advice on porch repair

I have a porch that seemed fine when I bought the house two+ years ago, but...

We have had heavy and frequent rains this summer and the minor leak in my basement has turned into multiple nuisance and worrisome leaks, creating issues in my basement.

I am not ready to replace the concrete porch at this time and am looking for advice how to prevent leaking.

Please view pictures of the porch at

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Problems I am concerned about:

1) The concrete ceiling under the left porch corner is crumbling and falling to the floor. The ceiling area is about 12x18 inches. 2) Three inches or so of water is collected in 5 gallon bucket placed next to the door frame under the right porch corner during a heavy rain. The water seems to flow down the heavy wooden beam. 3) For the first time in three summers, water is also leaking in at the right front area of the porch floor.

Thank you for reading! Any and all ideas will be appreciated.

Reply to
rwristrocket
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote on 22 Aug 2007 in group alt.home.repair:

Disclaimer: I'm a handyman, so I do everything, but I'm not an expert at anything.

I think I'd start with free estimates from several foundation companies to rule out serious problems that may be the root cause of your symptoms. This recommendation is based on the cracks in the brickwork.

I notice there's no expansion joint between the concrete and the wall. That makes me worry. Also, the general quality of the concrete work seems poor. Does it slope properly to shed water away from the house? It should slope at least 1/4" per foot. It looks to me, from your photos, like the soil under the porch has subsided, causing it to sink unevenly.

I know you said you don't want to replace the porch, but that may be your quickest, cheapest, and best solution. You can do the heavy demolition work yourself, and leave the concrete work to a pro. The rent on a small jackhammer for a day is low, as is the rent on a plate compactor.

Reply to
Steve

Most water that appears under your house comes from your roof. Make sure your gutters and downspouts are working properly and that the water is piped away from your foundation. If you have existing pipes don't trust that they were correctly installed. Make sure they are removing the water properly.

Reply to
Pat

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