How do I remove & replace concrete stoop that has cracked and heaved? The house foundation is poured concrete with no cracks or leaks. The stoop is at ground level and is butted on the exterior by a concrete driveway.

Is the stoop an integral part of the foundation, or is it an independent structure? Is the stoop cast-in-place concrete. or is it prefabricated precast concrete? Does it have a roof supported by posts carried on the stoop? Does it have a foundation extending below frost level, or does it simply sit on the ground?

Pehaps 'stoop' is not the correct name. It's the poured concrete step in the top of the cutout of the basement wall for the side entrance. It did have a crack before this past Michigan winter. It did heave during an extreme freeze period which caused both the entrance and storm doors damage.

Now I'm REALLY confused. Unless someone poured a step, or maybe just a concrete slab like a landing, with most of it resting on the ground, and the edge of it resting on the foundation. That's one way such a step can damage doors if it heaves. If that's the case, it wasn't built correctly. There should have been a joint at the face of the foundation, so that the slab supported by the ground is independent of the part that is supported by the foundation.

Or don't I get it, yet?

Richard H - I have a similar stoop to what Richard M described. It's a stoop to a front door with 2 sidelite panels. Approximate size of the stoop is 8 ft x 6 ft. The stoop to this 1974 townhouse was poured at the same time as the step on which the front door rests. There is no joint between the step and the stoop. I cannot see if the step on which the front door rests was poured directly onto the foundation. The stoop has a large crack all the way across it and the half of the stoop closest to the house is now lower than the rest of the stoop (not good). Also the stoop & step have been covered with outdoor carpet for years. I need to replace the front door & sidelites and want to replace the stoop (and step on which the front door rest) before doing so. I appreciate any suggestions on how to go about doing this replacement. Can send you photos if that will help.

OK, I think I get the picture. The crack that occurred was entirely predictable. If the stoop was to rest on the foundation wall, it should have been tapered up to a greater thickness, like 8 inches, where it rested on the wall. The taper should have been at least 3 feet wide, or maybe the entire platform should have been thicker and/or reinforced. It probably was only 4 inches thick.

Given that the place where the stoop rests on the wall is probably only 4 inches deep, there are two sensible choices. One is to fill that notch with concrete, and construct your new stoop so that it is independent of the house foundation. The other is to use the notch again, but this time, place steel reinforcing bars in the platform slab where it rests on the wall, every so many inches across the width, and extending some distance back into the platform.

Either solution will require a small amount of engineering, so I'd suggest you consult a local structural engineer for further information.