On Mar 16, 11:56*am, wrote:
On Mar 16, 11:18*am, Elam wrote:



Hi all,

I have a crumbing porch. First, a couple of pictures:

http://param.us/porch/porch1.jpghttp...rch/porch2.jpg

Now, I have zero experience with concrete, hence the question marks.
I'm assuming that I need to chisel/remove the damaged cinder blocks
( pretty much all of them ), one at a time, fit a new one in, and slap
mortar in between the top slab and the porch cap. Or, instead of
mortaring the gap, find a suitable replacement cinder block. *Is this
correct? If so, is there a preferred method? ie do I start from
foundation base and work my way around counter/clockwise?

And should what about stability? The mortar is pretty deteriorated
around the entire porch. Is there a way to support the porch(stakes
etc) while I complete repairs?

Any advice is much appreciated.

- Elam

I'd call that a front step, not a porch. *It's impossible to evaluate
the whole thing from the couple of pics. * But from what I see, it
looks so deteriorated that from a practical standpoint you are
probably going to be better off demolishing what is there and starting
over. * You need to find out if there are adequate footers to support
it. *If so, you can get rid of eveything above that and rebuild. *If
not, start with proper footers

You may want to consider putting in slate, stone, or maybe stamped
concrete for the top surface to give it a nicer look.

Hi. Thanks for replying.

The front step is actually pulled away, revealing the decay.

The base foundation looks good(from what I can see), no crumbling and
the slab cap is in fine condition. It's really only the individual
cinder blocks. T. I've had a couple of contractors out to look at it
and they've both said its simply a matter of replacing the
cinderblocks. I can't really afford to demolish the whole thing right
now, anyway.

I am planning on putting a slate veneer on it when it's done, although
with Michigan winters, it may not last too long.