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Your problem is poor finishing. When the concrete was skreeted they left behind low spots, probably because they didn't have "interim" framing in place where they ultimately made the stress cuts. They should have had framing in those places such that running a straight edge between the exterior form and the interior form would leave behind a level surface. That appears to not have happened.
What can you do now? Ignore it, but i appreciate how it drives you nuts. No reason why on a small pour like that there should be hollows/puddles. Maybe over time you might get some sinkage, depending on how well they prepared the base, but this soon, it is all on the way it was finished.
Tearing it out, and the contractor will fight you tooth and nail because of the 3/8" rule, is the only solution. Overlaying, patching and sealing will have no/adverse effect, except the black spots where the water lays and dries might be easier to remove if the concrete is sealed.
Another concern is under the gutter downspout, water pools and doesn't run off toward the street as it should. At least water doesn't flow toward the house, so that part is okay.
Is this somehow a product of the same contractor who did the driveway doing recent work? Or has that been a long-standing issue?
If it were me, I'd consider some remediation on this issue.
Last question - do you think it will help at all to do a simple seal coat on the driveway? Or is this just a decorative thing?
It seems to me that a seal coat would protect the surface of the driveway, as well as enhance it's appearance. I wouldn't add aggregate to try to fill the dips.
I would probably do as my other neighbors on the street - add a tan tint to to the seal coat to match the existing seal coat on my walkway and garage floor.
A concrete sealer will add more protection against water and chemical infiltration and you should be okay using one as long as the surface is not smooth! If it is smooth, it will make the surface slippery since water and moisture will tend to bead up and it could a very slippery surface.
I am not a fan of using a tinted sealer, especially on concrete that already has a uniform color, however that’s just my thing. It’s okay for your garage slab to be different in appearance to the driveway slab.
A concrete sealer will add more protection against water and chemical infiltration and you should be okay using one as long as the surface is not smooth! If it is smooth, it will make the surface slippery since water and moisture will tend to bead up and it could a very slippery surface.
I am not a fan of using a tinted sealer, especially on concrete that already has a uniform color, however that’s just my thing. It’s okay for your garage slab to be different in appearance to the driveway slab.
I realize we want things to be perfect, but I will say when I read "standing water" and "ponding" I was picturing much larger puddles than these.
On edit: Definitely divert the downspout away, if that's it in the last picture... you don't want to dump water right where you're walking.
circumference of the puddles don't really matter. A couple are deep and don't drain (well, none of them drain; they just evaporate eventually). That is standing water that is sitting there going nowhere; and when all of them freeze over in the winter.... That's a problem in my book.
Think of warehouses where specialty forklifts store/retrieve heavy items such as newsprint rolls for a printing press from very, very tall stacks - if the floor isn't level, the forklift could tip over.
Contractors have special equipment to achieve that level of flatness - a laser screed.
If you decide to have the driveway pulled & replaced, it might make sense for you to pay for the contractor to rent a laser screed (see link above) to achieve the result you desire. I do not know enough to know if such equipment can be used on something as small as a driveway - but perhaps it can.
You certainly can seal the driveway - but note that can make it slippery when wet. Consider adding a friction enhancer to the sealer - something such as https://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...stant-additive Shark Grip. It is the consistency of talcum powder. Note you will need to re-seal every few years, depending on the product you specify. Some sealers are good for a single year; others are good for 5 or more.
K'ledgeBldr - would you please send a link for this citation in the NAHB Guidelines?
I found a link to the NAHB Guidelines, but it doesn't contain your citation. It looks like it's not published free anywhere?
And do these guidelines apply to after-build contractors, like this concrete contractor I'm dealing with?
You are correct- the guideline booklet is not available for free from the NAHB. But, several builders across the country publish them on their own website(s). Just do a search for “NAHB Performance Guideline Book”- in a pdf.
As for the contractor; yes, these guidelines would apply to him also. Does he have to follow them- No. But, if he wants to stay in business he will- and I can almost guarantee with certainty that he is well aware of them.
so.. to those of you following this saga, here's what's happening...
I just spoke with, then sent pictures of the driveway to a manager at the concrete company that poured my driveway. It was a cordial conversation and he seemed interested in working with me on several issues related to the driveway replacement. Here's what he's doing:
1. Sending out someone to clean up some sloppy finishing work to a couple of expansion joints.
2. Agreed to pay for the damage to my irrigation system that occurred during the job. They severed the electrical line to the controller box. (Yeah, I didn't mention this part in my post - a $175 repair)
3. Is sending someone to come out after our next rain (probably this weekend) to inspect the pooling, then we go from there.
So, at least some progress is being made. Trying to keep my cool, be patient, and give time for this to play out. At least they seem cooperative and willing to work with me. That's a good start.
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