Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Colour match a problem with concrete patch
QUESTION: I have a problem with the front steps of my house, which are 10 years old and are made of poured concrete. The steps are in excellent condition, except for a few scalded and pockmarked areas caused by the application of de-icing agents over the past few winters.
The damaged areas are mainly unsightly and minor in nature. To prevent the damage from becoming a bigger problem, I have patched some of the areas with a topping agent, Top N Bond, which adhered well to the existing concrete with an excellent colour match.
My problem is that I can no longer find a product to match the colour of the steps. They have changed the colour of the first product that I used and the patch is now a much darker grey and looks very unsightly. I have gone to several lumber and hardware stores in search of properly coloured patching compounds, to no avail. It appears now that I may have to cover the entire steps if I hope to get rid of the look of the unsightly patches.
I would appreciate any suggestions you may have, including the best way to resurface or cover the entire steps. Thank you for any advice you might be able to give me.
George Hodgson, Portage la Prairie
ANSWER: I applaud your efforts to take measures to prevent a small, mostly cosmetic issue from turning into a large one. Your question illustrates not only the efforts for good maintenance, but also the challenges many homeowners face. Most homeowners would simply slough off the patching until the spalling on the steps became severe, or cover the stairs with cheap carpeting, which would accelerate the deterioration due to the absorption of moisture by the carpet.
Unfortunately, patching concrete to match the existing colour is a hit-and-miss proposition. You were probably lucky to accomplish the match the first time around, but I have also experienced your frustration when material suppliers change products or they are no longer carried by retailers. I would recommend putting your efforts toward finding a better solution to the regular patching, rather than looking for the perfect product to match the colour.
My concern with the increasing need to patch the damaged concrete surface of your steps is to maintain a rough surface that will prevent a slip hazard. Most thinset patching compounds are not designed to allow application with a brushed surface. They can become quite smooth on top, which may increase the slip hazards that you are trying to avoid with your ice-removal compounds. It may be counterproductive to patch minor imperfections caused by the ice-removal products only to make the surface more slippery. You should be able to find de-icing products that won't deteriorate the concrete when applied, but that will not help with the slip hazards of the smooth patches.
Despite your expressed reservations about covering the entire steps, that may be the best solution to solving your cosmetic concerns, my slip-hazard worries, and preventing a quick return of the surface damage. However, compete re-surfacing with concrete patching compounds rarely provides a satisfactory product. In my opinion, patching the small areas of deterioration, followed by a finishing product or paint is better. There are paints manufactured for concrete application with slip resistance built in or fine sand or grit may be sprinkled on the wet paint to prevent falls. The paint will serve the dual purpose of preventing water penetration and absorption by the damaged concrete surface and help with slip resistance.
While painting is acceptable, many homeowners are opting for a newer solution to this age-old dilemma. There are several products available at home centres and other retailers that provide a more durable finish with increased slip protection. They are applied in several layers and often mimic a stone or masonry surface. The product names often suggest this stone or granite finish and come in various colours. The benefit of these products is that the multi-layered approach ensures proper adhesion to the concrete. There is often a primer coat followed by one or more finish coats. This built-up method of installation gives added depth to the finish, increasing the cosmetic appeal.
There are also contractors who re-surface concrete with a variety of different products and methods, but I have little experience with these and reliability may vary. It might be a good idea to call one or two of these for quotes to see what is available and balance it against the cost of the do-it-yourself finishes. Unfortunately, cost is about the only drawback of many of the home kits and some can be relatively high, compared to normal paint, if you have a large step. I am certain that installation of this type of product is within your abilities, as you have already tackled difficult concrete patching in the past.
As previously stated, the concern you have over colour matching the concrete patch is a cosmetic rather than functional concern. While patching is very important to prevent further deterioration, I suggest you either live with the unsightly patches or cover the entire stairs and landing with a high-quality finish to improve both the look and durability of the concrete surface.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed or sent to: Ask The Inspector, P. O. Box 69021, #110-2025 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3P 2G9. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Tax credit can also be used to fix cottage
You've just bought a recreation property and the house could use some serious updating, or perhaps the family cabin is starting to show its age.
It might be time for some renovations, and the timing couldn't be better, thanks to the federal government's Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC).
Although it has received a lot of publicity, many people don't realize that the credit can also apply to improvements you make to a vacation home, cabin or cottage.
Joanne Gorsalitz, communications manager with the Calgary Tax Services Office, says as long as your recreational property is reserved for personal use and not rented out, it is eligible under the program.
Gorsalitz says the 15 per cent non-refundable tax credit is available on expenditures of more than $1,000 and up to a maximum of $10,000.
The maximum is per family, not per property, so the $10,000 can be shared between your primary residence and vacation property if you choose. The maximum available tax credit would be $1,350, which is 15 per cent of $9,000, since the first $1,000 is not eligible.
To qualify for the credit, the improvements you make to your recreation property must have an enduring nature to them, says Gorsalitz.
Some examples of eligible improvements, which can be found on Canada Revenue Agency's website (cra-arc.gc.ca), include renovating a kitchen, bathroom or basement, new carpet or hardwood floors, septic systems, wells, adding deck or permanent hot tub or installing solar panels.
Examples of ineligible expenses include things such as purchasing new furniture or appliances, cleaning carpets, lawn care, or buying new curtains and drapes.
The expenses related to a project can include materials, permits, labour and professional services, fixtures and rentals. However, your own labour cannot be calculated as an expense.
Gorsalitz says the program covers projects that began, or were entered into contract for, after Jan. 24, and that are completed and paid for before Feb. 1, 2010.
People should keep all the receipts for a project and then report the total on their 2009 personal tax return.
A new line will be added to the T1 General Tax Forms and the amount will appear on Schedule 1 as a non-refundable tax credit.
Renovation & Design
MIKE HOLMES: How to keep your basement dry
The simplest thing you can do to keep water out of your basement is to control it at the surface. Surface water, like rain or melting snow, or water from irrigation, is pretty easy to control, compared to water below grade. There's not much you can do about underground streams, or the water table in your area and the resulting hydrostatic pressure on your foundation. But there's a lot you can do on the surface.
Most of the problems homeowners have with wet basements can be prevented if people correct the grade around their home. Make sure that surface water doesn't become groundwater and add to the pressure that's already down there.
The first step is to make sure that surface water drains away from your house. Ideally, you want the soil level right next to your foundation to slope away. Since water flows downhill, surface water, like rain and snowmelt, will flow away from your basement walls. If the soil around your home has either a flat or a negative grade, surface water will naturally flow towards your home or pool around the foundation. This will lead to trouble.
I'm going to hope your home is built right, and that the top of the foundation is at least six inches above the soil. That's minimum. But the higher the better. Also, the soil level needs to fall away -- on all sides -- in a slope away from your house. Bad grading can result in water pooling next to the foundation, which can lead to wet basements.
You might live in an area where the general drainage comes towards your house -- maybe you live at the bottom of a hill, below other houses. In this case, the grade needs to be altered to direct surface water away. Usually a swale is used to intercept and collect the water that's running downhill towards your house and take it around and release it lower down the slope. (If that sounds like your situation, you will definitely need to have a professional assess your lot's drainage.)
When a house is built, there's always an excavation for the basement and foundation. That is eventually backfilled, of course, but the soil right around the basement's exterior walls is never as firmly compacted as undisturbed soil. It's more porous and will always contain more air -- which will allow water from rain or melted snow or irrigation from plantings -- to collect and seep down to your foundation level.
That's one reason I don't like plants around a house's foundation. It's not because I don't like plants, but the irrigation into disturbed soil brings and retains too much moisture near basement walls.
When that backfill soil does eventually settle, after many years, there's a depression right around your home that will fill up like a bathtub with surface water. And most homeowners by then will have landscaped the area and won't even notice that the soil several feet out from their house is lower than further out into the yard.
If you don't re-grade that soil, the water will continue to pool and gather in the lower spots and eventually make its way down to your footings.
An easy fix is to make sure the downspout from your eavestroughs comes down, and expels water as far away from house as possible -- at least two metres (six or eight feet). If you don't make sure the downspouts expel water far enough away from your foundation -- beyond the area of backfilled, uncompacted soil -- you are pouring water down to your footings.
In older houses, the downspouts were often connected to the main stack and the sanitary line. Now they are tied into a storm line in the street. In older homes it's a good idea to disconnect the downspouts and have them empty above the surface.
After a number of years, it's likely the weeping tile has shifted or broken or is full of tree roots, and every time rain comes down those downspouts it has nowhere to go but up against your foundation, putting lateral hydrostatic pressure against those walls, which could one day crack the foundation. Or it could cause a sewage backup into your home, which you definitely do not want.
You may find you need to direct water away beyond the end of the downspout, or from a low-lying area next to your house. The best fix is to put in a French drain, which is basically a shallow trench filled with gravel that will carry excess groundwater away from your house.
A French drain relies on gravity and on the grade to divert surface water. It needs to be as deep as the lowest point of the pooling water at its start, and it slopes down to where you need it to empty. Simple. Line the trench with landscape fabric, fill it with gravel and put more fabric on the top. Then you can sod over it to camouflage it as part of your lawn. You can also use a length of plastic weeping tile with a sock buried in the gravel if you like.
Before you dig a French drain, make sure you aren't letting the water out onto a neighbour's property. And make sure your downspouts don't empty on or over the property line. Ideally they'll empty onto your lot, or into a drainage swale between two adjoining lots.
It's not supposed to happen, but over time homeowners do landscaping projects and renovations, and little by little they can significantly alter natural surface drainage patterns until they create big problems for people next door. Be aware of how your plans might affect surface water drainage.
For more information on home renovations go to makeitright.ca
