what to do with cracked concrete patio

I have 12 foot x 21 foot concrete patio that cracked down the middle after 30 days of install thanks to Veranda Homes LLC of Wilmington,NC. I tried to fill in the crack but it looks bad and the builder won't fix it. Any ideas how I can cover it up with pavers or would the best thing be to tear it up and replace it?

Reply to
hands on
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Was it ripped asunder or just cracked? Concrete cracks...iron rusts...

Reply to
dadiOH

Describe the crack. T

Reply to
tbasc

Why? Well I know why, he doesn't want to pay for it. Were any expansion joints put in that slab? How thick is it? Did he adhere to local requirements (if any) for mesh, etc? Many places don't have a lot of req's concerning non-structural flat work, but it's a shot. I wouldn't give up yet on making him tear it out and redo it.

Reply to
Manster

No expansion joints. The crack is only 1/8 inch wide but it runs the entire width. I tried that concrete patch in a tube but it looks like crap.

Reply to
hands on

Yes, there are two types of concrete: the kind that cracks and the kind that hasn't cracked yet. Usually the standards for non structural flat work is pretty low anyway, so I think it is a stretch to get the builder to tear up and redo. If concrete guys had to go back and replace every slab that cracked, that's all they would be doing and the price of a pour would be astronomical. And why won't the second slab crack like the first one? Cracks can be prevented, but it takes a lot of money--it takes perfect prep work, rebar, strict control of water content of the concrete, etc. Cost pressures don't allow this on residential flat work. You see it in commercial slabs, but look around and you still see some cracking. So unless the plans included detail of reinforcement and prep of that patio slab, or unless you specifically requested and paid extra for such work, your builder could argue that the slab meets the standards of the trade and he would be right.

Also, expansion joints wouldn't be used in the slab. They are used where a slab is butting up to an existing structure, sidewalk, etc. You are talking about control joints, which basically control where the slab cracks. Usually, they occur every 12' (take a trip to your local borg and you will see what I mean). On a residential slab, they are typically sawed into the concrete within 24 hours of the pour. They often don't work in my experience--you wind up with cracked concrete AND saw joints in your slab. Did the blueprints specify control joints?

I'd suggest two options: tile it (use a crack isolation membrane) or live with it for six months and see if it still bothers you.

Reply to
marson

I have to agree. Live with it for another 6-12 months and see if another occurs. If the crack is straight enough, use it as a starting point for porcelain tile. That way the crack will remain between tiles. Lou

Reply to
Lou

The concrete patio was poured so it buts up against my elevated concrete slab foundation with nothing in between. The crack is not straight it's crooked. I would like to put tile down but it is an exterior exposed patio with no cover at the moment.

Reply to
hands on

Build a deck over it. That will give you so much grief in maintainance that when you finally get rid of it the concrte will look great.

Joe

Reply to
Joe

Whoops there it is. If you pulled a permit, get the building inspector out there. Now contact an attorney. 20 years of concrete work and one of the top ten rules is expansion joints. I don't know what kind of foundation you have, but pouring an exterior slab directly against it will eventually cause damage. It is now cheaper for the builder to replace the slab then the house. Lou

Reply to
Lou

You have a 21 ft span with no control joints and an 1/8" crack on a patio that is 30 days old. That is not normal and I wouldn't accept it and would get the building inspector out there. This should not happen with concrete work that is done properly. Is the crack running approximately perpendicular to the 21ft span? Concrete shrinks when it cures and if you have a span that long without a control joint, that could be the problem.

Reply to
trader4

I'm thinking the building inspector was the problem(lack of inspection) as with my other problems.

Reply to
hands on

I am always amazed at the number of people who want to holler about inspectors fixing everything.

Inspectors work with code. Code identifies construction minimums.

Code is most highly related to life safety issues. Boards must be a certain minimum size, nails must be a certain size and number. Foundation concrete needs to meet size and strength minimums. Handrails, stairs,and ramps need to meet size requirements. Exits must meet size and number requirements. Things must meet certain fire ratings. There is usually a footing inspection, framing inspection, and final leading to occupancy.

Plumbing, HVAC, and electrical inspections do the same thing at an even more stringent safety level.

There is no inspector/inspection alive that could care less about a crack in any of your slab concrete. They don't care if your brick work cracks. They don't even care if your foundation cracks. They don't care what brand water heater or furnace you use. They only care that things won't burn down, fall down, catch on fire, hurt someone else, electrocute someone, contaminate anyone else or harm city infrastructure.

There is no code requirement for slab reinforcement, jointing, expansion/contraction control, subsoil compaction, proper fill, type of finish, or anything else about flat work concrete. These are all issues that are cosmetic only. Code just doesn't care if the window or door is crooked, won't latch, siding is crooked, didn't get painted, has the worst texture job in the world.

This guy's cracked patio is due to lack of proper control joints. There is no need for an expansion joint at the foundation unless the concrete is trapped. Re-bar and re-mesh are not required and may actually do more harm than good. It is too bad there are not code driven compaction requirements. The slab will probably end up settling along the foundation due to loose fill and holding water.

Don't expect code or inspectors to adjudicate or address cosmetic issues. Ain't happening. This is an issue between owner and builder. The builder or his subcontractor did not follow industry guidelines and did not do all that he could have to prevent the cosmetic problem. If he is using subs that would pour a long rectangle without joints, I would worry more about all other subs at every level.

______________________________ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) snipped-for-privacy@7cox.net

Reply to
DanG

I have a question about the framing inspection because I have a front door that is out of square and a sliding patio door that is out of square. Do inspectors look to see if openings are square or do they check doors after they are installed?

Reply to
hands on

None of the above. It is not a code issue. A frame would have to be so far out of square, plumb, or true that is could fall down before it was remotely a code issue. There is no requirement to be square.

Building inspectors just DO NOT deal with cosmetic or functional issues. There is no code requiring that your dishwasher works.There is no code that says your door must latch. There is a code that your bedroom window must open as a fire escape. There is a code sizing and numbering means of egress. Code deals with life safety. Codes are usually the result of insurance industry losses that have to do with law suit items where there has been loss of life.

Reply to
DanG

Nonsense. There are all kinds of laws, rules, restrictions as to what a building must conform to that have nothing to do with safety. For example, in many areas, you can't build a house higher than a certain number of feet or stories. That has nothing to do with safety, as obviously there are other houses in other towns that are much higher and no one is having problems because of it Or codes that say homes must have a certain minimum amount of insulation. Is a house unsafe because it doesn't have enough attic insulation?

You have no way of knowing that there isn't a requirement for control joints in concrete in his area that says you can't have a 21 ft span without one. So, he should just sit down and shut up, and not check with the building dept in his town because you say so?

Codes are usually the result of insurance industry

Reply to
trader4

Have at, bigtime! Please report back the results.

Building heights are a zoning issue. Insulation thickness would be a local amendment, not a matter for national code.

Reply to
DanG

Who said the discussion centered on national code? You told him there is no code covering concrete patios in his town that might not have been followed and which the 1/8" crack at 30 days could be attributed to and it was a waste of time to call the building dept.

Reply to
trader4

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