Hi, My name is Fran and no I’m not Chinese…it’s a long story but I hope I’m in the right place …you all seem like you know your way around a 2×4, so here’s my problem. In my basement at the outermost wall beneath the front steps I get a little water when it rains. The steps are stone and the very bottom one sufferred ome ice damage a few years back where the corner end cracked and got pushed out about 3/4″. You can kind of see it there on the right if you’re facing the stairs. How do I fix/ fnd it or who do I call rather? I am afraid that more ice damage will result if I don’t do anything. And of course the inside is drywalled. Oh and the house s 102 years old.
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One of your picture posts has 0 (zero) data bytes...hence no pic!
Nice house!
What I see is the lower step stone on the right has pushed forward.
Secondly I see a large water stain on the right side porch balustrade. Is that from a defective gutter? Where is the water stain coming from?
Below that stain, at ground level, I also see what appears to be a "coping" of parge/mortar at the base of the stair balustrade at the level of the planting/landscape bed.
What you might want to consider is that the water from above(probably the gutter) is being trapped in the planting bed and the parge coping of the balustrade. Then when it freezes the trapped water at the balustrade base expands and pushes the stone forward. Repeat that process with each freeze thaw cycle and you may eventually destroy the integrety of the stairs,
I would remove the landscape stones, plants, and soil to investigate the bottom edge of the stair balustrade for water penetration. Patch the parch coating to below ground level and if possible to frost depth.
Investigate the source of the water stain on the wall and correct. Make sure the gutters are complete and the down spouts & yard drains are open and functional.
I would not replace the landscape bed as currently shown, as it is a potential water trap. Allow for water to drain by making your plantings at only slightly above grade.
Cauking would be futile... as well as serving as another way to trap water behind the stone riser to more frost heave.
This is just a quick shot from the hip on the basis of only one photo....I could have missed the target! Please investigate and reply.
.................Iron Helix
Thanks for your reply and thanks for the compliment.the first photo is same as second I did it wrong and could not figure out how to undo it. The water on the upper part of the porch is actually just overflow from the plastic planter...I'm going to just get rid of it ..it's over 13 years old. Any way so what your saying is basically dig down the outside of the wall startng where the step is pushed out and patch the parch coatng...that last step is where you lost me (sorry I'm not a builder ...or anything near one)...this probably is not a DIY thing??? Is that "parch" or porch coating which is stucco. The stucco is brand new and real stucco (not thorocoat) over the old stucco. I will definetly move the hardscape away.
Parch = Parge which is old style stucco....pardon my typing!
Yes, the idea is to prevent water intrusion into the base of the steps.
If your stucco contractor stopped application of his stucco at your landscape elevation, then you may have a water trap and encroachment into the structure.
Check it out.........Iron Helix
I took a second look at your picture....and yes, it is plain to the eye that your stucco contractor stopped short of the actual base of the stair baluster base.
I can see the the excess sitting, splayed out on the planter bed soil, which is at least several inches above the actual stair base/footing. IMHO, the stucco should have been applied down to the footing to help seal against water intrusion, not slushed out onto the landscape bed.
You might want to walk the house perimeter and see if this was done in other critical places. Will your contractor do a "call back" and correct or is he "gone with the wind"? Good Luck!
...............Iron Helix
Actually ...I put the limestone sand there after the first rain of the season and yeah the stucco everywhere else is fine. the guy who did it is actually really good and yes he will come back if call him..I am getting good at hiring people by now! I have been busy addressing so many other issues that was hopng that this one would just....go away...call me Cleopatra! Queen of Denial!
The crack at the base of the stairs may be the source of your leak...but it may not also. I am suspicious about the grading alongside of the house being a significant contribution to the problem. Along the right side near the first basement window it appears in the photo that during a rainstorm water could accumulate and not have a quick draining path away from the house. ie.. the only place for it to go is into the ground beside your basement wall and work its way into the basement through a crack. It is hard to tell but it also looks like the ground does not slope away from the house very much on the left side of the stairs either. The corner bed under the stained section actually looks like it has a good slope away from the house...but appears that it may add to the accumulation of water along the right side of the house. It is hard to tell from the pictures but you should be very careful about creating the grade so that water is moved away from the house as quickly as possible. Obviously you will still likely also need to deal with the fact that water is coming through the wall into the basement. A foundation repair contractor should be able to resolve these issues.
There were big evergreen bushes there years ago that may have something to do with a crack. I do want to replace the driveway with one that makes sense..but no money for that at the moment. It is a miracle that there aren't more leaks with zero slope on the sides. I have been putting pea gravel along the sides..heard that it keeps bugs out. Any cement contractors out there? Is this a too small job that I'm never going to get anyone to do???? Shoot....now that I think about it...the gas line is probably right around there too...aarrggg!