# New Concrete Porch (Standing Water)



## handy man88 (Jan 23, 2007)

When they poured the patio, why didn't they install "spacers/slots" to allow cracks to follow that path?

This may still be done by using a wet saw, and these "spacers/slots" can be a means to improve drainage.


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## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

They should have pitched the slab away from the house for drainage. I'd make them redo it.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

I would not be happy with a trench or a pipe. What do they think will happen when the pipe or the trench freezes? It needs to be repoured with some slope away from the house.


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## Big Bob (Jul 27, 2007)

Yep, somehow the slab deck pitch didn't happen correctly. This is can happen when all the little variables line up in the wrong direction. 
You need to brain storm solutions with the contractor and others. A drain if installed properly would not have to look like a patch job. Grinding, cool deck coatings, epoxy leveling coatings, etc... lot more of eyes on options may be available other than tear it out and do it again. From your pics the other parts of your finished project looks really good.

Is your contractor ( ready, and willing to help with a remedy to the situation?) Or are you at the (let's let the lawyers make some money stage? )

PS. Find the local concrete experts and pick their brains. Maybe a combination of things (Solutions) will let you and the contractor smile again.


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## yesitsconcrete (May 11, 2008)

evidently these guys forgot wtr runs downhill or left the level at the shop,,, as i see it, the controlling elevation's near the front door,,, easiest way's removing the brick border at the front then reslope the deck using a rented conc scarifier,,, after getting the desired slope, repair the surface w/polymer modified conc,,, we've done this several times,,, strikes me as a long day's work if your guy knows what he's doing ( NOT the gc or the guys who placed the conc ).

no rainwater collecting in the wall'd area ? ? ?


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## KHouse75 (May 14, 2008)

Hmmm...What kind of soil do you have? Where are you located?

If it was a pre-existing problem and I was doing this myself, I'd cut notch out of the concrete the width of bricks to match the brick border. I'd then place some pipe and drain to a drainage pit in the yard or to lower ground. I'd then morter in brick in the trench I cut making it look like it was planned that way.

I own a house on the SC coast with sandy soil and a similar problem. I just cut two square holes in the ground, dug out some sand, took a pipe sock, tied the end, placed it in the hole and loaded it with stone and folded it over. I then took square grates that I used as templated to cut the cement and placed them in the opening. That was 5 years ago. I clean them out once per year but they do an excellent job.

And, another thing you can do is take a masonary blade and cut a groove in the cement from the low spot to the grass area. Start with a low cut at the pubble side and get deeper and deeper as you go toward the grass as to create a path for the water to follow. I did this in an outdoor shower that was sloped toward the house. I cut several slots in the cement so it would flow through the holes in the brick. Works great.


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## yesitsconcrete (May 11, 2008)

we may have different understandings of the problem,,, i understood this porch to be new construction & already there's a birdbath which holds water,,, 'notching' a 2" pvc pipe & catch into a new porch floor'd be unacceptable to me even if it was a remodeling item,,, while we're not on the sc coast, 400yds at high tide in hilton head makes it w/i eyesight,,, water STILL runs downhill there, too 

unfortunately the brick border determines elevation & slope,,, to me, its unacceptable having slots/drains in new work.


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