After every rainstorm, you watch it happen: water pools on your patio, collects against your foundation, or turns your driveway into a shallow pond. You might think this is just annoying—something you have to live with. But standing water on concrete isn't just inconvenient. It's actively destroying your home.
Water is the #1 enemy of both concrete and foundations. Pooling water accelerates freeze-thaw damage, promotes mold and algae growth, and—most critically—can seep into your foundation, causing cracks, flooding, and tens of thousands of dollars in structural damage.
At Charlotte Concrete Repair, we don't just fix cracks. We fix the drainage problems that cause them. Here's how improper drainage develops and how we solve it.
Why Your Concrete Holds Water (It Wasn't Always This Way)
When your driveway or patio was first poured, the contractor (hopefully) sloped it to drain away from your house. The standard is a minimum of 1/8 inch per foot of slope—barely noticeable to the eye, but enough to get water moving. So why is it pooling now?
1. Settlement
The most common culprit in Charlotte is soil settlement. Our red clay shifts over time. The section of your patio near the house (sitting on backfill) sinks, while the outer edge (on undisturbed soil) stays put. What was once a slope away from the house becomes a slope toward it.
2. Poor Original Construction
Some contractors cut corners. They don't establish proper grades before pouring. They eyeball the slope instead of using levels and strings. The result is a flat or incorrectly pitched slab that traps water from day one.
3. Landscape Changes
Did you add mulch beds, retaining walls, or raised planters after the concrete was poured? These changes can block natural drainage paths, creating dams that hold water against your slab.
The Danger: More Than Just Puddles
What Standing Water Does to Your Property:
- Foundation Damage: Water pooling against your foundation seeps through microscopic pores. In winter, it freezes and expands, cracking the concrete. Over years, this leads to basement leaks, structural cracks, and settling.
- Concrete Deterioration: Water sitting on concrete saturates it. Freeze-thaw cycles pop off the surface (spalling). Algae and mold make it slippery and unsightly.
- Mosquito Breeding: Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. That puddle on your patio isn't just ugly—it's a health hazard.
- Erosion: Water that eventually overflows creates erosion channels in your landscaping, washing away mulch, topsoil, and plants.
The Solutions: Restoring Proper Drainage
Solution 1: Slab Lifting (Foam Jacking)
If your drainage problem is caused by a sunken slab, lifting is the most elegant fix. We inject polyurethane foam beneath the low section, raising it back to the original grade. This restores the designed slope without any demolition.
Best for: Patios or driveways where specific sections have settled, creating reverse slopes or birdbaths.
Solution 2: Surface Drains
When lifting alone can't solve the problem—perhaps because the entire slab is flat—we install surface drains. These are narrow channels with grated covers that collect water and pipe it away to a safe discharge point (the street, a dry well, or a pop-up emitter in your yard).
Best for: Flat patios, garage aprons, or areas where water must be captured and redirected.
Solution 3: Resurfacing with Slope Correction
For severe cases, we can apply a sloped overlay. We build up the low side with a polymer-modified concrete topping, creating a new surface that's properly pitched. This can correct up to 1-2 inches of slope deficiency.
Best for: Pool decks, porches, or areas where the slope is wrong but the slab is otherwise sound.
Solution 4: Sectional Re-Pour
If a specific section is both damaged and poorly graded, we cut it out and pour a new section at the correct slope. This is more invasive but sometimes necessary to solve a stubborn drainage issue.
Preventing Future Problems
- Extend Downspouts: Roof water is a major contributor. Make sure downspouts discharge at least 6 feet from your foundation, or connect them to underground drain pipes.
- Maintain Grading: Over time, soil settles and mulch compacts. Periodically check that the ground around your home slopes away from the foundation.
- Seal Your Concrete: A penetrating sealer reduces water absorption, slowing freeze-thaw damage even if some pooling occurs.
Conclusion
Don't let puddles become foundation cracks. Drainage problems get worse over time, not better. The water that's pooling on your patio today could be in your basement next year.
At Charlotte Concrete Repair, we diagnose drainage issues and implement lasting solutions—whether that's lifting a sunken slab, installing channel drains, or correcting slopes with overlays. Protect your home before the next big storm. Call us for a free drainage assessment.
Charlotte Concrete Repair Team
Our expert team has been serving Charlotte and surrounding areas for over 15 years, completing 500+ concrete projects. We share our industry knowledge to help homeowners make informed decisions.