How to repair my concrete slab porch.

Question

I bought this house a few years ago, built in 1926. Not long ago, what was a slight crack in the porch became much bigger when the concrete gave way. Now I have a serious safety situation and haven't let people on the porch since. This slab sits on block foundation in the front of the house. I have had a couple of 'contractors' give me some ideas on how to remedy the situation:

• Cut around the perimeter, knock the existing concrete into the center, fill with gravel and pour a new top.
• Fill will gravel and patch existing damage.
• Jack up some beams from underneath to brace the existing slab and then patch.
• Cut the perimeter, bust out the existing concrete, Dig some footers and put a decking material on top.

I am really not sure of the pros/cons of any of these, but I am looking for a cost effective solution. I need to sell this house soon (family is expanding) and definitely don't want to be turning buyers away before they even step in the door.

Answer 1

Patching rarely works out, structurally or aesthetically. If you want the cost effective remedy then go with smashing it up and installing properly supported decking material. This will likely involve installation of footings for support joists.

A close look at the pictures reveals an underlying problem related to movement of the porch foundation, that is at least one of the root causes of the significant cracking visible in both the slab and the foundation. The proper fix would be to remedy the underlying problem. You wish the job to be "cost effective"; with the long term view, repair of the foundation would be the most cost effective because the problem would be solved and future repair costs would be minimized. It would, however, likely be the most expensive of your options.