Good evening dear forum members,
About two months ago (so well before the onset of winter), I noticed a significant unevenness in the paving stones on the sidewalk directly in front of our house (when standing facing the front door, it is on the right, just before the neighbor’s house) – there are 2-3 rows across that are noticeably uneven and, rather than having sunken, have actually risen.
Unfortunately, this is not very clear in the pictures (in one photo I have roughly marked the spot with my foot).
My question now is what could cause such a rise in the paving stones. Could it be due to underground pipes that might be damaged and leaking fluids, which in turn may have affected the paved area? Although I would expect that if water was involved, the ground would be soft and the stones would more likely sink.
Any other possible causes? Above all, I want to avoid the possibility that this could indicate hidden issues that might damage the facade or foundation of our house. Whether the sidewalk is uneven or not is basically irrelevant to me. Is there any way to find out without digging up the pavement?
The condition has not changed over these two months – neither worsened nor improved. The paving stones are not loose; they remain just as firmly fixed as always, only uneven.
Possibly relevant – we don’t have a basement. On the side where the paving stones are uneven is our kitchen with a tiled floor, so any issues would likely be noticeable there first... There are no visible signs of damage to the insulation or facade.
I’m at a loss.
Thank you very much in advance!
About two months ago (so well before the onset of winter), I noticed a significant unevenness in the paving stones on the sidewalk directly in front of our house (when standing facing the front door, it is on the right, just before the neighbor’s house) – there are 2-3 rows across that are noticeably uneven and, rather than having sunken, have actually risen.
Unfortunately, this is not very clear in the pictures (in one photo I have roughly marked the spot with my foot).
My question now is what could cause such a rise in the paving stones. Could it be due to underground pipes that might be damaged and leaking fluids, which in turn may have affected the paved area? Although I would expect that if water was involved, the ground would be soft and the stones would more likely sink.
Any other possible causes? Above all, I want to avoid the possibility that this could indicate hidden issues that might damage the facade or foundation of our house. Whether the sidewalk is uneven or not is basically irrelevant to me. Is there any way to find out without digging up the pavement?
The condition has not changed over these two months – neither worsened nor improved. The paving stones are not loose; they remain just as firmly fixed as always, only uneven.
Possibly relevant – we don’t have a basement. On the side where the paving stones are uneven is our kitchen with a tiled floor, so any issues would likely be noticeable there first... There are no visible signs of damage to the insulation or facade.
I’m at a loss.
Thank you very much in advance!
L
lolerloler17 Jan 2017 22:07No, nothing has been done at all. Everything is already built up. It is also very unlikely that anyone will operate heavy construction equipment on the sidewalk directly in front of the house.
Well, opinions differ on this.
I wouldn’t even consider that small bump worth noting. If you really want to fix it, I would lift the three affected tiles, clean them thoroughly, remove any dirt from the joints, possibly take out a little (!!) of the substrate, put the tiles back in place, tap them with a rubber mallet, spread a handful of sand over them, and that’s it.
Of course, you could also call in a construction company and get a quote. I think you’d be waiting for that quote until kingdom come.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
I wouldn’t even consider that small bump worth noting. If you really want to fix it, I would lift the three affected tiles, clean them thoroughly, remove any dirt from the joints, possibly take out a little (!!) of the substrate, put the tiles back in place, tap them with a rubber mallet, spread a handful of sand over them, and that’s it.
Of course, you could also call in a construction company and get a quote. I think you’d be waiting for that quote until kingdom come.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
Dirk Grafe schrieb:
Well, opinions differ.
I wouldn’t even consider that small bump worth mentioning. If you really want to fix it, I would lift the three affected stones, clean them thoroughly, remove dirt from the joints, possibly take out a little (!!) of the base material, put the slabs back in, tap them with a rubber mallet, then spread a handful of sand over them, and done.
Of course, you could also call in a construction company to prepare a quote. I think you’d be waiting for that quote forever.
Regards,
Dirk GrafeIf you don’t own the property, you just need to inform the owner and there’s no need to call anyone out.
Since I can’t view photos on my phone through Tapatalk, I can’t see any bump and assumed, as mentioned in the original post, that it was something "bigger."
costa schrieb:
?..
Since photos cannot be viewed on a mobile phone via Tapatalk, .....Apart from the fact that it concerns his property, I would like to mention that you can perfectly view every photo and image with Tapatalk.
costa schrieb:
If you don’t own it, you just need to inform the owner and not let anyone trespass.The original poster stated that this is private property. Based on the photos, I assume it is property belonging to neighbors, meaning shared ownership.
Of course, it could belong to a single other owner and the original poster only has easement rights, in which case you are right. However, then I would find the original poster’s question surprising, because in that case the damage would simply be reported to the owner, and no work could be done without their consent.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe