I recently bought a 1940s home and an inspector pointed out some minor cracks in the foundation. After consulting a structural engineer and getting steel beams put in, we're now looking to tackle the water drainage issues. We've cleaned the gutters and they seem fine, but the engineer mentioned needing to fix the slope in some areas, especially near an old concrete patio. There are some concrete pads that I thought weren't a big deal, but they go much deeper than I expected. One pad, located under the hose, might even be connected to something bigger. The house was sold as an estate, so I can't ask the previous owners about it. Can I just dump dirt on top to improve the grading and move forward?
3 Answers
I once found a big concrete slab under my deck, and it turned out to be the top of an old septic system! If your concrete is deeper than 6 inches, it could be something like that, especially if your house used to have a septic tank before connecting to city services.
Concrete can serve many purposes, and without seeing a picture of what you're dealing with, it's tough to give you specific advice. If you can provide a photo, that would really help!
How big are those concrete pads? They might have been there for an old AC unit or something similar. I had a 5x5 slab removed that was holding my old AC; it turned out to be just a storage spot.
Ugh, I get that! Just when you want to show something, and it's a text-only thread. Gotcha!