I hate to say it but that has got to be the worst flagstone patio I have ever seen. Even if it drained well I would not have paid the contractor. Looks like he may have laid the stone directly into the concrete. The joints (which are huge) looks a lot like finished concrete. If you had smaller mortar joints it may have been possible to take out some stone and reset them but looking at your photos I think that it would be very difficult.
Another solution which will cost you some money would be to lay flagstone on top of what you have. This will add about 4" or so of grade next to your house. Don't know if that is an option. By doing this you can get a better looking patio and solve the drainage issue.
If you dont mind spending a few thousand dollars or so for a new patio I would interview some real masons. Make sure you check their references and look at some of their work.
This one was dry-laid, not mortar set, but from this aerial shot the client took you can get a sense for why I think the joints on your project are a little big.
You guys crack me up! Did you notice under our kitchen overhang, there are no stones. The guy first just threw a mess under there and we asked him to at least smooth it out.
We supplied the stones and told him we had access to 200 more from a friend. He assured us there were enough in our yard that we laid out for him. Then the day before we were going on vacation, and my boyfriend was pulling a 24-hr. shift at the firehouse, Bert tells me we need 15-20 more; and if we couldn't get more, he has some.
So we got 25 more and went on vacation. When we returned, we were in for a surprise! After we removed the mortar clouding them, we unveiled some pretty colored stones. But the joints are all uneven, and very wavy, creating a possible tripping hazard (esp after downing a Margarita).
So right now, we're between covering them with a brick paver patio (thank you Jody) or enclosing it, but then still having the wavy patio.
Oh, I should also state initially Bert showed us with his fingers how wide the joints would be. The actual width requires two hands to demonstrate it.
You need to put a setting bed under the brick (paver's) before you lay them down. This will give you an even finish and allows you to give the patio some pitch.
I would suggest hiring a good landscape contractor to come in and do it. They could probably "bang" it out in a day or two and then you can be done with this.
This could be a new threat to irreputable contractors everywhere. Do the job right or we'll post shots of your work on the internet where contractors congregate.
Susan, I feel your pain.
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Susan, you should be the one filing suit - for your other payments back that you already made. You are taking this crap way too calmly. With some people, you need to get in their business before they take you seriously. Id try that route since being nice got you here.
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Oh Susan! Going to court may be a blessing in disguise after seeing those photos. Maybe the judge will make him tear it out and give you back your money. Please look at the photos of flagstone patios on my website as well as on others here. If you look on the websites of your local stone supply yards, you may also get pictures of how a properly installed patio should look.
Susan, I hope that you also took some pictures of the patio before you cleaned it up and sealed it. You do have some pretty stones. What a shame to waste them like that.
Susan, It's time you got mad. Very mad. Time to call the BBB, your lawyer, anyone this guy claims to be licensed by, and start making absolutely sure he doesn't get another job ever in your area. And get a couple of estimates on what it will take to tear it out and start over. THAT is what you take to court. Statements from other local contractors, whom a court will accept as expert testimony, as to the quality or lack thereof, of the construction.
Re: mud jacking.... I'd be leery of that. It's actually called pressure grouting. You can search on that term. I've used that in structural situations and it's really something you do as a last resort. You'll have 3" or so holes drilled through the slab for the pipe to get to the bottom of slab. They'll pump grout which is basically concrete without the large aggregate under pressure to lift the slab. Since you do have an bottom slab you could do this, but will not be pretty. You'll have to patch these 3" holes every 4' or so maybe. Also, if you go that route, I'd get a guy that specializes in it. The guy I always recommend for that work specializes in foundation jacking and pressure grouting. I'd call a small structural engineering firm in your area and find out who they recommend for that work. Most SE's avoid residential work like the plague, so be clear you're looking for who they recommend for small pressure grouting jobs and not that you're trying to get something designed. If you can get past the receptionist, you'll be fine. If you have trouble post it here. I can get on an SE listserver and try to find out the info based on your location.
Actually dayhiker, I haven't seen it done with concrete yet. I've seen sand and I've seen (real) mud. Never concrete. Hence the term mudjacking. But I'm sure it varies from place to place, and I agree about the durability of the end product.
The difference may be the application. The only time I've used it has been structural applications. An example would be voids under a building slab where either the voids are merely grouted and pressure is used to chase out voids or the slab is actually picked up. In building foundations we usually change over to something more invasive.
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