The approximately one yard square section of concrete walkway directly in
front of my front steps apparently settled improperly after it was poured
resulting in pooling of water when it rains. What would be the most
effectiveway to fix this? Will it require that the section be ripped out and
replaced or might it be possible to simply pour some more concrete on top of
the existing slab where the depression is? Does anyone know of a 'do it
yourself' website that would have info on this kind of thing? Thanks,

W.D.

W.D. writes:

The approximately one yard square section of concrete walkway directly
in front of my front steps apparently settled improperly after it was
poured resulting in pooling of water when it rains. What would be the
most effectiveway to fix this?

The technical term is "birdbath".

One clever remedy is to drill a small hole through the slab at the lowest
point. This won't stop the puddling, but it will allow the water to
eventually drain. A Tapcon bit would be quite suitable for this.

A bit more effective would be to neatly saw-cut all the way across the slab
there, but that requires more elaborate tools or expense.

I did try to drill a couple 'drainage' holes but don't think my drill bit
was long enough (I drilled down four inches or so). Am reluctant to go out
and buy an extra long drill bit just for this but suppose it will be less
expensive than replacing/repairing the slab so Ill give drilling another
try. Thanks,

W.D.

"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message
. ..
W.D. writes:

The approximately one yard square section of concrete walkway directly
in front of my front steps apparently settled improperly after it was
poured resulting in pooling of water when it rains. What would be the
most effectiveway to fix this?

The technical term is "birdbath".

One clever remedy is to drill a small hole through the slab at the lowest
point. This won't stop the puddling, but it will allow the water to
eventually drain. A Tapcon bit would be quite suitable for this.

A bit more effective would be to neatly saw-cut all the way across the
slab
there, but that requires more elaborate tools or expense.

W.D. wrote:
The approximately one yard square section of concrete walkway
directly in front of my front steps apparently settled improperly
after it was poured resulting in pooling of water when it rains. What
would be the most effectiveway to fix this? Will it require that the
section be ripped out and replaced or might it be possible to simply
pour some more concrete on top of the existing slab where the
depression is? Does anyone know of a 'do it yourself' website that
would have info on this kind of thing? Thanks,
W.D.

As noted, if you have good drainage under it, you might get by with the
drain holes, or you might wash away more soil and make matters worse.

Depending on the specific situation you may also try digging it up or
adding a layer on top ( I really don't like this one) or maybe mud jacking
may work. You will have to have someone who does mud jacking take a look,
not all situations are good candidates for it. Look in the Yellow pages
under the concrete companies or ask around. They drill a hole or two and
then pump a concrete mix into the hole lifting the existing slab and filling
the area under with fresh concrete.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

If it's only a square yard, in front of steps, it shouldn't be a big
project to just fix it right, especially if it freezes in winter in
your location. I'd cut it at a convenient spot, or at the first
expansion joint after the steps, break it using a sledge hammer, make
sure it has a good compacted base and repour it. The biggest headache
is getting rid of the debris.

It's a simple fix. Just pry it up, and hit it in the center of the back
with a big hammer to pop it out the other way.

Steve

x-no-archive: yes

"W.D." wdanis at NO SPAM dot yahoo dot com wrote in message
...
The approximately one yard square section of concrete walkway directly in
front of my front steps apparently settled improperly after it was poured
resulting in pooling of water when it rains. What would be the most
effectiveway to fix this? Will it require that the section be ripped out
and replaced or might it be possible to simply pour some more concrete on
top of the existing slab where the depression is? Does anyone know of a
'do it yourself' website that would have info on this kind of thing?
Thanks,

W.D.

You can try to spread on a topping mix. I have done this. But getting the
finish to match is a bit tricky. And will it hold? Maybe, maybe not. The
repairs I did were about 7 years ago, and it did hold. But still, it does
not look identical to the original pour. However, it got the water going
where I wanted it to.

A drain hole will just plug up or free in the winter.

Tried the drilling solution w/a 5/8" diameter 13" long masonry drill and
couldn't even punch through the concrete! I was able to get down about 3-4"
after about 15-20 minutes of effort but that was it. I'm wondering if there
is some kind of steel basin that the concrete was poured into that the drill
bit can't penetrate? I paid $15 bucks for a decent bit so don't think that's
the issue. Weird...

W.D.
"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message
. ..
W.D. writes:

The approximately one yard square section of concrete walkway directly
in front of my front steps apparently settled improperly after it was
poured resulting in pooling of water when it rains. What would be the
most effectiveway to fix this?

The technical term is "birdbath".

One clever remedy is to drill a small hole through the slab at the lowest
point. This won't stop the puddling, but it will allow the water to
eventually drain. A Tapcon bit would be quite suitable for this.

A bit more effective would be to neatly saw-cut all the way across the
slab
there, but that requires more elaborate tools or expense.

"W.D." wdanis at NO SPAM dot yahoo dot com wrote in message
...
Tried the drilling solution w/a 5/8" diameter 13" long masonry drill and
couldn't even punch through the concrete! I was able to get down about
3-4"
after about 15-20 minutes of effort but that was it. I'm wondering if
there
is some kind of steel basin that the concrete was poured into that the
drill
bit can't penetrate? I paid $15 bucks for a decent bit so don't think
that's
the issue. Weird...

For holes deep in the concrete you need what is called a hammer drill.
While the bit turns it also moves up and down to help punch the hole.

Thanks. Probably not worth the investment given that the solution may not
even work anyhow. Looks like I'll be spending some money to fix this one
right... :-(

W.D.

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
ink.net...

"W.D." wdanis at NO SPAM dot yahoo dot com wrote in message
...
Tried the drilling solution w/a 5/8" diameter 13" long masonry drill and
couldn't even punch through the concrete! I was able to get down about
3-4"
after about 15-20 minutes of effort but that was it. I'm wondering if
there
is some kind of steel basin that the concrete was poured into that the
drill
bit can't penetrate? I paid $15 bucks for a decent bit so don't think
that's
the issue. Weird...

For holes deep in the concrete you need what is called a hammer drill.
While the bit turns it also moves up and down to help punch the hole.

W.D. writes:

Tried the drilling solution w/a 5/8" diameter 13" long masonry drill
and couldn't even punch through the concrete! I was able to get down
about 3-4" after about 15-20 minutes of effort but that was it. I'm
wondering if there is some kind of steel basin that the concrete was
poured into that the drill bit can't penetrate? I paid $15 bucks for a
decent bit so don't think that's the issue.

Use the Tapcon bit I suggested, at least for a pilot. They come in long
lengths.

A 5/8" hole in concrete is huge. The bit will rapidly dull and you can't
exert enough pressure by hand anyway, if there's any granite or quartz
aggregate in there. You have to increase the pressure by starting small
and take it in steps.