Concrete slab at a brick wall

brickconcretecrack

I want to build a concrete slab (upon which a deck will be build later) at the foot of a brick wall (by foot I don't mean the foundation foot, I just mean where the brick meets the grade level). I hear that you can't make concrete and brick stick together. How do I deal with it? Do I leave a gap? What about water in that gap? Do I put some flashing?

Edit: There are also some practices about joints:

http://www.cement.org/tech/faq_joints.asp

This means have a joint but seal it, basically. What do you think?

Note that I'll have a slight slope from the wall. I'm still puzzled what to do.

Best Answer

You can leave a gap of a about 3-4 inches (70-100 mm).

Fill the gap with gravel - you can go from coarse to fine as you go. This will ensure that there is a route for any water to drain away. If there is a lot of water you may want to go as far as installing a French Drain which has a pipe for removing the water rather than relying on percolation.

Another route is to make sure that there is a slight slope away from the wall.