A year of concrete care in Santa Fe
Concrete lasts longest when small problems are caught early: a crack that lets water under a walk, a joint full of weeds, a downspout that dumps water against a slab. In Santa Fe two local facts shape the calendar. The state reports radon in homes in every county, and the city requires historic district approval before permits for work on properties in its districts. The checklist below follows the seasons and fits both into the routine.
Winter: December to February
- Test for radon. The New Mexico Environment Department recommends testing in winter, and it hands out free test kits seasonally. Radon comes up from the soil through cracks and openings in slabs and foundations, so a winter test tells you whether the concrete under and around the house is letting it in.
- Walk the slabs after snow melts. Look for new cracks, lifted edges and places where water sits and refreezes. Mark each crack with a piece of tape and the date, so you can tell later whether it's growing.
- Go easy on deicers. Use a product the label says is safe for concrete, and shovel first so you need less of it. Never use deicers on concrete poured in the past year unless the contractor says it has cured enough.
- Plan spring work. If you want a new driveway, walk or patio, winter is the time to collect quotes and check the license classification of each contractor on the Construction Industries Division's license search.
Spring: March to May
- Find out about historic review. If your property is in one of Santa Fe's five historic districts, file a Historic Districts Application Request with the Historic Preservation Division before the work. Its approval has to come before the construction permit, so start early if you want a summer pour.
- Clean out joints and cracks. Pull weeds and grass from control joints, blow out debris and fill cracks with a flexible sealant made for concrete.
- Check the drainage. Watch where water goes during spring storms. Water that runs under a slab washes out the base and leads to settling.
- Look at the steps and stoops. These see the most water and the most foot traffic. Loose railings and spalled edges are worth fixing before summer.
Summer: June to August
- Pour early in the day. If new work is scheduled, ask the contractor to start in the morning. Fresh concrete that dries too fast on a hot, sunny afternoon cracks more and ends up with a weaker surface.
- Keep new concrete moist. Follow the curing plan the contractor gives you, whether it's a curing compound, covers or wet curing, and keep cars off a new driveway for as long as they recommend.
- Watch storm runoff. Afternoon storms can drop a lot of water fast. After the first few, look for washed-out soil at slab edges and fill it in.
- Test after slab work. If the summer job touched the house, such as a new garage floor or a basement slab, test for radon again once it's done.
Fall: September to November
- Seal before the cold. If your driveway or patio has a sealer, fall is the time to reapply it, on a dry day after a good cleaning and with the slab fully dry. Follow the product's directions.
- Fill cracks one more time. Water in a crack that freezes widens it. Seal anything new before winter.
- Clear downspouts and gutters so meltwater lands away from slabs and foundations.
- Book next year's work. Contractors fill their spring schedules early.
Records to keep
Keep the contractor's name and license number, the slab thickness, reinforcement and sealer product, the dates of each sealing and your radon test results. If the property is in a historic district, keep the approval with the permit. Together they make repair quotes easier to compare and help when you sell the house.