Repairing Damaged Front Porches
Most homes built in the last 100 years have concrete front porches, or front stoops. Your front porch is one of the first things visitors may notice. Your front porch should make a statement for your home. Unfortunately, if your concrete porch is failing, your front porch is probably not making the statement that you want visitors to hear. If this sounds like your front porch, it’s time to consider repairing or replacing your front porch. Here are some thoughts on repairing your Macomb County front porch from Flat Rock Concrete.
Damages that You May or May Not Notice
Sometimes the damages to your front porch are really obvious. Some of the more obvious and easy to see damages include:
- Cracks in the concrete
- The stoop pulling away from the house
- Sinking or settling stairs
- An unstable or wobbling structure
All of these are obvious signs that your front porch is damaged and is in need of repair. And they are all indications of damages to your home’s foundational features. They can be dangerous, and like an iceberg can be just the tip of the problems with your foundation. A damaged front porch can also decrease the value of your home because this settling is a good sign of issues with the foundation.
What Causes Damage to Front Porches?
Most of the damage that you will notice on your front porch directly relates to how the soil around your home settles, and in turn, causes your foundation to settle. Some settling of your home over time is normal. However, it isn’t normal when your porch starts to separate from the house or you notice large cracks inside of your home. Settling issues stem from a number of factors, and the two most common are poor compaction around the foundation during construction, and the type of soil that is around the foundation. Other factors that contribute to settling include water around the foundation and sinkholes in the area.
Repairing Damaged Front Porches
When you have Flat Rock Construction repair your failing front porch we have a couple of options for repair strategies. Sometimes, we can repair your front porch by simply adding material underneath the porch, and reattaching the existing structure to the foundation wall. This is practical only in some instances, and may be a short term repair only. The other option for repairing your failing front porch is to remove the old structure and start again. When we replace your damaged front porch, we start by removing the old concrete, being as careful as possible to protect your foundation. Once we remove the old structure, we will evaluate the soil under the structure and determine if new soil should be brought in to make a more stable base. We then thoroughly compact the soil so that your porch won’t sink or shift like the old one. Then we start the process of forming and pouring your new concrete front porch. This is a great time to consider upgrades to your porch like stamped, textured or stained concrete. Features like these will create a whole new statement for you home. Once this multi-step process is complete, the resulting product is a stable front porch that should last for many years.
Flat Rock Construction wants all of our customers to have safe and attractive homes. We are pleased to be able to provide front porch repairs for our Oakland and Macomb County customers. If your front porch needs repair or replacement, call us today to schedule an estimate.