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.

TIA

TIA
email response not expected but to respond remove .uk at end
TIA
Hank

How big was the first little slab? If small, it should have been
removed. If substantial, the man is right - should have been
dowelled and control/expansion joints cut or cast at the
re-entrant corners. At the very least, it is obvious that there
was insufficient subsoil preparation/ compaction.

Solutions now??? Remove the original slab, dowel, and repour.
Remove the new slab, dowel, repour, control joint. Mud jacking is
expensive. Grinding down the high concrete is a possibility.
Bridging (ramping) the change of grade is mildly adequate and may
have to be reperformed - only you can decide if the change of
grade is acceptable. You can have the entire surface shot
blasted, acid etched, or otherwise cleaned and add a thin
decorative topping slab. This may be one of the best solutions.
The existing breaks would need to be epoxied and a contractor will
probably suggest cutting or jointing over any existing cracks and
joints as they are prone to transferring into the new surface.

You can see some examples of decorative concrete work he
www.decorative-concrete.net
and/or
www.thestampstore.com


(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"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.

TIA

TIA
email response not expected but to respond remove .uk at end
TIA
Hank

"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.

Thanks for the two replies I got. Must say options suggested
seem quite drastic and expensive.
Some additional information. Original concrete pad is four
foot by ten feet so it is good size. Total size of the porch is now
28 feet long by 8 feet wide. Contractor was quite late in pouring the
porch. He was suppose to do it in September (still quite warm here in
North Carolina) but did not pour until early December 2003. They dug
footings for the cinder block perimeter. Center is filled with
crushed small stone. Property slopes so ground level at one end by
door is only about 10 inches while at the far end it is close to four
feet. Settling is more at the deep end than around the original slab.
The 3/8th gap is at the far end as measured to the house. At the
original pad gap it is more like an 1/8th inch made very noticeable
because movement between the two slabs spaulded out small chunks of
new concrete. The settling appeared in Spring of 2004 and although
I can not be absolutely sure does not seem to have increased
noticeably since then. As a guess I think problem might have been the
soil being sort of frozen when work done and changed when warm weather
came. I am told that most settling will occur within the first year
of construction? As for the slope down from the original slab I don't
think it would be that noticeable if I could tapper some concrete to
fill the abrupt height difference. If the settlement is not
continuing is this a possible approach and if so what would you
recommend to bridge the small gap?


On Tue, 9 Aug 2005 17:32:44 -0500, "DanG" wrote:

How big was the first little slab? If small, it should have been
removed. If substantial, the man is right - should have been
dowelled and control/expansion joints cut or cast at the
re-entrant corners. At the very least, it is obvious that there
was insufficient subsoil preparation/ compaction.

Solutions now??? Remove the original slab, dowel, and repour.
Remove the new slab, dowel, repour, control joint. Mud jacking is
expensive. Grinding down the high concrete is a possibility.
Bridging (ramping) the change of grade is mildly adequate and may
have to be reperformed - only you can decide if the change of
grade is acceptable. You can have the entire surface shot
blasted, acid etched, or otherwise cleaned and add a thin
decorative topping slab. This may be one of the best solutions.
The existing breaks would need to be epoxied and a contractor will
probably suggest cutting or jointing over any existing cracks and
joints as they are prone to transferring into the new surface.

You can see some examples of decorative concrete work he
www.decorative-concrete.net
and/or
www.thestampstore.com


(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"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.

email response not expected but to respond remove .uk at end
TIA
Hank

Thanks for the two replies I got. Must say options suggested
seem quite drastic and expensive.
Some additional information. Original concrete pad is four
foot by ten feet so it is good size. Total size of the porch is now
28 feet long by 8 feet wide. Contractor was quite late in pouring the
porch. He was suppose to do it in September (still quite warm here in
North Carolina) but did not pour until early December 2003. They dug
footings for the cinder block perimeter. Center is filled with
crushed small stone. Property slopes so ground level at one end by
door is only about 10 inches while at the far end it is close to four
feet. Settling is more at the deep end than around the original slab.
The 3/8th gap is at the far end as measured to the house. At the
original pad gap it is more like an 1/8th inch made very noticeable
because movement between the two slabs spaulded out small chunks of
new concrete. The settling appeared in Spring of 2004 and although
I can not be absolutely sure does not seem to have increased
noticeably since then. As a guess I think problem might have been the
soil being sort of frozen when work done and changed when warm weather
came. I am told that most settling will occur within the first year
of construction? As for the slope down from the original slab I don't
think it would be that noticeable if I could tapper some concrete to
fill the abrupt height difference. If the settlement is not
continuing is this a possible approach and if so what would you
recommend to bridge the small gap?


On Tue, 9 Aug 2005 17:32:44 -0500, "DanG" wrote:

How big was the first little slab? If small, it should have been
removed. If substantial, the man is right - should have been
dowelled and control/expansion joints cut or cast at the
re-entrant corners. At the very least, it is obvious that there
was insufficient subsoil preparation/ compaction.

Solutions now??? Remove the original slab, dowel, and repour.
Remove the new slab, dowel, repour, control joint. Mud jacking is
expensive. Grinding down the high concrete is a possibility.
Bridging (ramping) the change of grade is mildly adequate and may
have to be reperformed - only you can decide if the change of
grade is acceptable. You can have the entire surface shot
blasted, acid etched, or otherwise cleaned and add a thin
decorative topping slab. This may be one of the best solutions.
The existing breaks would need to be epoxied and a contractor will
probably suggest cutting or jointing over any existing cracks and
joints as they are prone to transferring into the new surface.

You can see some examples of decorative concrete work he
www.decorative-concrete.net
and/or
www.thestampstore.com


(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"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.

email response not expected but to respond remove .uk at end
TIA
Hank

The 3/8th gap is at the far end as measured to the house. At the
original pad gap it is more like an 1/8th inch made very noticeable
because movement between the two slabs spaulded out small chunks of
new concrete.

Small cracks and fractures 1/8" to ½" wide are often difficult to patch
using cement-based products. There's just no way to force the mixture into
such a small opening. QUIKRETE® Gray Concrete Crack Seal and QUIKRETE®
Concrete Repair Caulk solve this problem. Gray Concrete Crack Seal is a
thick liquid that can be poured directly into cracks in walks, slabs and
other horizontal surfaces. Concrete Repair Caulk is a textured sealant that
can be applied to cracks in walls and other vertical surfaces.