Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 11, 2019 1:52 pm Hi everyone - long time reader, first time poster here. Our house is approximately 1.5 years old (we moved in January 2018 ) and if it matters we built on Highly Reactive Soil. There are two things I've noticed recently that I wouldn't mind a bit of advice on. The first is that water appears to be pooling against a part of the house. In the first two pics you can see where the path is a little bit dirty and I suspect it is due to water pooling there after rain. I haven't actually been home when it has been raining so I will need to get out there when I can to confirm this theory. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If it is water pooling I am wondering what my options of rectifying are (that do not include ripping up the concrete and laying it again). It is only a small area (3-4 bricks length worth) but I am obviously thinking about the long term health of my house. The other query I have is around the other side of the house (3rd pic) where I have recently concluded that the path has sunk a little on the grassy side which is in turn causing the concrete to pull away from the house a little (4th pic). If you zoom in on the decking you can see marks where the concrete was initially l I'm not too sure when this started but if it helps the path was laid in July 2018. What I am concerned about here is water getting inbetween the crack up against the house when it rains. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The 5th pic is just a broader view of the house. The gap up between house and path is about 5mm and runs approximately 1-2 metres down the path before it disappears. Is this something I should be concerned about? And if it is, what are my options? I am thinking that perhaps a retaining wall of sorts between the path and the grass could work but if the path is sinking then would the retaining wall do the same? A more drastic option could be to rip up the grass and concrete the entire area but that's probably a worst case scenario move. Appreciate any insight. Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 2May 11, 2019 2:45 pm Last picture where obviously concrete is angled away from your house looks good,but you must gaulk up the concrete against your brick work so no water gets through, concrete is intentionally angled on a slight slope away from slab, movement does change some concrete ,but the idea is to Keep moisture levels of the soil surrounding your slab consistent,if you want a more expert opinion ,pm either building expert,alex79,saveH20, insider etc. Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 3May 11, 2019 6:06 pm Agree with Joker, you would need to gaulk the gaps. Also, after gaulking, you might consider waterproofing certain sections by applying Radcon spray on top of the concrete near bricks and expansion gaps. https://www.radcrete.com.au/product/radcon-formula-7%C2%AE Do you know what waterproofing is like under your deck? It is uncovered, so should be of a bigger concern. Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 4May 11, 2019 6:55 pm Appreciate the quick responses! If I were to gaulk the gap what happens if the path continues to sink? I can't keep gaulking it forever right? Also, should I remove the expansion foam or leave it in? There's a silt pit under the decking and it's been excavated down a bit but otherwise it's just the natural land. It's probably not ideal but I was a little distracted when we organised our landscaping and didn't really know how to approach things (first build/house). If I could do it again I would have turned the decking so the stackstone feature is facing the house and had the concrete path extended all the way to the fence (making the decking a little shorter). I guess it's still an option one day. Are there any simple DIY waterproofing tricks I can employ myself that wouldn't require me to remove the entire deck? I can take out the planks beneath the seating area myself if necessary. Any thoughts on the top two photos with the water pooling against the house? Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 5May 11, 2019 7:28 pm Expansion foam needs to stay, you would have to caulk from the top. It seems that the main reason why your path sinks is because of the water getting under your path because of the gaps (so clay swells first lifting the path and then dries out leaving space under the path), so, theoretically, if you close the gaps, the path should not be sinking any further. As for the decking, remove plank or couple of planks next to the house wall, securely attach/caulk a layer or two of deck wide poly film between your house footing all the way down to the silt pit, and run a water test to see/prove that no water/moisture gets to the footing and all the excess water floods into the pit. Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 6May 13, 2019 11:01 am The expansion foam should have a strip on the on the top that tears away, leaving room for the caulking. That is assuming it was installed the right way up, our concretors put a small section of ours upside down . Pick at one end of it and you should be able to find where it is perforated about 10mm down. Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 7May 13, 2019 12:29 pm alexp79 It seems that the main reason why your path sinks is because of the water getting under your path because of the gaps (so clay swells first lifting the path and then dries out leaving space under the path), so, theoretically, if you close the gaps, the path should not be sinking any further. I see. When the path was laid it had been raining for a good week or so before so I guess following this logic is it possible that the clay was already swollen when the path was laid and then has dried out over summer causing the dip? I only ask because I have photos of when the concrete was first laid and there was definitely no gap at the time. alexp79 As for the decking, remove plank or couple of planks next to the house wall, securely attach/caulk a layer or two of deck wide poly film between your house footing all the way down to the silt pit, and run a water test to see/prove that no water/moisture gets to the footing and all the excess water floods into the pit. Will look into this, thanks. Would you consider it good enough to be a long term solution? Or am I still better off getting concrete down eventually? Also, if anyone has any thoughts on the potential water pooling in the first two pics I linked I would greatly appreciate that too! Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 8Jun 04, 2019 11:27 am I started this topic a few months ago about a section of the house where I was fairly certain water was pooling when it rained. Now that it's been raining a fair bit I have conclusive proof (see photos). It is only a small section. About 2 meters wide and the water is only 1-2cm deep and as you can see there is a small drain next to the HWS that it should be moving towards. Does anyone have any DIY tips for getting the water to move towards the drain that don't involve redoing the concrete? Best I can think of is some sort of bridge up against the brickwork that covers the whole section and moves the water towards the drain. Perhaps with polyfilm similar to what Alexp79 suggested for the other side of the house under the decking. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Water pooling against house and pathway issues 9Jun 05, 2019 4:57 pm have you considered roofing over? Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Need more photos from around the house including your gutters. We have had 3 of the wettest years in a row for some time so that wouldn't be helping 3 6940 This certainly doesn't look good. I would be engaging with an independent inspector to have a look at this. As for the unscheduled site visits, most builders are quite… 1 28290 6 4324 |