https://imgur.com/a/BB8SHG6
The porch is concrete and rebar. The rebar started to expand and rust from moisture, which caused the underside of the porch to start coming down. On the top you can see where I put down caulk to try and slow the water coming through some cracks. I even sealed it and it still manages to come through, not as much though.
I've had a hard time finding concrete guys who do more than just driveways and patios. And I'm worried if I resurface to concrete, it's just going to crack on me.
Does anyone here have thoughts on fixing concrete porches. They're everywhere in my city, I just havent been able to find anyone able to work on it.
Also I'm open to repairing myself if that's even possible
Illinois resident / Chicago / rental tenant
Personal injury applies to plaintiff. I am defendant.
My building is a three-level apartment structure. I am the ground floor tenant. Every spring, my neighbor upstairs would host a party, inviting several dozens of people. My bedroom faces the back yard and rear deck, which are accessible via a set of french doors. Two years ago, during one of these spring parties, I left those doors open to anyone who needed access to my en suite bathroom. I also provided refreshments in coolers on the main floor deck. Other than the occasional visit to my bedroom to make sure no one was messing with my things, I largely stayed away from the party. After all, these were my neighbor's friends. Not mine. Besides, I had guests to spend time with in the quieter spaces within the rest of my apartment.
In the early afternoon I stepped into the back yard to get an estimation of how many people were around. It was cloudy and wet that day, so not many people showed for what was largely an outdoor event. The last time I looked at the second floor deck, I figured there were maybe 10-15 people up there.
About thirty minutes later I heard a loud crash come from the back of the building. I ran to my room to see what had happened and saw that the second floor deck had collapsed, crushing many of the things on my patio below. Immediately I called 911.
Firemen arrived in quickly and started looking for injured parties. Fortunately only one person was taken away with a broken wrist. A single person was on the main floor patio, and he was shielded by a table when the upper floor fell (I have this on CCTV video.) Most of the people on the second floor deck sort of slid off into the back yard, as the deck fell and rolled toward the grass. All of us were very lucky. This could have been much worse.
Two days ago I received a summons to answer a complaint and appear in court. The plaintiff claims to have been at the party (I do not recognize his name.) He and his lawyer are casting a very wide net. The contractor who built the building, the contractor who later renovated the building interior, the liability insurer, the building owner, the property inspector who examined the structure before my landlord closed on it, and contractor who built the deck, my upstairs neighbor, and me are all named as defendants. The plaintiff is suing for more than 50K in damages.
Here's the gist re: the complaint against me:
(1) On the day of the party, I sho
... keep reading on reddit ➡My neighbors porch is in need of great repair and they are doing nothing about it. What can I do to protect my property if it takes my porch with it when it collapses?
My neighbors porch is in need of great repair and they are doing nothing about it. What can I do to protect my property if it takes my porch with it when it collapses?
