Your Home Improvements

Robert,

I live in Canyon Country and I have a low spot on the front porch/patio area, which is pretty large.

It is constantly filled with water due to sprinklers, and more so when it rains.

I had a concrete guy come out and he tells me that if he puts in an overlay with a design, it will force the water away and won’t puddle any longer.

I don’t know anything about an overlay system. Will this, what he is telling me, work?

-Juanita G.

Juanita,

It will keep the water away but please know that an overlay system does not do well with daily water on it, it will fail prematurely with daily moisture.

It is not designed for any water application; it is simply a decorative surface. With daily water, it will fail quickly.

What they’ll need to do for a proper fix in this area, is one of two options.

One option is to tear out the entire concrete area and re-pour.

The second is to use a waterproof decking system.

With the decking system, there is special concrete that can be applied to raise this area, then it can be coated with the decking system and it will look very nice.

You’ll need to be sure that it is finished with slip-resistance in mind, making sure that it is textured to prevent slip and fall injuries.

I would definitely not use an overlay system, you’ll be revisiting this issue in a short amount of time if you go that route. Good luck to you.

Robert,

Thank you for responding so quickly in the email, that was very nice of you to reply on a weekend, so quickly.

I had a gas leak in the side yard. You can see in the photos that this line runs along this side of the house to the back yard. I could smell the gas. The gas company came out and shut down my meter.

I’ve since had three plumbers out and each of them had different opinions. I need guidance, please, on what I should do.

One guy said I should go up the wall, under the eaves and around to the back. I’m really reluctant to entertain this idea.

Another guy said to secure it along the wall and through the stucco with brackets. After reading your column for so long, I won’t puncture the stucco for anything, knowing all that can happen with that.

The third one said to break out the concrete, dig and install the line there. He says he doesn’t need permits because this is a repair and not a new install. With you always advocating permits, I’m leery of skipping this step, especially because inspections through permits could save me - not knowing what I’m looking at with work being done properly.

What are your thoughts, I’m at a loss? I’m leaning toward the dig option, but I just want to do this correct.

–Jack K.

Jack,

You are absolutely right, you do need permits.

The inspector will do a 24-hour standing test, and with the photos you’re showing me this looks to be a 50-60 foot run.

The plumber will install the line, cap one end and put a pressure gauge with an air chuck onto the other end. He’ll bring the pressure up to 17 pounds and you’ll monitor this for 24 hours.

After that amount of time, the gauge should still read 17 lbs. of pressure. If it is less than that, there will be a leak.

The city is there to guarantee that each step is followed based on materials choices, for safety.

You may want to be cautious about using a contractor that told you otherwise, and find one that is sure to follow the standards without prodding.

Let me know if you need a referral, it is someone that works in the area and is known to the city as one who does good work. Thank you for writing in, and good luck to you.