Porch and step rebuilds

Why old stoops fail

Most concrete stoops on postwar homes in Eastpointe, Warren, Center Line and Roseville were poured on backfill that was never properly compacted, with no frost footing and no drainage. Water gets underneath, freezes, and lifts. Repeat for eighty years and the stoop separates from the house, the risers go out of true, and the whole thing tilts back toward the front door - which sends water at the house rather than away from it.

Mudjacking or patching addresses the position of the concrete, not the reason it moved. It buys a few seasons.

What a rebuild involves

1. Remove the old stoop entirely and get eyes on what is underneath.
2. Excavate and rebuild the base properly, compacted in lifts, with drainage away from the foundation.
3. Set the structure - either a poured footing and block core faced in paver or stone, or a fully engineered segmental build depending on height.
4. Set risers to a consistent height. This is a code requirement and a genuine safety issue: inconsistent risers are the most common cause of falls on a residential property.
5. Finish the treads and face in material that matches the walkway and the house.

Handrails and code

Most Macomb County municipalities require a handrail above a certain number of risers, and require guards where there is a drop at the side. We build to your local code rather than to whatever was there before, because "it was like that already" is not a defence if someone falls.