Does this concrete perimeter raise any concern? Help please!

Adeez · Jun 13, 2023 8:10 pm

Just in need of some urgent advice as this will be completed imminently.

I've located a concreter that I believe has decent know-how considering the cowboys I've come across giving me quotes.

The site has been prepared for a 50mm fall over 1m. The only concern I have that at this stage it will be going right up to the neighbours fence as seen in below pictures
Originally when I questioned this I was explained that the concrete would paved away and sloped away down to the back of the house, as well as towards the various drains.
My other concern is there could also be slightly irregularity with neighbours fence
Further without an adequate gap between concrere and fence, how can the fence be changed or removed easily?
Without any gap there would need to be some serious adequate drainage flowing and being directed down the fence to the back of the house?

Could anyone please help as I have less than 12 hours to sort this if there are any major sticking concerns here..

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chippy · Jun 14, 2023 12:47 am

By the look of the picture the concrete height will be well above the bottom rail of the fence. That's not good.
You don't want to pour concrete up to a fence and definitely not when you will basically encapsulate the bottom rail. That fence will never come out and will rust quickly because the drain holes in the bottom of it will be full of concrete.
I'm in Perth and we build on sand so the concreters just leave a 100mm gap between the fence and concrete and the water just drains away.
In the east where you are on clay you'll need drains down the side otherwise the water will just pool and cause possible issues with the regards slab heave.

Adeez · Jun 14, 2023 2:16 am

Oh no, just as I thought ;(

What do I do, pause the work tomorrow?

Can’t I ask them to leave a gap there for a spoon drain?

Can’t believe this has happened when I thought I did my due diligence in finding someone reputable…

Mike1000 · Sep 20, 2023 11:41 am

So, what ended up happening? How did you resolve the issue? Just curious.

Adeez · Sep 20, 2023 11:50 am

Mike1000

So, what ended up happening? How did you resolve the issue? Just curious.

Not the greatest outcome. Spoke with the concreter the day of everything arriving. Gave me assurances. Stated there would be a gap between the fences and concrete. Again I put trust into someone and get half screwed. No one in this industry has lived up to their promises.

After the job, one side has a gap, the other side the concrete is up to the fence! Don't know how they stuffed that up.

The only thing that gave me some peace of mind is that the job isn't THAT bad. Has good fall away from the house as I requested and overall is functional per say. House is also on somewhat of a slope so water falls into drains and away/down from house.

Mike1000 · Sep 20, 2023 12:56 pm

I think if you came away from the whole concreting experience with just one minor issue, and everything else is with expectation and to your satisfaction, you can perhaps consider yourself lucky. But, and to be honest, I can't understand why the concreter didn't just put a piece of expansion joint filler foam. I'm no expert with these things but, surely that would have done the trick?

Adeez · Sep 20, 2023 1:00 pm

Who knows really. The bloke was 'old school'. So it was more a case of him being used to what had worked for 30 years.

ponzutwo · Sep 20, 2023 3:08 pm

i had the my concreters concrete right up to the fence. I have pits all along my path, so the water tends to drain away from the house and into the pits. There's only one spot where it sits against the fence and its so minor, that the water really doesn't stick around that long after it stops raining.

I had the gap at my old place and without strip drains to collect the water, the earth swelled causing movement in the path. Don't have that issue with the current set up.

As to having access to re-fence? that's a problem for a future me or someone else. May never be a problem either.