Don Finds Patio Cracks

Don took a look at the patio at the back of the house. Well first we had the crew cart off half a dumpster of trash and then he inspected it.

He found quite a few cracks.

He has three basic choices to make repairs.

Go Cheap: Sealing the Cracks

This is something you might do if they were small. And something you should do to prevent them from getting any worse. Most will go with an epoxy injection method that uses a syringe-type device to shoot epoxy into the crack. Bob Villa has a good page explaining how to do this along with several other sealing methods.

Go Moderate: Cap the Patio

One of the problems here is that the current patio does not have a positive slope away from the house. Instead, it is sloping toward the house. Which is never good as it directs any water on the patio toward the house instead of away from it. So one option to repair the cracks is to pour a 2-inch concrete cap over the existing patio. The estimated cost is $600 to $1000*

Go Expensive: Replace the Patio

By far the best way to go would be to start over. Jack out what’s there, haul it away, and pour a whole new patio.

What the Expert Said

We consulted with a structural engineer, something we always do when there are foundation issues. We want to know what the experts say needs to be done to fix problems. This house had problems. His recommendation was the 2″ concrete cap with a positive slope.

Watch Don’s Assessment.