Hi everyone, I posted this in the “photos” section, but I didnt get many reads, so I thought I would try here. I have some steps on the back of my 1920’s bungalow that have appeared to “pull away” from the house. Any advice on how to tackle this problem would be grateful.
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looks like block steps laid on a bad footing.. i'd break them up .. and then either replace them with a precast unit...
or form and pour in place with or without a brick or bluestone cap/ riser
after you dig it out.. pour a good footing on compacted soil.. DO NOT overexcavate your old footing
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Best advice would be a jackhammer the steps and just about everything else I see in those pictures, excavate all the organic material and haul away, replace with good granular, compact, form and pour new steps and retaining wall.
Gabe
A little more info would be helpful. Are these steps for accessing the basement or the first floor? It looks like the masonry on either side of the steps is moving separately from the steps themselves. I honestly don't know that there's much you could do in the instance. As you pointed out, someone tried to fix it in the past but things are still moving so filling in the cracks is only buying time. The root of the problem is probably an inadequate subgrade. Are the steps near a hillside that may potenitally be shifting? The best "fix" would probably require demolition of the steps, establishing a solid subgrade, and reconstruction. That said, I'd try to understand the mechanism at work first so you know what to improve in the reconstruction.
I will supply other pics on Monday with a little wider area. The area surrounding the steps is almost totally level, no hills, or undulations.