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I would like to pour a concrete patio under my deck. The concrete company said they would just pour the concrete around the posts with a expansion joint around the posts. I thought that would cause water build up around the posts since the concrete would be on top of the existing footing and not allowing the water to escape. Also, the existing footings are uneven, with greatest difference being close to 4", so I can't just pour the concrete to the top of the footings. See the attached picture. Any suggestions?

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  • Seeing as you really dont want to pour a flat patio because that will risk water backing up at the house sill, the 'use pavers" suggestion in the answer makes a lot more sense.
    – Carl Witthoft
    Commented Jun 8, 2020 at 18:33

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Support either side of each post, cut it off, insert a steel stub base or pour a new concrete base to a height slightly above the planned slab, pour the new slab.

Or, just make sure the "expansion joint" around each post is actually around each footing, boxing out the whole area, and fill with pea stone or marble chips after pouring the slab.

Or skip pouring a slab and just put in a base for pavers and build the patio from pavers.

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    +1 for pavers. If you are in an area that freezes, a solid concrete patio under a deck like that will let water stand and freeze on it, then the deck will keep it shaded and the ice will remain there for a longer time, potentially causing damage and safety issues. Pavers let water drain to the soil.
    – JRaef
    Commented Jun 8, 2020 at 16:53
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    2 & 3 make a lot of sense. I'd be extremely wary of # 1 - anything not 100% perfect could put the safety of the deck at risk.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Jun 8, 2020 at 16:53

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