Is expansion cement (e.g. Rockite Anchor Cement) a good product to use to anchor bolts in old cinder-block? I need to anchor bolts in cinder-block that is 45-50 years old. These seem to be made with real cinders, not concrete. When drilling holes, black soot comes out. The block doesn’t seem to be very dense, and normal anchors work their way loose after a short time. My idea is to drill holes (2-3 inches wide) in the block, and fill with expansion cement to provide a solid base for the anchors. Any advice? Thanks!

My wife and I moved into our first home in the LA area in October and didn't think anything of the ugly and poorly graded concrete patio in the backyard thinking the backyard would be something we could take our time to invest into in the future. Well, January came and with it the worst storms California has had in years and almost flooded our den through the sliding glass door. Our house is in a L shape, and the poorly graded backyard pooled up all the water against the house. Luckily, we were able to sump the water out before it did much damage to the walls, but the concrete is even worse than it was before. It's cracking all over the place and is more of an eyesore than ever. Since we just bought the house and don't have much saved for repair projects, should we worry about re-doing the concrete patio now? Wait until summertime? We want to put drains in to go around the house and drain out the front so should we just pull up all the old concrete patio and re-do it? Does it need to be re-connected to the existing foundation (slab on grade)? I know this is all kind of vague, but I suppose any suggestions on what to be aware of and what to look for and what to check with the estimates is what I'm asking. Would love some advice if I could get it. Thanks. -B