How to stop water pooling against the house from sinking concrete
Cracked and sunken pavement slabs redirect heavy rain directly toward the foundation, threatening water damage before winter. Fixing or replacing these slabs is necessary to redirect runoff away from the house and prevent pooling against the building.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Installing channel drains or trench drains
- 2Using sandbags
- 3Foam injection or foam jacking to lift and re-grade the slabs
- 4Killing weeds to prevent further cracking
- 5tuckpointing and sealing
- 6using mud jacking to level concrete
- 7Feathering the slope further out through extensive digging
- 8Directing runoff toward the street rather than neighbor structures
- 9Installing a channel or French drain to divert water to the curb
- 10Doing manual labor-intensive grading without heavy equipment
- 11digging French drains
- 12setting up a sump pump to pump water away from the house
- 13shutting off the main water supply to check for a leaking line
- 14making the downspout longer with extensions
- 15using a flexible gutter downspout extension
- 16buying 6 feet of corrugated piping and an adapter
- 17using a splash guard
- 18filling the low spot with dirt
- 19attaching 2x4 lumber to concrete using construction adhesive to create a makeshift dam
- 20using rubber water barriers normally used under shower doors
- 21using temporary sandbags
- 22cutting the concrete and installing a French drain system
- 23pouring a small concrete curb using repair mortar
- 24Applying backer rod and sealant in gaps
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Looking to redo my patio and establish proper grading around my house and attached garage. Do I need two slopes to direct water from my house and garage?”source ↗
“When we get any sort of rain, water pools here from the driveway slope.”source ↗
“There is a sizable gap between the concrete by the steps and the foundation.”source ↗
“With heavy rain, the basement walls started to slightly sweat in the area the water pools in.”source ↗
“I want to replace at least 3 of these 12'×9 slabs of pavement, preferably before the winter. Im concerned about water going toward the house .”source ↗
“I have terrible grading on these 2 sides and every heavy storm leaves puddles against the walls.”source ↗
“Contacted probably 5-10 companies and only heard back and got a quote from 1.”source ↗
“Need some opinions on a water in my crawlspace issue.”source ↗
“Found a hole in the dirt filled with water, level with the top of the footer.”source ↗
“I don't know if it's just high water table or if I have a spring under our house.”source ↗
“During heavy rains, water pools against my foundation, the building on the left.”source ↗
“The siding on the house go 3in. lower than the adjacent pavement top. For an inch drop over the 4ft. run away from the house, this I show much I had to dig. If I need to feather it further out, that will be a lot of digging? Should it run towards the street or the fence next to neighbors garage?”source ↗
“Consequently, I’m experiencing drainage issues, as water is accumulating in this corner.”source ↗
“Unfortunately, jacking up the foundation isn’t a viable option at the moment, and regrading isn’t feasible because the area is concrete.”source ↗
“water coming out of the downspout is pooling right where it exits. Initially, the water only accumulated in that one spot around the sprinkler head. However, it has now expanded and pools all the way down the right-hand side, sitting right against home.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Why does water pool in flat bottomed sinks?
- 4How to fix a dipping flat roof that collects standing water
- 2Water pooling around sprinkler head
- 2How to maintain an outdoor sump pump discharge pipe in the yard
- 2Basement window level with the ground water leak prevention
- 3How to stop dogs from ruining yard paths