I've got a raised concrete slab patio that is about 3 feet off the ground sitting on brick exterior and I'd guess the thickness of the pad is about 5 inches. It is adjacent to my house. It is approximately 12 feet x 15 feet. I do have a basement but the patio is not over top of the basement. This house/patio is about 25 years old and I am in Pennsylvania (which means colder winters, snow, ice). Since there is nothing directly underneath and it is 6 feet from the house and since it is sagging in the middle, I would suspect there is a just dirt underneath.
There is a low point in the patio that causes water to puddle when it rains. This low point is just about the dead center of the slab which puts it about 6 feet from my house.
I had a concrete guy come out and he suggest I either (a.) rip out the pad and put in a new one, or (b.) put a new pad over top of the existing pad. I've been waiting on a price from him for the last month. In the meantime, I've looked online and some people have said they simply drilled a hole in the slab to let it drain down.
Now I don't know much about home building or engineering but I am thinking it would be a cheap and easy fix. The downside would be that the concrete might crack further (there is a hairline crack already) and I might have to replace the slab altogether after a few years. (But if I need to change the pad anyway, why not try drilling the hold first?!)
Thoughts? Could I do damage to my house/foundation by doing this? Any other thoughts?
p.s. I did read where somebody put a polymer sealant to deal with their concrete issue. The low point is probably 1/2 of an inch lower than the rest of the slab so I think it may be too deep.
There is a low point in the patio that causes water to puddle when it rains. This low point is just about the dead center of the slab which puts it about 6 feet from my house.
I had a concrete guy come out and he suggest I either (a.) rip out the pad and put in a new one, or (b.) put a new pad over top of the existing pad. I've been waiting on a price from him for the last month. In the meantime, I've looked online and some people have said they simply drilled a hole in the slab to let it drain down.
Now I don't know much about home building or engineering but I am thinking it would be a cheap and easy fix. The downside would be that the concrete might crack further (there is a hairline crack already) and I might have to replace the slab altogether after a few years. (But if I need to change the pad anyway, why not try drilling the hold first?!)
Thoughts? Could I do damage to my house/foundation by doing this? Any other thoughts?
p.s. I did read where somebody put a polymer sealant to deal with their concrete issue. The low point is probably 1/2 of an inch lower than the rest of the slab so I think it may be too deep.
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