[McLaren]

Hi everyone,

I'm starting my first post with a question regarding my concrete patio demolition. The main reason I'm doing this in the first place is the patio slopes toward the house, and in heavy rain (and I live in a temperate rain forest), I am getting some water in my crawl space in that corner, so I want to reslope, redirect the downspouts away from the house, and eventually put pavers down instead of concrete.

The patio sliding door actually sits on the same patio, then just inside that part of the house is on slab,which is maybe 1/4 " higher than the patio (the crawl space begins just to the right of the door).

If I rent a concrete saw, how would I cut it flush with the door, or should I leave a bit of a "threshold" anyway. I just thought it might look funny going from the concrete to pavers.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[McLaren]

 

[Bondo]

If I rent a concrete saw, how would I cut it flush with the door, or should I leave a bit of a "threshold" anyway. I just thought it might look funny going from the concrete to pavers.

Ayuh,.... yer pictures ain't workin', but I'd go with a threshold, say 4" or 6" or 8", whatever works....

With the right saw, ya oughta get a decent finish for the transition....

Will the pavers be flush, nearly so, or step-down,..??

 

[McLaren]

Thanks Bondo, yeah, for some reason I had no option of posting attachments, so tried to link to Picasa, and that failed. I seem to have an attachment icon now, so hopefully it works.

I had planned on the pavers being flush with the existing concrete, and I guess I could find a concrete stain that is similar in color to the pavers we choose. Of course, I'll have to patch those cracks too.

Not having to cut flush with the slider certainly would make things easier.

BTW, the first foot or so slopes away from the house, but then slopes up.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... In yer 1st picture, lower right corner of the door frame, it appears the slab is under the moldin', 'n not under the actual door...

Ya might wanta take it All out...

 

[joecaption]

That slab pored even with the threshold is not only a code violation but a 100% sure way to get water to come in under that door and take out the flooring inside.
It was suppost to be at least 4" below.

 

[stadry]

don't know what you call a 'concrete saw' but i'd use a demo saw & dri-cut conc blade but 1st tape up the door to prevent dust from seeping into the house,,, unlikely your patio's connected to the bldg bsmt wall so, after excavating the conc, get the rest of the patio conc hiding under the door,,, they do make flush cut arbors for conc saws but you can't use OR find 1 :no: its a pro-only item

 

[leenamark1]

A gas powered wet concrete saw is a better option to cut your concrete slab. Your patio is probably not more than 4" thick. The saw will cut all the way through. Also a sledge hammer may help you!

 

[joecaption]

How do you plan on hauling all this away and do you have someplace to haul it to?
Someone with a bob cat and a dump truck could have that out, regraded and hauled away in a couple hours.

 

[hand drive]

a target saw with either a garden hose hook up or have a friend hold the hose while you cut. that is some dusty mess and will cover your entire house with dust and the neighbors... it does not take much water to keep the dust down

 

[McLaren]

Ayuh,.... In yer 1st picture, lower right corner of the door frame, it appears the slab is under the moldin', 'n not under the actual door...

Ya might wanta take it All out...

The door is definitely sitting on the patio slab. We had new windows and sliding doors installed when we bought the house in 2005, so I saw what was underneath...but that's another story.:wink:

 

[McLaren]

That slab pored even with the threshold is not only a code violation but a 100% sure way to get water to come in under that door and take out the flooring inside.
It was suppost to be at least 4" below.

Maybe the codes were different back in 1978 when this house was built, and I know codes do vary from region to region (I'm up in BC, Canada BTW), but it only makes sense that the door should be higher. If this is present day code I now have the perfect opportunity to make it right.

We've never had any hint of water inside the patio door, (it is an issue at the side door however), but we're helped by the cover of the balcony above, and the drain by the door. I just don't understand why when the house was built they didn't build it up so the ground, and more specifically, the patio, slopes away from the house - and I've seen this problem at a lot of other homes as well. The front of our house has a good slope though, but as I mentioned, I am planning on redirecting the downspouts away from the house; why overburden the drain tile system, and I think that might be code here now too.

 

[McLaren]

don't know what you call a 'concrete saw' but i'd use a demo saw & dri-cut conc blade but 1st tape up the door to prevent dust from seeping into the house,,, unlikely your patio's connected to the bldg bsmt wall so, after excavating the conc, get the rest of the patio conc hiding under the door,,, they do make flush cut arbors for conc saws but you can't use OR find 1 :no: its a pro-only item

http://www.johnstonrentalcenter.com/CreteSaw65hp.html :laughing:
I'm thinking maybe leaving a threshold a few inches in front of, and to the sides of the door, then having the pavers at least 4" below that should be good, so it meets code like joecaption mentioned (I should - and should have- contact the city to see if I need a permit).

 

[McLaren]

A gas powered wet concrete saw is a better option to cut your concrete slab. Your patio is probably not more than 4" thick. The saw will cut all the way through. Also a sledge hammer may help you!

That was the plan, and I did break some of it with the sledgehammer already. I dug a trench initially, lifted a bit of the slab up, wedged some rock under it to create a void, then just started digging under as I went along.
I had a DOH! moment when I realized I have to ? at least cut a relief around to door so the cracking doesn't end up under the door, and maybe into the family room slab.:icon_redface:

 

[McLaren]

How do you plan on hauling all this away and do you have someplace to haul it to?
Someone with a bob cat and a dump truck could have that out, regraded and hauled away in a couple hours.

Well, I was thinking of sneaking into the neighbors' backyard, then throwing it over the fence 2 doors down so my neighbor gets blamed...I kid, I kid.:whistling2:

It's tempting to have someone else do it, although there's no way to get a Bobcat back there short of using a crane to lift it over the fence, but maybe I could at least get a pro to cut it, and I can do the grunt work to save money.

I've hired a company before that drops off a trailer, then hauls it away when you're done. Of course, considering the weight, it's going to be pricier than previous times. I also thought that since I plan on running the downspouts away from the house, I could have buried perforated pipe running to a dry pit and use at least some of the broken concrete for the pit?

 

[jomama45]

http://www.johnstonrentalcenter.com/CreteSaw65hp.html :laughing:
I'm thinking maybe leaving a threshold a few inches in front of, and to the sides of the door, then having the pavers at least 4" below that should be good, so it meets code like joecaption mentioned (I should - and should have- contact the city to see if I need a permit).

That might be a "tad" big for your project..........:laughing:

Most hand held saws (like a 14" gas saw) should have the ability to flip the guard around to get even closer, within an inch or so. I personally wouldn't create a step there unless you need to because the yard drops off quick or something. The wood framing is plenty high above the patio...........

 

[McLaren]

That might be a "tad" big for your project..........:laughing:

Most hand held saws (like a 14" gas saw) should have the ability to flip the guard around to get even closer, within an inch or so. I personally wouldn't create a step there unless you need to because the yard drops off quick or something. The wood framing is plenty high above the patio...........

Thanks jomama. I was always suspicious that there was a problem with the perimeter drain tile (it's that corner of the crawl space that gets the bulk of water intrusion, and sure enough, when I ran a hose into where the downspout on the other side of the patio enters the system, after a couple of minutes it started to back up. Isn't that pipe supposed to have a "sock" around it to prevent silt from entering?

I think maybe I should have just left the patio alone and just cut out enough concrete to run the downspout and the drain away from the house, but too late now.:laughing:

 

[stadry]

no reason to use a sock'd unless the pipe's perforated,,, we line the excavated trench w/soil filter cloth instead,,, most select a sock'd pipe 'cause they see it at the apron / vest stores,,, most pro's don't use it as it allows silt much closer to the pipe

 

[jomama45]

If that pipe services that surface drain in the patio it should be solid pipe that leads to grade to dump out, ideally. Perferated pipe, like in your picture, is generally used to collect water and move it, and should have plenty of free-draining stone surrounding it........

 

[McLaren]

no reason to use a sock'd unless the pipe's perforated,,, we line the excavated trench w/soil filter cloth instead,,, most select a sock'd pipe 'cause they see it at the apron / vest stores,,, most pro's don't use it as it allows silt much closer to the pipe

At first I thought "apron store, what's that," then ohh, I get it, big box store.:laughing:

I'm pretty sure that it's just sitting in the mud, but regardless, it's plugged. Hopefully, a drainage company can unplug it.