Hi everyone, I am planning for the installation of a 1200 square foot concrete patio. In a normal situation we would excavate 10" to account for 6" compacted road crush and a 4" pad. My concern is the very high water table in my area. With all of the rain that we have received lately I am hitting water about 30" down. Living in a northern climate I am concerned with heaving and cracking. I have spoken with a number of local "experts" and have been presented with a few options. I'm really hoping for some advice and guidance. 1.) The first option presented was the standard approach using 6" road crush under a 4" concrete pad. Their position was that they over spec their pours and are confident this approach is all that is required. 2.) The second option presented was 6" of washed rock, 6 mil poly then the 4" pad. This approach does not use road crush. The logic there is that any water under the pad will wash away via the rock, either to the edges of the pad or back to the weeping tile around the house. 3.) The third option presented was 6" of washed rock, 4" of high density foam insulation then the 4" pad. The logic here is again, any water under the pad will wash away via the rock and any shifting of the pad will be absorbed via the insulation. 4.) The fourth option presented was 6" of road crush under the 4" pad as well as pilings every 10'. Using screw pilings with a post cap that is slightly larger than the piling post. The logic here is the cap is embedded into the concrete. If the pad heaves it will slide up and down the piling post. Also, the 10' spacing is the spacing used for structural stability such as pilings under a footing. The logic here is if the slab settles the pressure placed on the slab by the immovable piling will not crack the concrete as the pilings are close enough to support the weight of the slab. Knowing very little about concrete you can imagine how confused I am. I'm really looking for some guidance as I have no idea how to proceed.

Hi all - our 3rd bedroom is on the ground level of our townhome. I want to turn this bedroom into a gear storage room because my wife and I spend a ton of time hiking, biking, and skiing and our garage is tiny. I also bike to work almost daily in a wet climate. Our home was built in 2007. It's a townhome where the lower level is garage, 3rd bedroom with sliding glass door to the backyard, and foyer. Here's a link to useful photos: [url]https://goo.gl/photos/WFTZy3q4aXuE6WQ18[/url] I have a vision of a really nice concrete floor but 1) want to do it myself and 2) have never done this before. I am open to a floating laminate or vinyl floor as a backup option. I know the key to painting/staining concrete is surface prep. So I pulled up the carpet to see what we are dealing with. Turns out there's plenty of carpet glue and tack strip popouts and there's a big crack parallel to the sliding glass door. There is also a white paint/primer/sealer that I am too ignorant to identify - help! What is this layer of whitey-ness? At this point, I realize if I want a concrete floor I need to do a moisture test and I also need to either/both strip the white paint/primer and/or add a microtopping/skimcoat before painting or staining. Ok so here are my questions: 0. What should I do? Is finishing the concrete realistic? Should I give up the idea of a nicely finished concrete floor for my gear storage room and go with a floating lam/vinyl? 1. What is the white paint-ish substance? Should I remove it or top over it? Why is it thicker along the tacstrips? 2. What about surface-cleaning (specifically using chemical to remove the glue then filling cracks and holes and cleaning with a wet-dry vac) then adding a micro-topping/skimcoat then dying/staining? 3. If I don't use a topping, is it possible to strip both the white paint/primer/seal and also the blue "carpet" tag and other blemishes? 4.That huge long crack along the sliding glass door - fill it, obviously... anything else? 5. What to do about the tack strip popouts? Thank you