cracks between concrete and side of the house

[mplsbrewer]

So we have these large gaps in between the concrete sidewalk and the brick around the house. It seems the last owner filled it with something that is pulling away. It looks terrible and I'm assuming leaks water straight down to the foundation which can't be good. So I'm wondering what the best route is to fill it in? Concrete patching? Caulking? Something else? I have no idea?

The last pic is from the front corner of the house where the gutter just dropped the water straight down onto the concrete instead of carrying it away.... The concrete is sunk down and the water was going straight down to the foundation. Not sure how to fix this either. Suggestions very appreciated.

 

[nealtw]

Welcome to the site.
He has used a concrete caulk to fill the gap but the sidewalk is still moving and now you have a downspout and a tripping hazard at the front corner, I would suggest replacing it. You could have it lifted back in place but there is a fine line between fixing and replacing as far as costs go.

 

[jeffmattero76]

Home depot sells a self leveling caulk that works great if you are worried only about water intrusion. Pull out the old caulk and install the new. If the cracks are deep and wide you may want to use backer rod first ( a "rope" of foam that you stuff in the crack so that you use less caulk).

Ehen apllying do not try to smooth it. After about 30 sevonds all ridges will disappear and it will be smooth. Do not overfill.

 

[nealtw]

Home depot sells a self leveling caulk that works great if you are worried only about water intrusion. Pull out the old caulk and install the new. If the cracks are deep and wide you may want to use backer rod first ( a "rope" of foam that you stuff in the crack so that you use less caulk).

Ehen apllying do not try to smooth it. After about 30 sevonds all ridges will disappear and it will be smooth. Do not overfill.

Would you just ignore the water problem and the tripping hazard.

 

[mplsbrewer]

So in my mind it is really two issues but I could be wrong. The small problem are the gaps the run along the house in the first two pics. I might just tear out what is there and reapply. I watched a video with this sikaflex self leveling sealant, thoughts? Right now I'm looking for more of a fix for this.

The third picture is more major because it has completely sunk. It already was a tripping hazard because the one concrete slab is a few inches above the other as you round the corner of the house. Now there is the additional tripping hazard of the extension to the downspout but at least the water is carried away from the house. Any thoughts on what to do here?

 

[nealtw]

Resealing it should work and keeping water out hopefully will stop it from moving. I would replace the piece at the corner and add a drain for the down spout.

 

[jeffmattero76]

I would NOT ignore the water problem, but i would try the caulk to see if that solves the water problem. I believe the concrete is falling because water that is now getting in the crack is eroding the ground under the concrete. I cant tell how big of a tripping hazard exists from the pictures. If money is not an object then i would suggest ripping out and re-pouring new concrete.

 

[nealtw]

I would NOT ignore the water problem, but i would try the caulk to see if that solves the water problem. I believe the concrete is falling because water that is now getting in the crack is eroding the ground under the concrete. I cant tell how big of a tripping hazard exists from the pictures. If money is not an object then i would suggest ripping out and re-pouring new concrete.

The rise in the concrete looks comparable to the thickness of the brick and the downspout is now running across the walk.

 

[jeffmattero76]

If you are saying that the concrete has dropped 2 inches + then you have to get it mudjacked or replace it. If doing that you might consider running pvc under the pad and have the downspout empty into that. That assumes that there is a place where you can allow the pvc to empty.

 

[jeffmattero76]

Coincidentally i saw something on facebook today. Do a search for POLY LEVEL. It may well solve your problem.

 

[nealtw]

Coincidentally i saw something on facebook today. Do a search for POLY LEVEL. It may well solve your problem.

I have had that done and it works great, but for a small chunk of side walk that also needs something done for a drain, replacing would be cheaper and a better option I think. They could probably get away with just a few feet of new sidewalk.

 

[jeffmattero76]

Does the foam stay hard enough to continue to support the concrete? I would think it would crush down over time.

 

[nealtw]

A friend had a sidewalk slab done about 5 years ago maybe 5 foot by 15 feet. It went back down in two weeks, (I think the ant hill died), they came back the second time for free. I just looked at it this week end, it hasn't moved.
It would have been cheaper to replace it but it was stamped and colored concrete and neither could be matched. So raising it was a better option.

 

[mudmixer]

mpls-

You have two different problems -

1) The settlement can be handled with mud jacking, but you may see residual spots when the mud was pumped under the slab. If you are really concerned about the appearance remove the old concrete walk and about 12" of the soil, put compacted base in, slope the walk away from the home. Make sure you use a backer rod before caulking the joint between the house and walkway. - The water entering through the old joint could be the reason for the walk settling.

2) The trip hazard from the drain spout extension can the eliminated. For this, you should transition from the tin downspout to rigid pvc pipe a foot or so above the side walk. Do not use the cheap corrugated pipe!!!. Install the horizontal as hallow as possible under a new section of walkway to give the most drop possible. - This prevents the easy flow of debris (roofing granules, dirt, leaves and balls from the roof.

In our climate (MSP-MN), burried pipes can be a problem if they are not kept clean and free flowing when there is water.

I had a short term problem this spring when a dead squirrel stopped the flow last fall/winter and was flushed out of my horizontal pvc extension discharge from the over-sized gutters with no gutter guards. After 30 years of problems with gutter systems they went to a free flowing concept that has been "bullet-proof" for 5 years for 12 buildings where each has a different orientation. - The discharge of my buried line had been covered and buried, so the back-up occurred.

Dick

 

[mplsbrewer]

Hmmm... so I have some things to think about. The drainage pipe running under the concrete is a good idea if I'm replacing that anyways but I'm not sure where it would empty. I'll check the lawn today but it doesn't seem to slope much at all in the front yard. And if I'm replacing that corner spot I should probably do the whole strip of sidewalk but that really isn't in the budget right now.....

Thanks for all the input though guys.

 

[stadry]

but not diy - neither's mudjacking

see there've been some changes - dick's now ' mudmixer ' ??????????

 

[oldognewtrick]

but not diy - neither's mudjacking

see there've been some changes - dick's now ' mudmixer ' ??????????

He's always been mudmixer.