concrete meet. It's better to just get or pour new steps. Just make sure you get the step height right. Normally there are building codes as far as how high a step can be, etc.
2007-04-20 11:50:52 · answer #2 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get some water putty. Its usually a grey powder substance that you mix with water. They use it to seal the ties in foundation walls. Good stuff will seal up most cracks.
2007-04-20 10:14:15 · answer #3 · answered by DeereMan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are many products for this,go to a speacialty conc store.its going to cost u about $400.00 in products.Probably could replace it for that if you do it yourself
2007-04-20 18:31:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋