Hello, I"ll very much appreciate if you can give an advice on a situation with our patio. We live in the old house (Bay area,California), which has a concrete patio. Many years ago it has been probably only a patio, then the pool was added, and some extra layers of cement has been added (so it is 4" next to house and 8" at the outside edge of the patio), then pool has been apparently removed, and now there are the 5"*6" blocks of old cement with 2" wooden strips between them (still almost OK). The top of the cement is about on the same level as the edge of the sliding patio door frame. The concrete is more than 50 years old and looks ugly, and we want to have a wooden patio there. We thought about putting 2*4"s on a top of the concrete, and 1" hardwood decking on the top of it, but it will cover the frame and deck will be on a door level. We also thought about removing the concrete and building the wood frame for the deck in a standard way. But in this case (cement is about 4"thick next to the door ) the decking will be too close to the ground? Or it is OK? Or nothing will work, and we should simply put a tile over that cement? May you, please, suggest what to do? Thank you, Isabella

rip them out and then prep it correctly. the pavers may be pretty settled, but why take the chance that they shift in a couple years and ruin your new patio? it is easier to take them up now and do it right than it is to remove the whole thing and redo it right.

I just built our deck over both an existing concrete patio and what used to be lawn. We removed the sod and replaced it with landscaping cloth and gravel to help keep the moisture down under the deck. If you intend to cover the concrete anyway, why bother getting it installed in the first place?

Money is Money, Change is Change, But what sticks to the Bee is what makes the Honey. In other words they can make more doing an over lay. What ever fault a slab has will always be there. If it moved,cracked,split the same thing will happen to creet placed over it. X 100 going down hill X another 100 with wood inlays. So say there is nothing wrong with the existing creet,Nothing at all. It stll moves with the seasons like everything else solid like that exposed to the weather/sun. To get a fignting chance the Contractor would have to>>> Drill in 1/2 '' rebar into existing, lay a level of sand over the slab,Use a footing mix and tamp the dickens out of, hope for the best and get paid right after the pour. Or just form up and pour the thing and still get paid the second it done. J.