Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Concrete Foundation Repair

I am in need of advise on how to repair a Concrete Foundation where it has cracked on the corner under a brick facia wall. I have included two links to pictures of the affected area to help with any advise.


http://www.tv-now.net/tempimg/c1.jpg
http://www.tv-now.net/tempimg/c2.jpg

My thoughts on this are to remove the cracked section and drill some holes for rebar on both sides of the corner and tie them together. Also should I cut a flat surface on the bottom of the cracked area so the replacement concrete has something to rest on?

What type of concrete should I use for this repair?

Thanks,

Mike

Before patching it is good to find out why it cracked in the first place. The cracks appear to be shear cracks that could come from a vertical load or a latertal impact. It was difficult to get a good reading on what is going on with your concrete because of the photo resolution.

Judging from the distance of the mortar joint on the front of the house, it appears you have a concrete block foundation with a brick veneer sitting on one side of the foundation and something else on the other side. You have two cracks on the front (one showing through the waterproofing). I don't see the block mortar joint on the side of the wall.

If the damage was from an impact, there there is no long term structural problem and you can patch it. The rebar will help to hold the concrete in place. I would remove the cracked piece of concrete in the top block course also. Depending on what you find, I would also remove the other portion on the front that is in the process of falling off. After adding some steel, try to form up the corner above the top of the top of the block on one side and leave the other side down low enough so you can pack in stiff mortar or "concrete". I you open a block core, jam in some newspapers tightly to prevent the new concrete from falling back in. Use a latex concrete bonding agent like Daraweld or Laticrete (sp?) on the broken concrete surfaces to get a good bond. I don't know where you are located, but with freezing and thawing cycles it is tough to get a patch to hold well. The moisture from the downspout doesn't help.

If it was not an impact, take a harder look at the cause. Concrete doesn't fall off for no reason at all. The crack is not a durability failure.


Good luck!!

Dick

I went back out and took a harder look at the affected area. I don't believe the crack is caused by a load bearing issue. I did notice that the cedar wood trim on the side was starting to rot at the very bottom. I suspect that water is the cause. My feeling is the water ran down behind the brick veneer and froze. This then caused the crack on the corner.

After your message I ran out and obtained the material nesessary to make the repair.

Thanks much for you help.

Mike