How Do I Fix This Stoop?

ruskent

This is a 9x12 stoop in the front of one of my clients homes.

The top of the stoop is LEVEL! Water does not flow off of it. He has always had some trouble with it. He had a guy do some repointing a few years back but that clearly could not fix the proablem. The large stones even feel hollow when stomp on them. Recently the brick on the front blew out.

Clearly the stone needs to be ripped out. I figure I can jackhammer/grind it down enough to get around 1.5" pitch. Remove/replace the front brick. Then install pattern bluestone on top.

Am I missing anything here? Am i opening a can of worms?

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6stringmason

time and material

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DQM

( Clearly the stone needs to be ripped out. I figure I can jackhammer/grind it down enough to get around 1.5" pitch. Remove/replace the front brick. Then install pattern bluestone on top.)
That would be the correct thing to do take it apart and rebuild it . No more problems

genecarp

Whats wrong with it

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wurkn w amish

reason it might sound hollow, the mason or other contractor might not have mortared underneath correctly.... has empty spaces.
or
is there a basement underneath, like a cellar?

CJKarl

It's a big can of worms. If you try to repair it you're just going to find more problems as you take it apart. I would tear it out and rebuild it smaller, maybe to the corner of the house.

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ruskent

CJ is there a chance that there are structual issues below grade?

I am under the impression that this is what caused the proablem: Water sits and does not drain. Water worked its way through the mortar joints into the stoop. Water made its way to front of the stoop. Water froze and the expansion split the bricks.

Is this right?

Client doesn't want to spend a fortune for a entirely new stoop. I need work. So I just want to make sure my bandaid doesn't come back to hunt me 6 months later.

sparehair

I'm not a mason. It looks like you've got maybe six inches of height from the door. You could just build up you flagstone on top of it while adding pitch. I understand the substrate may be sub par but if you're not taking out the whole thing your still stuck with a crappy foundation either way.

DQM

tear it out and rebuild it or make it very clear to customer that repairing it may only last for few years. repair it and i see problems in a year or two and unhappy customer= bad refferance. carefull and good luck (get it all in writing )

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tkle

Looks like a crappy job to start with. You could probably get away with tearing the stone off and replacing it. As sparehair suggested build it up by the door to get your drainage. Warn your customer that the concrete and/or brick may need to be replaced at additional expense. Give them a price for both scenarios.

ruskent

I was going to try to grind/chisel/scrape the concrete down by the driveway. Its currently a 12" step off the driveway.

Tscarborough

This is what I would suggest to the client as the only way I would do it:

First, the flag has to go.

Second, the brick has to go, since it is half gone anyway.

I would demo all that salvaging the coping and maybe some flag, re-brick the base, place a 3" a slab flush with the top of the brick, then rock over that at the proper slope, reusing the coping. And then seal the hell out of it with a product like Siloxane PD from ProSoCo.

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