Hi all,
We added a concrete porch on to the front of our house and asked the contractor to build the foundation down so we could add a storage room under the porch area. We have a basement and a garage, and the storage room connects through the garage. The porch turned out beautiful.
But now I have two problems:
First: When I hose off the porch, water comes into the room below from the inside wall face, outside face seems fine, and it never gets wet when it rains, only when I hose off the porch. What gives?
Second: We are putting a bathroom in under the porch area and we needed to connect up all the sewer so they tore out the concrete in the adjacent garage, connect up the sewer pipes and put in new concrete. Now I want to finish the garage and turn it into an office. I’d like to add tile to the floor. And come cabinets along the wall. The problem is that the floor is really uneven. Up to 1-1/2 inches. How do I level it? The contractor did this job 2 years ago and even though we complained, they never came back. I’m resolved to have to fix this one myself. The concrete has also cracked about 1/4 in wide across the room starting from the floor drain and going across to each wall. How do I repair this.
Thanks for any advice. I live in Pittsburgh,Pa.
Edited 2/16/2007 10:24 am ET by toonatic
Edited 2/16/2007 10:26 am ET by toonatic
Replies
http://www.abatron.com they have anything you need to fix masonry f-up's
and stop hosing the front porch
They did not seal the new porch slab to the existing building.
1/4" cracks in the concrete are too much. and 1-1/2" uneveness is a bit much even for a garage. Did you document your complaints to him when the job was complete? best thicg would be for him to come back, tear out the slab, and do it right. because that's the only way to fix it. Abatron make good stuff, and it might work for you, but cracks that wide are a sign of deeper problems.
Can you post a picture?
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Thanks for your advice. I did document and complain but it did no good. Abatron looked great for fixing the crack. What do I do about leveling the floor? I know there is a leveling product but I think it only goes up to 3/4 inch thickness. Can I pour concrete on top of concrete to level it?
A 1/4" crack means that there is no reinforcing steel in the concrete.
Whatever made it crack will probably, not for sure, mind you, but most likely, continue to crack whatever minor repair you do.
How long is the crack, and, does it also run up the walls?
Can you live with adding 3" more concrete on top of the floor, or would you rather replace the floor?
Are you budget restricted?
Can you upload pictures.
SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
Sam, the way I read this, the plumbers cut a swath for a tie-in to seweer line and capped it over. is it common for you to see steel used in a patch like that? I never have.I'm thinking that instead of adding 3" of more crete, since this is cold PA and he is moving towards an office instead of garage, he could frame a floor over the slab and insulate and be far more comfortable, if he has the elevation needed.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
A high quality elastomeric caulk, like Sonneborn, would probably do a good job of sealing the joint.
I hope he gets the message about the cracked floor. What you said is right ... filling the cracks and/or topping the slab is throwing money away, unless he solves the cause of the cracks.
If he has documentation of notifying the contractor of the problems, can he call the state licensing board?
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Before you go forward any further, stop for a minute and realize that things must be designed for the purpose to which they are intended to be used. Try to keep that in mind with each and every decision you mmake now.
The porch has a slab for a floor, but concrete is not waterproof. You do not have a roof on the room below, only a concrete floor on th eporch above. That is why it is leaking.
you might be able to repel most of the water by using a Vulcum or other polyurethene caulk at that seam after cleaning and drying iot well, and then painting the slab floor with a polyurethene floor and deck paint a couple of coats.
For the garage floor, there are floor leveling compound to mix and float in made specificly for concrete floors.
The crack you hae ther is probably due to some shrinkage and settling both. Be sure with the new patch that you mix according to directions. Many crete cracks are from having added too much water to the mix to make it easier to work with.
now - back to my origianl statement. The existing garage was designed and built to contain an automobile. If you simply enclose it without proper planning, your next post here could be "Why is my office floor so cold?"
I bet you could get a ream of suggestions and help ahead of time on the whole conversion issue so you won't keep working backwards to fix poor design decisions.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Hmmm...
Now I'm confused about what level each of these spaces is one relative to each other. I'm imagining a different section drawing than you are, LOL
Oh well.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
In the first post he says they tore out the concrete in the existing garage and put in new concrete. I read that as they took out the entire floor. Maybe not. Seems like something didn't get re=compacted properly, or lack of reinforcing, or both."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Opps!
DeleteDeleteDelete
She's remodeling the garage where the crack is (|:>(
I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slower I will read slowerSamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
Maybe the OP just needs to write slower;)We'll have to wait for a picture aor better description clarifying this, won't we?
That 1-1/2" uneveness in the garage slab could even bee the slope that is supposed to be there to drain water of the rain soaked car out the door!This porch is reminding me of a job I had once. They wanted me to save a porch - a rather large one. In under it was a few shovels and a wheelbarrow and a mower. I told tham that as long as that was the use of the lower in under, I could do the porch for Y dollars, byut that if they were considering making any finished space of it, I would have to take a diifferent tack and it would cost Y plus five thousand roughly. I was clear that the cheaper might let in a drop of water now and then under certain circumstances, but that with all the framing PT, it wouldn't hurt anything in open space.They took the less expensive choice assurintg me that it would never be finished space.The next year the missus called me back to tell me they had decided to make a game room down under there...
OK Ma'am, but remember...so I'll have to re-do the top to accomplish this. It's going to get expensive.Yhey found another contractor - I heard they have another bedroom, a game room, and a bathroom down in that space now. The caretaker called me about a leak....told him what and why and call the other contractor
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I'm glad the OP is a slow reader and didn't see that fantasy I wrote.
But it was a goooood fantasy ;)
be unreadSamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.