Hi! My husband and I just bought our first house about 6 months ago. It is a split foyer and it about 25 years old. There is one step that goes to the front door and I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that there are been a ton of cracks in the concrete that have developed. We are thinking it could possibly be the ice melt we were using. Well, last night, I came home and noticed that the step is caving in and all the cement is falling off just from touching it. It looks like the top of the step is just a cap. The bricks underneath it are just fine but looks like the bottom bricks are also our foundation. Can you tell me the easiest way to fix this? Since we just bought the house, we have put a lot into it and can't call a professional to come help. We will have to do it ourselves. I didn't know if we could just take off the cement top and if needed fill underneath it with gravel and sand and replace with a wooden step. Please let me know what you think would be the best option.:(

Thank you so much!!

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Originally Posted by deltablue

Hi! My husband and I just bought our first house about 6 months ago. It is a split foyer and it about 25 years old. There is one step that goes to the front door and I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that there are been a ton of cracks in the concrete that have developed. We are thinking it could possibly be the ice melt we were using. Well, last night, I came home and noticed that the step is caving in and all the cement is falling off just from touching it. It looks like the top of the step is just a cap. The bricks underneath it are just fine but looks like the bottom bricks are also our foundation. Can you tell me the easiest way to fix this? Since we just bought the house, we have put a lot into it and can't call a professional to come help. We will have to do it ourselves. I didn't know if we could just take off the cement top and if needed fill underneath it with gravel and sand and replace with a wooden step. Please let me know what you think would be the best option.:(

Thank you so much!!!

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The ice melt really has not caused the condition. It may have allowed the snow run-off to undermine the concrete step and the soil beneath it. That is no biggy unless the whole foundation has also been undermined.

The fix is simple and you have pretty well answered your concern. It is still winter and more draining is likely. If the step has crumbled, a wood plank may be a temporary fix.

Fixing the grade or soil fill will need compacting before a new step gets poured in place. I think you can figure out making a wooden form over the new compacted base. The hollowed out step indicates that the original concrete guys built up the grade to save on the cost of concrete. That's a maybe from me without seeing what you have.

You can do the mix if the slab is small, or you can rent a small concrete trailer from the concrete company. Just figure out the volume needed in yards to fill the new forms. If it is over a couple of yards, you can do it in sections. It's a lot of work but it builds muscles. :) nm