I have an 1940'sish home with old concrete porches (x3) they are cracking, chipping, and pulling away from the home. Would I be able to repair them? If not could I build a deck over them (wooden)? I would prefer to build stairs for the time being as I am low on funds for a deck so that would be the best option, would that be possible? They are not solid concrete, filled in with cinder blocks and rocks.
thank you!
Concrete porches pulling away from home and cracking
concreteconstructiondeckporchstairs
Related Solutions
Where you live there are many basements, if you have one it is probably normal settling , in a newer home , what do you refer to as small critters? Many times foundations are back filled with rock that can settle and cause the separation for 20+ years , if this is the case and the gap is less than 3/4 inch I would use a latex caulk to seal it if larger I would contact professionals as suggested above
I think they're nice looking stairs... I would suppose that it's not going to sit perfectly still without a stout concrete base, or without some kind of retaining system (like rail road ties or long blocks or something) but I think crushed rock is probably a suitable alternative, too.
After a couple years, you will probably need to add something to fill it in. Then I might opt for a more ornamental gravel.
Alternatively, you could go for the natural look if you fill it in with soil and grass seed; as grass and stuff begins to grow it will also help it settle and hold it's place.
Since you have angled blocks/pavers... yo could try the (fancy) round stair look.
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Best Answer
No, you cannot repair them. If a large concrete structure is falling apart, it means the foundation is not good. Putting a deck over it to hide the disaster is probably a good idea. Obviously, you should make footings below the frost line for your deck, unless you want the same thing to happen to it.
Personally I would probably build the deck and then sell the house and try to distract potential buyers as much as possible.