concrete against brick

baldydan

Can a concrete patio be poured above existing foundation against the wall brick?

joecaption

Not enough info, no pictures of what you have now, hard to say.

baldydan

The existing patio is 8 ft from house and I want to marry it up but the level line is above house foundation so I need to go against brick for drainage pitch..Will this be a problem in the future?

concretemasonry

baldydan -

Where are you located and what is the climate?

In a cold/cool climate the patio can move and there should be some sort of a "soft joint" between the concrete and more permanent house.

If there is a possibility of water (rising or blown) getting to the brick, you could create an interior water/moisture/mold problem because of the bad elevation comparison. Your patio may be too high for site and drainage.

Dick

TRUEPRO

You will be fine pouring concrete up to the brick. Some contractors will put expansion joint material against the brick because the concrete will crack away from the brick. The expansion joint material "EJM" will eventually deteriorate and leave you a bigger gap then what the concrete settling away from the brick will. Pour the crete right up against the brick. If you concerned about moisture, wait until you see the separation of the crete from the brick (which might take some time) and fill the void with elastomeric caulk. This will keep the water out and allow for any more expansion.

Good luck.

jomama45

Absolutely terrible advise, regardless of where you live, you need an expansion joint between the two.

Should you have concern pouring concrete above the foundation line? Yes, the wood skirt, mud sill and floor joists are far more likely to rot out much faster. That being said, there's not always a feasible option.

TRUEPRO

Obviously you base your advice on opinion and not fact or experience. I have done it both ways for years and using expansion joint material is a waste. Looks like you use google to answer these questions. I feel sorry for DIYers that listen to you.

jomama45

I could take the simple adolescent approach and personally attack you, but to be honest, I am indeed a "True Pro", and won't stoop to your level.

You'll be hard pressed to find an advantage to not installing expansion material, other than laziness & a few cents per foot, or a true professional in the field that wouldn't suggest it's use.

stuart45

A method we often use when a path or patio is less than 6 inches below the Damp proof course is to lay a line of thin kerb stones about 6 inches away from the wall and take the concrete up to them.
The other side next to the wall has gravel at a lower level than the DPC.

concretemasonry

I have never seen "EJM" (a lumped together group of various materials with different properties) in a professional specification for a project, but the specific acceptable acceptable materials are specified and the installation methods are called out for good reason.

Caulk or unknown elastomerics are just a goop and short term solutions that may work for a season or two until the effects or ineffectiveness of the plan and INTSALLATION is discovered TOO LATE. The wait for the crack, caulk and then the wait for the failure is a typical and costly approach in the end despite the cheap concept in the beginning.

You know there will be a crack, so plan on it and do a proper installation at the beginning. The same thing applies to the joint between the old patio and the new slab that was ignored.

Dick