Fix a Sinking Porch

Today as you drive up to your house, pay attention to the front porch. Does it look normal, or is something not quite right? The porch might be sinking.

Jon Peterson is the general manager of a basement and foundation repair company. He says there are two main reasons why a porch will sink. One is over-saturation of the soil from gutters and downspouts dumping too close to the porch. The other reason is a bad grade, when the soil slopes toward the house rather than away from it. This erodes the soil from underneath the porch. Peterson says he's also seen problems from a lack of moisture. This causes the soil around the porch to shrink, and leaves a void. Whether or not the porch can be fixed depends on its condition.

"How old is the concrete, is it cracked or crumbling? It kind of determines whether you'd want to replace that porch and pour a new one, or if it's still in good condition you can support and stabilize that porch and actually raise that back up to where it was originally," says Peterson. "That can give you the benefit of a long-lasting porch instead of having to replace that porch every 5-10-years after it's dropped again."

If you see your porch just starting to pull away or sink, Peterson says there are some things you can do to slow down the progress.

"Adding some extra dirt and making sure that water drains away if you are having moisture pile up next to the foundation wall or your porch. In the last few years where we haven't had much moisture, you can get a sprinkler system installed, or have a soaker hose around the porch area and the foundation as well. They both work in conjunction together. They both can dry out."

Even if you tear the porch out and build a new one, keep in mind that you have to solve the cause of the settlement, or you'll have the same problems in the future.