sinking concrete porch

pisbouts · 07-30-2012, 07:24 PM

My front porch is the width of my house (appx 20'), 5' deep and 2' high. It has 2 brick pillars for a small roof attached to the house. The front-right corner has been sinking due to the weight of the porch, slope of my property and moist soil being close to a lake. The house is over 100 years old so although there is some settling of the house, it does not appear to be due to the porch. Hairline cracks between the porch and the house are all along, but does not seem too deep yet. The only real problem appears to be the right side, where the sinking is occuring. The cracks are deeper between the porch and the house on this side, and from that point to the right brick column is an obvious slope. Likewise, the front left to right clearly slopes. Eventually, I want to tear this all out, but do not have the financial means to do so. I was wondering if it'd be best to fracture the connection between the house and the porch on the right side, so that further sinking will not pull the house along with it, or if further sinking would naturally separate it. The roof has a much more obvious gap from the house, enough on the right hand side to put your hand through the gap. Is there something immediate I should address here besides paying thousands to have the whole thing torn up?

joecaption · 07-30-2012, 08:24 PM

A 2' tall porch?
Post some pictures.

pisbouts · 07-30-2012, 10:00 PM

Sorry I meant slab was 2'. Here are pics

Mort · 07-31-2012, 10:27 AM

So you're tearing out everything on the front of the house, including the brickwork and overhang? If that's all, just rent a jackhammer and a big sledgehammer and go to town. It shouldn't need to cost thousands to rip it out. And besides, demolition is fun.

After that's all done, just get $100 or so worth of PT boards and build something temporary until you can put up something that looks better. Its either that, or watch it fall down on someone.

Sherri Kincaid · 10-04-2012, 08:31 PM

I 2 have the same problem. But I do not want to tear it all of , is there any way it can be fix.. My porch has 3 brick pillars. Our right corner ( if looking at the house from the front). Is sinking. What I see is at the top of the pillar it has moved about 2" out. This is setting on a part of the concrete porch were there is a cut thur it the slab of concrete is about 2' wide and 6'to 7' deep.. So that makes the pillar sitting on the front corner of the 2' wide part..forgot to tell you. The porch has brick walls about 2' or so high that makes the walls around the porch.. With that side that means the pillar is sitting on top of that wall.. So the brick has cracked at the mortar and pulling away with the pillar.. So if you can Help.. Thank you so much..

Canarywood1 · 10-05-2012, 11:51 AM

It looks like you have a serious problem on your hands,i would have a structual engineer look at it,and give you your options for a fix.

07-30-2012, 07:24 PM	#1
pisbouts Newbie Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 18	sinking concrete porch My front porch is the width of my house (appx 20'), 5' deep and 2' high. It has 2 brick pillars for a small roof attached to the house. The front-right corner has been sinking due to the weight of the porch, slope of my property and moist soil being close to a lake. The house is over 100 years old so although there is some settling of the house, it does not appear to be due to the porch. Hairline cracks between the porch and the house are all along, but does not seem too deep yet. The only real problem appears to be the right side, where the sinking is occuring. The cracks are deeper between the porch and the house on this side, and from that point to the right brick column is an obvious slope. Likewise, the front left to right clearly slopes. Eventually, I want to tear this all out, but do not have the financial means to do so. I was wondering if it'd be best to fracture the connection between the house and the porch on the right side, so that further sinking will not pull the house along with it, or if further sinking would naturally separate it. The roof has a much more obvious gap from the house, enough on the right hand side to put your hand through the gap. Is there something immediate I should address here besides paying thousands to have the whole thing torn up?

07-30-2012, 08:24 PM	#2
joecaption Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Hartfield VA Posts: 18,799	sinking concrete porch A 2' tall porch? Post some pictures.

07-30-2012, 10:00 PM	#3
pisbouts Newbie Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 18	sinking concrete porch Sorry I meant slab was 2'. Here are pics Attached Thumbnails

07-31-2012, 10:27 AM	#4
Mort World's Tallest Midget Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Twisp, WA Posts: 483	sinking concrete porch So you're tearing out everything on the front of the house, including the brickwork and overhang? If that's all, just rent a jackhammer and a big sledgehammer and go to town. It shouldn't need to cost thousands to rip it out. And besides, demolition is fun. After that's all done, just get $100 or so worth of PT boards and build something temporary until you can put up something that looks better. Its either that, or watch it fall down on someone.

10-04-2012, 08:31 PM	#5
Sherri Kincaid Newbie Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 2	sinking concrete porch I 2 have the same problem. But I do not want to tear it all of , is there any way it can be fix.. My porch has 3 brick pillars. Our right corner ( if looking at the house from the front). Is sinking. What I see is at the top of the pillar it has moved about 2" out. This is setting on a part of the concrete porch were there is a cut thur it the slab of concrete is about 2' wide and 6'to 7' deep.. So that makes the pillar sitting on the front corner of the 2' wide part..forgot to tell you. The porch has brick walls about 2' or so high that makes the walls around the porch.. With that side that means the pillar is sitting on top of that wall.. So the brick has cracked at the mortar and pulling away with the pillar.. So if you can Help.. Thank you so much..

sinking concrete porch