Poor drainage around concrete

What to check yourself

Go outside during or just after heavy rain and watch. Not afterwards — during. Where does water come off the roof, where does it land, and where does it go from there? This single exercise identifies most drainage problems on a residential property.

Then look at the specifics: downspouts discharging within a few feet of a slab, extensions that have come apart or been removed, ground that slopes back toward the house, slabs that have settled into a reverse slope, and low spots that hold water long after rain stops.

• Downspout discharge points relative to driveways, walkways and patios.
• Whether the ground falls away from the house or toward it.
• Standing water more than a day after rain.
• Water running into a joint or crack rather than across the surface.
• Soil washed out or visibly eroded at slab edges.

Why concrete work without drainage work often fails

If a driveway panel settled because water has been running under it for years, lifting the panel resets the height and leaves the water running. The same void reopens on the same timescale.

This is why a contractor asking about downspouts before quoting is a good sign. It is also why a quote that includes an extension or a regrade may be better value than a cheaper one that does not, even though it costs more on paper.

The cheap fixes are often the real fixes

Extending a downspout so it discharges well clear of a slab costs very little and addresses a genuine cause. Clearing gutters so water leaves the roof where it is meant to costs nothing. Correcting a low spot in a lawn where water collects against a patio is a morning with a shovel.

None of this is concrete work, and none of it is what a concrete contractor is there to sell. That is exactly why it is worth raising yourself.

What to photograph, and when

During rain, not after. The useful photographs are of water in motion — where it comes off the roof, where it lands, the path it takes across the ground, and where it collects or disappears. Ten minutes outside in bad weather is worth more than any amount of inspection on a dry day.

Take a second set an hour after the rain stops, and a third the following day. Water still standing twenty-four hours later is telling you something that the same spot dry on a Tuesday afternoon never will.

Keep the dates. If you end up comparing quotes, a contractor who can see what actually happens on your property in a downpour will give you a better answer than one working from a description, and it settles arguments about whether a drainage item belongs in the scope.

What to ask a contractor

• Where is water coming from that affects this concrete?
• What would you change about where water goes, before or alongside the concrete work?
• Will this work change the slope, and which way will water run afterwards?
• Is any drainage work included in this price, or is it a separate scope?

Common questions