We have a generic wrap-around concrete sidewalk next to the detatched garage in our backyard that does NOT drain anywhere! I suppose it was not poured at any angle and when it rains badly, water goes into the garage.

Eventually we want to replace said widewalk with pavers, but that's low on the priority list.

My question is, w/o having to pay big bucks for a "drainage engineer" to come & fix, can I just get some sort of concrete drill bit & drill small holes directly into the concrete to allow for drainage??

In my mind, this is brilliant, but I have no idea if this is a smart thing to do. Remember, the sidewalk is going to be replaced, so I'm not worried about the holes looking stupid, we just need to get rid of the pooled water around the garage.

Thanks!

 

Drilling holes won't work unless you've got a heck of a gravel base under it, and even then maybe not. Is the surrounding dirt/grass/mulch below the level of the concrete? If it is higher than the sidewalk, dig it down to allow the water to drain away from your garage.

 

I agree that you would need a good granular base underneath the concrete slabs for the holes to work. My guess is that if the sidewalk is not built with proper grades, then the base is likely also not built well and you'd be wasting your time drilling holes.

If the ground adjacent to and beyond the sidewalk slopes away from the sidewalk/garage, your best bet may be to take a chisel and hammer and notch a few troughs into the concrete sloping away from the garage to let the water get away.

Good luck.

 

Look to your guttering arrangments to direct water away from the area.

 

I always see concrete that has been in place for a long time becoming lower than the level of the surrounding ground. This is because after years of mowing, the grass mulch lays there, decays, and builds up so the ground gets higher. That's why a lot of driveways and sidewalks appear to have sunk. The higher ground acts as a dam and won't let water run off as it should. Get a level and check to see if your walk is sloping away from the house/garage. If it is, dig out the ground beside it or make a trench for runoff. It's possible that your concrete has actually sunk too, in which case slabjacking would be the cheapest/easiest fix to bring it back up.