Concrete question

[BRN_RI_FL]

We bought a courtyard villa at Phillips villas. Not moved in yet as the closing is this Friday. My question relates to the concrete patio that meets the house. The concrete is cracked there and from what I understand and have seen this is a normal occurrence. I would imagine I should pick up some type of caulking to fill in these cracks. If so, what type of caulking? Also I would think it would be a white caulking? Your opinions, as usual, are greatly appreciated.

[bookseller61]

They probably make some type of concrete patch in a caulking tube rather than use white caulking. Pose your question at Home Depot or Lowe's and they will advise

[BRN_RI_FL]

Actually we are meeting the builder or the builders representative in a couple weeks at the condo when we take possession. I guess I could also ask him what people usually do for this. It's where the concrete apron meets the concrete house. As you said, it's probably just getting the right stuff at Lowes.

[BRN_RI_FL]

Actually we are meeting the builder or the builders representative in a couple weeks at the condo when we take possession. I guess I could also ask him what people usually do for this. It's where the concrete apron meets the concrete house. As you said, it's probably just getting the right stuff at Lowes.

Not at the condo. We are in the process of selling our small condo in Sarasota. I've got condo on my mind.

[villages07]

If it's a new villa, that should be reported and fixed under warranty.


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[retiredguy123]

We bought a courtyard villa at Phillips villas. Not moved in yet as the closing is this Friday. My question relates to the concrete patio that meets the house. The concrete is cracked there and from what I understand and have seen this is a normal occurrence. I would imagine I should pick up some type of caulking to fill in these cracks. If so, what type of caulking? Also I would think it would be a white caulking? Your opinions, as usual, are greatly appreciated.
The patio and the house are two separate concrete structures. The builder, the concrete subcontractor, and the home inspector all told me that the crack is normal and should not be caulked. Caulking probably won't hurt anything, but the caulk will not stay in place may cause a mess.

[BRN_RI_FL]

The patio and the house are two separate concrete structures. The builder, the concrete subcontractor, and the home inspector all told me that the crack is normal and should not be caulked. Caulking probably won't hurt anything, but the caulk will not stay in place may cause a mess.

Thanks. I was also told it was normal. Pretty hard to pour two separate concrete structures and not have a crack develop between them.

[villagetinker]

As I recall, small cracks in concrete pads (patios, lanais, driveways, pool decks, etc.) are not covered by home warranty, and as stated above are a normal occurrence. I agree that a patch in a tube is probably the best "fix". I also agree that is may not be a permanent fix. The crack appeared because there was some movement between different areas of the pad or pad and structure. If I were going to do this, I would try a flexible (silicone) based crack filling material. I have seen these in various colors, so with some luck you should be able to get close to your concrete color.
NOTE: no 2 concrete pours ever come up the same color, so if you go for an actual concrete patch material that you mix with water and apply, you will have a significant color difference.
Hope this helps.

[photo1902]

We bought a courtyard villa at Phillips villas. Not moved in yet as the closing is this Friday. My question relates to the concrete patio that meets the house. The concrete is cracked there and from what I understand and have seen this is a normal occurrence. I would imagine I should pick up some type of caulking to fill in these cracks. If so, what type of caulking? Also I would think it would be a white caulking? Your opinions, as usual, are greatly appreciated.

Home Depot, Lowe's and Ace carry concrete and masonry repair caulk. This can be used.

[BRN_RI_FL]

Thanks everyone!

[Nucky]

We bought a courtyard villa at Phillips villas. Not moved in yet as the closing is this Friday. My question relates to the concrete patio that meets the house. The concrete is cracked there and from what I understand and have seen this is a normal occurrence. I would imagine I should pick up some type of caulking to fill in these cracks. If so, what type of caulking? Also I would think it would be a white caulking? Your opinions, as usual, are greatly appreciated.

Some places use expansion joints but in The Villages I have noticed that it is usually a cut between two slabs for expansion of the concrete to keep it from cracking. This to me is not a repair it is a replace the slab situation. The concrete finishes in The Villages are art work compared to the finishes done in NJ. Welcome and good luck.

[dbussone]

If it's a new villa, that should be reported and fixed under warranty.


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Exactly. I would raise the issue now - before closing.


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[chuckinca]

Check out the concrete driveways near your home - are they all cracked or just some. If all are cracked then concrete cracks are normal but if some are not cracked then concrete cracking is not normal.

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[BoatRatKat]

We had a crack in our driveway and the builder replaced an entire slab. They also fixed some cracks outside the lanai. Cracks will happen with new homes but have an inspection done just before your warranty year is up and the inspector will be able to tell what's normal and what needs to be repaired by the builder. I wouldn't fill them in during the next year because who knows if that will void your warranty on the crack.

[BRN_RI_FL]

We had a crack in our driveway and the builder replaced an entire slab. They also fixed some cracks outside the lanai. Cracks will happen with new homes but have an inspection done just before your warranty year is up and the inspector will be able to tell what's normal and what needs to be repaired by the builder. I wouldn't fill them in during the next year because who knows if that will void your warranty on the crack.
Good point!
We can't make it down there for closing but as long as we report any problems before that first year, we should be ok, correct?

[Mrs. Robinson]

We bought a courtyard villa at Phillips villas. Not moved in yet as the closing is this Friday. My question relates to the concrete patio that meets the house. The concrete is cracked there and from what I understand and have seen this is a normal occurrence. I would imagine I should pick up some type of caulking to fill in these cracks. If so, what type of caulking? Also I would think it would be a white caulking? Your opinions, as usual, are greatly appreciated.

Now sure where Phillips villas is, but if it's brand new construction,
why would you close on the property when there already is a crack in the concrete?
Logic says that the crack will only get worse, and in new construction, this is too soon to have a crack.

Make them redo it and be firm! And BTW -- good luck!

[BRN_RI_FL]

Now sure where Phillips villas is, but if it's brand new construction,
why would you close on the property when there already is a crack in the concrete?
Logic says that the crack will only get worse, and in new construction, this is too soon to have a crack.

Make them redo it and be firm! And BTW -- good luck!

It's a crack where the thinner patio concrete pour meets the thick concrete structure of the house. It's not a crack going across the patio. From what I've seen this is normal. Not quite sure how you would avoid this other than as someone mentioned putting an expansion joint in where they meet. I will question the builder on this. If cracks develop across the concrete patio over that first year they will need to be replaced. From what I have also heard, concrete cracks on the house itself sometimes occur at doors and windows.

[retiredguy123]

The contractor will repair cracks in the concrete slabs. But, if you are referring to the crack that is formed where the concrete patio meets the concrete house, they will not repair it because it is normal. Caulking that area will not accomplish anything, and will probably not stay in place, especially if you use a rigid type of concrete repair material. Flexible caulk may stay for awhile, but will not really improve the appearance or function of the concrete. So, the best thing to do is to leave it alone.

[BRN_RI_FL]

The contractor will repair cracks in the concrete slabs. But, if you are referring to the crack that is formed where the concrete patio meets the concrete house, they will not repair it because it is normal. Caulking that area will not accomplish anything, and will probably not stay in place, especially if you use a rigid type of concrete repair material. Flexible caulk may stay for awhile, but will not really improve the appearance or function of the concrete. So, the best thing to do is to leave it alone.
That's exactly what I was referring to. All of the houses we looked at had the same thing. As I said, we'll ask the builder anyway but I think his answer will agree with yours. Thanks.

[jrplmm]

We had a crack in our patio concrete (so outside the lanai) in our Courtyard Villa. It was covered under warranty. We also had a crack in the lanai concrete and they fixed that by patching it AND giving us one of those colored textured paints so it didn't show. All covered under warranty.

[BRN_RI_FL]

We had a crack in our patio concrete (so outside the lanai) in our Courtyard Villa. It was covered under warranty. We also had a crack in the lanai concrete and they fixed that by patching it AND giving us one of those colored textured paints so it didn't show. All covered under warranty.

It sounds like they are pretty responsive when you do have a problem.

[dbussone]

We had a crack in our patio concrete (so outside the lanai) in our Courtyard Villa. It was covered under warranty. We also had a crack in the lanai concrete and they fixed that by patching it AND giving us one of those colored textured paints so it didn't show. All covered under warranty.



We've been in our designer for 5 years. My wife recently noticed 2 small cracks in our driveway. She called T&D directly. Within 24 hours someone was out to look at them. The next morning the cracks were repaired. T&D is a class outfit in my opinion.


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[e-flyer]

They are expansion joints, made to crack and take the stress of movement to keep the slab from cracking. If you look at most expansion joints (driveway, garage, sidewalk) they will have a crack through them. They are doing their job! If you feel it's an eyesore, there is flexible rubber like tubes of caulking at hardware stores that will last a long time. We had a small 1" triangle shaped piece of concrete that kept cracking in the driveway where the expansion joints met. The contractor would repair them, and the force of driving the car over it would eventually crack it again and you could remove the piece of concrete. Four years after filling it with the flexible rubber stuff and it's still holding up (bonds to the concrete). FYI, if you replace the carpet after a few years you might be surprised at the cracks you will find in the monolithic slab they originally poured. It's Florida, you can't stop it from happening.

[dbussone]

They are expansion joints, made to crack and take the stress of movement to keep the slab from cracking. If you look at most expansion joints (driveway, garage, sidewalk) they will have a crack through them. They are doing their job! If you feel it's an eyesore, there is flexible rubber like tubes of caulking at hardware stores that will last a long time. We had a small 1" triangle shaped piece of concrete that kept cracking in the driveway where the expansion joints met. The contractor would repair them, and the force of driving the car over it would eventually crack it again and you could remove the piece of concrete. Four years after filling it with the flexible rubber stuff and it's still holding up (bonds to the concrete). FYI, if you replace the carpet after a few years you might be surprised at the cracks you will find in the monolithic slab they originally poured. It's Florida, you can't stop it from happening.



Thanks. I learn something new every day on TOTV. (I should be getting paid for saying that, don't you think?)


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[Nucky]

Thanks. I learn something new every day on TOTV. (I should be getting paid for saying that, don't you think?)


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Concrete by nature want's to crack. There are acceptable and unacceptable cracks. I could write a book. It it's a new house that hasn't closed yet it gets replaced without question or someone goes in the next slab. Capisce? :boxing2:

[dbussone]

Concrete by nature want's to crack. There are acceptable and unacceptable cracks. I could write a book. It it's a new house that hasn't closed yet it gets replaced without question or someone goes in the next slab. Capisce? :boxing2:



So let it be written, so let it be done!


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[chuckinca]

Good concrete installation practice is to put PMJ (premolded expansion joint) filler material and rebar dowels at the intersection of concrete slabs.

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[DangeloInspections]

The footer under your solid concrete wall of your Courtyard Villa is over 20 inches thick. The patio slab that buts up next to it is poured at a different time, and is 4 inches thick. You will continually have differential movement here and caulking that crack/joint is not recommended. The caulk will eventually work itself out and look horrid. (As 123retiredguy said)

While I personally prefer pegging, etc, as chuckinca posted about, The Villages do not do this. Thus, this crack is normal and expected and not in need of any remediation.

Other posts here about slabs, driveways, etc is not pertinent to the topic.

Hope this helps!

Frank

[BRN_RI_FL]

The footer under your solid concrete wall of your Courtyard Villa is over 20 inches thick. The patio slab that buts up next to it is poured at a different time, and is 4 inches thick. You will continually have differential movement here and caulking that crack/joint is not recommended. The caulk will eventually work itself out and look horrid. (As 123retiredguy said)

While I personally prefer pegging, etc, as chuckinca posted about, The Villages do not do this. Thus, this crack is normal and expected and not in need of any remediation.

Other posts here about slabs, driveways, etc is not pertinent to the topic.

Hope this helps!

Frank

Interesting info. Not quite sure what I would do without this forum. Probably drive my sales guy at The Villages crazy.

[BRN_RI_FL]

The footer under your solid concrete wall of your Courtyard Villa is over 20 inches thick. The patio slab that buts up next to it is poured at a different time, and is 4 inches thick. You will continually have differential movement here and caulking that crack/joint is not recommended. The caulk will eventually work itself out and look horrid. (As 123retiredguy said)

While I personally prefer pegging, etc, as chuckinca posted about, The Villages do not do this. Thus, this crack is normal and expected and not in need of any remediation.

Other posts here about slabs, driveways, etc is not pertinent to the topic.

Hope this helps!

Frank

Just wondering, is the 20" footer under a concrete wall the same size that would be under a wood framed wall?

[DangeloInspections]

Just wondering, is the 20" footer under a concrete wall the same size that would be under a wood framed wall?

Yes, pretty much. It may vary a bit due to load, a good check with the blueprints would tell for sure. As an inspector, it is much easier for me to access the blueprints from the Sumter County website than it is for me to do the same from the Lake county website...but as a owner/buyer, you would have access to this from the builder.

Hope this helps!

Frank

[BRN_RI_FL]

Yes, pretty much. It may vary a bit due to load, a good check with the blueprints would tell for sure. As an inspector, it is much easier for me to access the blueprints from the Sumter County website than it is for me to do the same from the Lake county website...but as a owner/buyer, you would have access to this from the builder.

Hope this helps!

Frank

So before my year warranty is up, are you the guy to hire to do a house inspection?

[BoatRatKat]

So before my year warranty is up, are you the guy to hire to do a house inspection?

Before your year is up definitely get an inspection and yes, if you talk to people Frank DeAngelo's name is the one you'll hear most often...he'll be doing ours in a couple of months. You can definitely call the warranty dept before then for things you notice and you will likely notice a number of them, but The Villages is really good about getting people out fairly quick to make things right. You'll be happy in your new home.

[BRN_RI_FL]

Before your year is up definitely get an inspection and yes, if you talk to people Frank DeAngelo's name is the one you'll hear most often...he'll be doing ours in a couple of months. You can definitely call the warranty dept before then for things you notice and you will likely notice a number of them, but The Villages is really good about getting people out fairly quick to make things right. You'll be happy in your new home.
Anybody with a dog in their profile picture has to be good!

[outahere]

So before my year warranty is up, are you the guy to hire to do a house inspection?

We had Frank do our one-year inspection and he was very thorough - highly recommend him. However....... he books up months in advance, so you need to contact him well before the one year date, to get on his schedule.

[Nucky]

My bad I thought we were speaking about a sidewalk/driveway slab. :jester: I'll do better next time, I hope there is no next time.

[BRN_RI_FL]

We had Frank do our one-year inspection and he was very thorough - highly recommend him. However....... he books up months in advance, so you need to contact him well before the one year date, to get on his schedule.

Good to know.
Frank, when do I need to call to book you for next June? My closing is this Friday.

[DangeloInspections]

Thank you for the kind words....the dog in our picture is my son' Eric's dog, who is also in the picture. In the picture the "old guy" is me, the young good looking guy is my son Eric, and the dog in the middle is Eric's dog Zeke.

Zeke is a 130 pound Lab/Newfie/Mastiff mix who thinks he is a lap dog. He is gentle and great with the grandbabies. Some folks think that of the three of us, Zeke is the best looking.

I do NOT want to "hijack" a post, but since you asked, We typically recommend that even though the Warranty Department will take my report right up until the last day, we recommend doing your inspection anywhere from 2-6 weeks before that anniversary of your closing. Typically the sweet spot is about a month before, as long as that fits YOUR schedule.

Right now I already have inspections booked for next year. I sometimes get booked ahead solid about 1-2 months ahead, so if one calls early they can have more choices to fit their schedule. Calling 3-4 months ahead of time assures having your choice between a number of days.

With my oldest son Steven joining the business soon, we will have more options open for those who do call for an inspection who need one sooner. We of course do our very best to accommodate everyone's needs.

Again, I do not want to hijack this thread. If anyone has any questions they can always call me, or e-mail me, or P.M. me or go to our website. Whether or not we ever do business, we are ALWAYS happy to help.

That is the great thing about this forum...everyone is so nice and helpful. We are all very blessed.

Respectfully, Frank D.

[DangeloInspections]

Good to know.
Frank, when do I need to call to book you for next June? My closing is this Friday.

Congratulations! I think in life one regrets more what they do not do than what they do.

Take things slow, enjoy the process, ask questions before buying or doing anything, and do not stress. You have arrived on many levels.....Enjoy and Congrats!!

Frank