Scott wrote:
I live in a condo building with five units, all built atop a concrete
slab. A new neighbor moved in about two years ago and ripped up the
carpet to replace it with something newer and noted that there were
cracks in the slab that discolored a bit where water had seeped up. I
saw the damage myself, they were cracks very thin, but about two to
four feet long, and were darker than the rest of the slab and moiste
to the touch. My neighbor patched the slabs and put carpet over.

We guessed that part of the problem was that the little front yard
area of this neighbor's unit was a sort of small hill that sloped
down into the front of his unit. We had the hill flattened and that
was that.

That was the problem.


After the heavy rains that hit SoCal last month, I noticed that one
corner of my downstairs carpet was damp to the touch. Not sopping
wet, just a little moiste, about an area 2 ft. by 1 ft. I believe
it's a cracked slab allowing moisture up.

Don't worry, crack or no crack, if the water table goes up, moisture is
going come up.

Those rains were a little unusual so I suspect you should expect some
problems. I do suggest you check your flood insurance and make sure it is
paid up. I would also take another look at the grading around your condo.
It may need some additional attention.

I put some fans on it and
dried it, and since it's not rained much in the past month, the
carpet's bone dry, like it should be. I assume it's a crack in the
slab, and assume it needs to be patched.

Personally I think the answer is not trying to patch any cracks, rather
it is a matter of keeping the water away from the condo. That means making
sure the roof water is piped well away and down hill from the condo and that
the ground slopes away from the condo on all sides.


My questions (finally!):

* Can I do this myself? I am not very handy and am worried about
causing more damage than not
* If I want someone else to do this, who do I hire to take care of
this? Is there a yellow pages section, "Slab crack repairers?"
* What future belies the neighbors who have hardwood floors? I
imagine a wet carpet pales in comparison to a wet hardwood floor,
w.r.t. damage and cost to repair.

Thanks!

I suspect this is a condo issue not your private issue. In any case
check out your association and existing contracts before starting any work.


--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math