"Hank" wrote in message
...
When my modular home was build about four years ago I could
not afford to have the full porch addition put on the front so they
just poured a concrete pad at the front door. About a year ago I
contracted to have the porch added. They poured a concrete porch
around the existing smaller pad, adding roof and vynal railings.
About a year after installation I noticed new concrete section had
settled leaving about a 3/8" drop around the old slab and around the
edges of the old slab pieces of the new concrete broke. I finally got
the sub-contractor to come out and look at it. He said his crew had
made two errors on the job; first they should have drilled rebar into
the old pad and extended them into the new pour to tie them together.
Second the breakage was because they should have put a special joint
where old and new met to prevent adhering and breaking with movement.
Admitted problem was his and saying the only way it would look right
was to cover it with brick pavers. Total picture is complicated
because the contractor I negotiated the job with never fully paid the
sub-contractor so he is obviously reluctant to sink any more money
into it. Area is in building boom so can not get any one to come and
do the small job etc. To make a long story short looks like other
than a costly court battle nothing is going to be done. I have
patched the broke areas with vynal patch concrete and this has held
for two months. I had thought I might be able to just slope the
height difference with same patching material so not too noticeable.
Then paint porch concrete to get uniform color which is already
stained with red clay soil anyway.
How about opinions or other suggestions on a way to make it
look better. Something a DIY could do.

Sounds like advice was right. Either the rebar should have been tied into
the old pad, or a better, more stable new pad should have been poured over
properly prepared ground. That should have included digging down to firm
earth, tamping at least a half foot of crushed gravel base for stability and
drainage. The 3/8 inch drop is likely to increase, as settling is often a
continuous process, especially if no special prep was done for a firm
foundation. Any veneer or brick tile will fit for awhile, then likely sink
away. I would consider putting a little flexible exterior concrete-colored
acrylic caulk in the gap, then taper off the porch with some kind of
concrete patch. If the pad continues to settle, you may wish to consider a
re-pour. You could do your own research on how to pour a pad, then rent an
electric mixer and prep the ground, build the forms, and mix the concrete
yourself. Dont forget the fiber joint - usually a 1/2 inch material - to
isolate the pad from the porch. With proper foundation prep, there may be no
need to tie the pad to the foundation, but do your research on that. Many
how-to books at the big box stores on concrete and patio construction.