My front steps are SINKING!!!!!!!

RIPcrockhunterWTFmate · 05-14-2008, 02:00 PM

Alright...just bought the house. 10 years old. What can I do about this? I definitely have to seal it somehow because the wood behind there is rotting.

Thanks for your time,
Dave

MacRoadie · 05-14-2008, 03:48 PM

That's going to take a bit of work. At the very least, a combination of J-mold to terminate the siding, lapped over L-metal to seal off the gap between the wall and the top of the porch landing. All of which should probably be integrated into the existing door flashing and pan flashing (if installed). Also, you have the horizontal to vertical transition on each side of the stoop where the siding appears to simply abut the concrete as well.

I'm surprised that the OSB looks pretty good, but I guarentee you it won't stay that way for long.

I honestly don't think this is a DIY project. All in all this is a rather complex condition to properly flash, and you would be better served contacting a tin bender to do the work for you. The best scenario is a field-fabricted conbination flashing. A unitized, properly bent and soldered flashing assembly is the answer here, I think.

RIPcrockhunterWTFmate · 05-14-2008, 04:27 PM

Thanks for the reply. I can't believe this happened to begin with. They should have been bolted to the house or something huh?. I definitely prefer a professional to fix this. The OSB in the house is rotting on the bottom and has termite damage, which I just treated for. Ideally I would like to take the steps out, fix whatever needs fixing, pour some concrete, and place them back. It's one of those things that will always bother me walking through the front door. Oh well.

MacRoadie · 05-14-2008, 06:22 PM

Well, the stoop and landing probably should have been poured on a continuous footing, tied into the house footing. The weight of the concrete stoop is probably causing it to rotate (pull away) from the framed wall. If it continues to move, then a more aggressive repair might be needed.

Lansing · 05-15-2008, 02:36 AM

Sorry but this can't be fixed long haul with the step there...First to stop this rot you have to remove it all...To do that means you should remove the step...And yes its still moving...I have used backhoe and boomtruck combo to get a step out that has gone bad...

The landing is to small and the risers should be 7" high...You need to repair the main house damage and door sill if that needs to be repaired...

I have designed and poured many formed in place steps but if this was me today, I would first look for a precast concrete step that would fit there...They have ways of mounting them so they never move and should have better railings than you have on this one...Less mess and no waiting to use the door...I would look at one that's wider than what you have there as well as a better size landing...I hope this helps you...