As I look around our neighbourhood it is obvious that our stairs/landings are in sad shape and have been for a while. We are all hoping that homes selling in our neighbourhood will soon consistently sell over the $800,000 mark and yet the first thing a prospective buyer see’s is a crumbling and falling apart front entrance. That just sets them up to be looking for other problems. And for those of us who have no intention of selling just yet, house pride is important for ourselves and our neighbourhood. I recently had the really good fortune to hire an honest and fantastic company to do my repair: Verdant. Here are some words below from the owner Caleb with respect to the job he did for me. I am thrilled with my repair so feel free to stop by and take a look at 7 Humphrey Gate. Keep in mind that the price Caleb quotes should be shared between the two households. I have also added some before and after pictures.
We were recently given the chance to repair a step at a residence within your neighborhood. As many of you are aware the steps have been greatly deteriorating causing concern for safety and appearance. During my repair of the step I came across a few alarming issues with the installation of these steps:
1. Incorrect base material. Much of the interlocking stones have been laid on what is known as limestone screenings. The issue with
this material is that it retains moisture therefore creating freeze thaw issues which in turn promotes movement and separation throughout the steps. The second issue which stems from the first is that when limestone reacts with water a highly acidic environment is create which will then in turn corrode the concrete material.
2. Improper compaction of base material. Upon visual inspection it is clear to see most steps are settling closest to the house due to improper compaction in this region. Also with such a small space to work with many of the gravel lifts likely did not see a correct compaction as the compaction equipment would have likely moved the stone if used in such a tight space.
3. Improper Construction of Interlocking stone. Upon deconstruction it was evident that an adhesive was not used to secure the stones together.
Repair process by Verdant:
1. Disassemble & clean all stones.
2. Remove old gravel base and install new base with “A” Gravel to a minimum of 6” thick. Base installed & compacted with equipment to assist water drainage with sloping directed to rear (closest to house).
3. Install drainage pipe to direct all water out from within steps.
4. All wall blocks are installed on a poured concrete foundation 3” thick to turn the units into one solid mass.
5. All stones are installed with a slight 2% slope to allow water to drain off and away from the house avoiding ice buildup.
6. After the first tier is installed we use HPB (High Performance Bedding) which compacts to 98% upon installation without the use of compaction equipment. This material is also highly porous which does not retain any moisture allowing all water to drain to the tile drainage. With the use of this material we eliminate all future issues of compaction, freeze thaw action and moisture damage.
7. Steps are completed with polymeric jointing sand installed to reduce insect and weed infestation.
If you are reading this and have the same issue we can provide a repair service starting at $1,175.00 plus taxes which includes warranty. This is a base price as damaged interlocking stone requiring replacement will increase costs.
For more information call or email us at:
cell: (226) 238-0591
email: verdant.dbm@gmail.com
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