Hello,

I am selling my house and the buyers are insistent that the steps out the back door are "secured". I am not sure what the best way to go about this would be and the timeline they left me with (2 business days) is keeping me from getting a professional opinion. I had considered using concrete compatible construction adhesive between the steps and the frame but wasn't sure if that would be sufficient. I am attaching three different views of the steps. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome to the forums.

My first thought is what the term 'secure' means to the buyer?

It looks like the treads are on top of another concrete structure and if attaching the two is all you need to do, I'd just go buy a tube of PL 400.

Finally, you can always tell the buyer they can do it themselves and see what reaction you get. Could be risky, but....

 

Thanks for the input. There was a very long list of repairs they initially asked. They ended up settling on these steps being "secured" and gfci outlets installed in the garage (another weird one) as things that I must do to appease them. They haven't given me any direction other than secure. The home inspector they had said "Properly secure the steps at the rear patio door. They are lose and may become a fall hazard." I'm going to go with a tube of PL 400 and hope that satisfies them.

 

The steps definitely aren't secure, and no inspector would pass them that way. In fact, if the lender knew about them, I am pretty sure they would require that they be addressed before issuing the loan.

If they will not address it, and you do not have the financial means to fix it, or want to put it on the backburner so you can get other projects done, I would recommend using a concrete bonding agent or some kind of Gorilla block adhesive in the meantime.

Or, you could install some temporary wooden steps (some kits are sold at big box stores).

Sincerely, Mo Sandoval

 

When you do apply the caulking apply a thick bead down the middle and another toward the inside.
If it's to close to the outside your going to have a gooey mess to deal with on the outside.
Asking for the outlets to be GFI protected in the garage is not strange, it's code.