Quality Handyman Services » Concrete flooring plus block

How To Prepare Soil For A Concrete Patio?

Jerry — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:34:51 +0000

I am planning to have a concrete patio poured at my new house. How can I be sure the contractor is properly preparing the “underlayment” before pouring the concrete? I know that a certain amount of dirt should be removed (about 8″), that 3/4″ gravel and fine gravel should add back about 4″ when compacted, and that there should be a pre-soil treatment as well as a vapor barrier installed before the rebar goes down, but what else should I be sure gets done before the 4″ thick concrete gets poured?
Also, what PSI rating should the concrete be for this type of application?
I am in the Southern California area, in case weather is a concern.

What Causes Concrete And Fence Block To Deteriorate At Certain Times Of The Year And Is There A Fix?

Jerry — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 14:45:01 +0000

Seems to be in the winter or after a lot of rain. Happens to concrete patio too. A white residue forms and then the concrete or blocks start to slowly fall apart.

Removing Concrete Slab To Build Wood Deck But Worried About Water Entering Basement?

Jerry — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:48:56 +0000

So I have a concrete slab attached to the back of my house that is in extremely bad shape (cracked, lifted). I want to add deck off the back of my house but to do so I have to remove the concrete first. What are my options after removing the concrete to keep water out of my basement since the concrete is currently keeping the water from soaking into the ground and getting in the basement. Also, what is the best process at removing the concrete and also disposing of it.

Can I Raise A Concrete Block On My Walkway Without Breaking It?

Jerry — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:01:33 +0000

A piece of my front walkway has sunk 3 1/2 inches on the side closest to the house. So we step very far down when we step off of the stoop onto this walkway. This concrete front walkway is made out of separate squares of concrete. The squares are about 3 x 4 feet and 3 plus inches deep. I know nothing about concrete, but I was thinking of digging out underneath this sunken block and jacking it up with my car jack and then loading dirt underneath. Will the concrete break when it is jacked up? Do you have any advice as to how to fix my problem? One person said to add a small concrete step on the end of the sunken slab so we don’t have so far to step down. Is that a better idea?