ᐅ Entrance platform for front door, concrete

Hello to all the builders in this forum.

For some time now, I have been following the various posts about building here with great interest.

Now I want to make use of the nice weather to start several outdoor projects at my home.

Currently, my entrance area has an old granite slab with an outdated pattern. I would like to replace it with a concrete platform including a coating (gravel gray). In theory, I imagined pouring a concrete foundation and then covering it with a coating or slabs. However, I have several questions concerning the execution.

Question 1

How deep should a foundation for such a platform be? (I have read about 80cm (31 inches) due to the frost line)

Question 2

Does the foundation need to be filled with gravel or aggregate and reinforced with reinforcing mesh?

Question 3

Should there be a slope of 2 degrees to allow water to drain away toward the front door?

Question 4

How should the edge at the door be finished? There should be a watertight transition between the door and the platform.

(ETICS panels, protective coating, drainage membranes)????

Question 5

Is it absolutely necessary to install a screed reinforcement mesh and a drainage pipe within it?

What do you think? I would be very grateful for your opinions, ideas, and creative suggestions.

The last three pictures are sample suggestions of how it could approximately look.

Taste … and what it’s like …

Personally, I think concrete has many practical qualities, but compared to a natural stone, it falls short.

Describing the "pattern" of a stone as "old-fashioned" seems quite daring to me. Such a stone and its pattern are often over a million years old … long before there were fashions that could be "in" or "out."

Personally, I would prefer stone over concrete.

Patrick-BW schrieb:

How deep should the foundation for such a platform be? (I’ve read about 80cm (31 inches) due to the frost line)

You don’t need such a deep foundation. Practically, you can simply cast it shallow; it will stay in place due to its own weight, and since it doesn’t have to resist water pressure or hold back a slope, nothing will happen.

Patrick-BW schrieb:

Does the foundation need to be filled with gravel/screenings and reinforced with steel mesh?

No, that would be overkill. You’re just building a platform where people occasionally walk. Properly placed concrete is sufficient. The key here is uniform curing.

Patrick-BW schrieb:

Should the slope be 2 degrees to allow water to drain away towards the front door?

Away from the front door.

Patrick-BW schrieb:

How should the edge to the door be finished? There should be a watertight transition from the door to the platform.

Watertight why? Leave a small gap, use a drainage membrane, and extend the treated surface all the way to the edge.

Patrick-BW schrieb:

Is it absolutely necessary to install a screed grid and a drainage pipe in it?

No, the important thing is that the surface doesn’t become slippery when wet.

From your pictures, I would first develop an idea of how all elements should work together, since the mix of shapes and materials right in front of the entrance still offers design potential.

A link I posted earlier was deleted. I wasn’t aware of the regulation. Now I know.

Am I allowed to mention the company? It’s a shop offering all kinds of concrete products, and I get the impression that the owner is very knowledgeable.

That could be useful for the concrete entrance platform.

I had a “large” (20 m² (215 sq ft)) concrete terrace poured and ground down at my place. The result is a surface similar to terrazzo, with polished pebbles. I would prefer that over the “coating slabs.”

manohara schrieb:

A link I posted was deleted earlier. I wasn’t aware of the rule. Now I know.

But you should be aware. When registering, you are informed about the terms and conditions. Names, companies, etc. are allowed to be mentioned.