Sacramento's rainfall arrives in concentrated winter bursts. A yard that looks perfectly fine in September can hold two inches of standing water against a foundation in January. Concrete is the thing that decides where that water goes.
1. Reverse slope toward the house
The single most damaging error. A patio or driveway that falls toward the structure delivers stormwater straight to the foundation, cycling the clay around the footings and, on clay soils, driving seasonal movement. Slope should always move water away from the building.
2. No isolation joint at the structure
A slab poured hard against a foundation with no compressible joint will move with the yard and push on the house. It also creates a direct water path along the interface. Isolation material at every building contact is basic, cheap and constantly skipped.
3. Downspouts discharging onto new flatwork
A roof concentrates an enormous volume into a few discharge points. Dumping that onto a slab edge erodes the subgrade beneath it and creates the void that later becomes a settled panel. Downspouts belong in a piped line that discharges well away from concrete.
4. Dead-flat patios
Level looks right to the eye but ponds water in every low spot. A small consistent fall is invisible when you stand on it and completely changes how the surface performs in a wet winter.
5. Drains installed and then forgotten
Channel drains and area drains work only if they are clear and their outlet is clear. A drain full of oak leaves in November is a decorative grate. Clearing them before the first storm of the season is one of the highest-value ten-minute jobs a Sacramento homeowner can do.
- Walk your property during heavy rain and watch where water actually goes
- Look for standing water still present an hour after the rain stops
- Check that every drain outlet daylights somewhere useful
- Look for soil erosion at slab edges - that is a void forming
If water is going the wrong way on your property, call 877-889-1187 and we will look at the grade before it turns into a slab replacement.