Case Study · Podium terraces · CSLB #1060736
Podium Terrace Paver Replacement & Drainage Correction — 120-Unit Apartment Community, Concord
6,500 square feet of pavers lifted, the membrane underneath tested, pedestals reset and drains cleared — so rain passes through the paver joints to the drains instead of standing at the building doors.
Deck RepairProject facts
- Location
- Concord, CA
- Service
- Deck Waterproofing
- Property
- Mid-rise apartment community with a pedestal-paver amenity terrace on a concrete podium
- Units
- 120
- Client
- Property management company
- Scope
- ~6,500 sq ft of pedestal pavers lifted and replaced · membrane flood-tested · door thresholds re-detailed · pedestals reset · drains cleared and resealed
- Timeline
- 6 weeks · terrace reopened in sections
- Completed
- Q3 2026
- Budget range
- $160k–$210k
01 The situation
The challenge
The terrace is the building’s main outdoor amenity, and after every rain it held water. The pavers had gone dark with algae, the joints between them had filled with moss and debris, and puddles stood along the building wall at the doors and around the drain grates. Several pavers had sunk and rocked underfoot where their pedestals had settled.
The real question was what was happening under the pavers. On a pedestal system the membrane and the drains sit out of sight, and with the joints clogged nobody could tell whether water was reaching the drains or sitting on the membrane — or whether the standing water at the doors was getting past the thresholds. The pavers had to come up to find out, on a terrace that residents use every day and that crews could reach only through the building.
02 Execution
What we did
The terrace was done in sections so part of it stayed open:
Lifted the pavers section by section, cleared the debris and silt from the membrane, and inspected every drain body
Flood-tested the membrane in sections, resealed the drain flanges where the test showed seepage, and re-detailed the membrane at every door threshold
Reset the adjustable pedestals and shimmed them so the paver surface is level at the doors, and cut the pavers around each drain so the grate can be lifted for cleaning
Installed new concrete pedestal pavers with fixed joint spacers, leaving open joints so rain passes through to the membrane
03 Outcome
The result
The terrace now drains the way the system was designed to: rain goes through the joints, along the membrane and into drains that maintenance staff can reach. The surface is level at the doors, so water no longer collects against the thresholds, and the flood test confirmed the membrane holds water before the new pavers went down. The terrace reopened section by section, so residents always had part of it to use.
Results at a glance
- ~6,500 sq ft of pedestal pavers replaced on reset pedestals
- Membrane flood-tested, drain flanges resealed, door thresholds re-detailed
- Paver surface level at the doors, no standing water at the thresholds
- Every drain cleared and left accessible for cleaning
What the client received
- Flood-test results and a photo record of the membrane under the pavers
- Drain locations mapped for maintenance staff
- Paver manufacturer's warranty plus our workmanship warranty
- Cleaning schedule for joints and drains
Transformation
Before & After
Door threshold
Drain grate
“Water used to sit at the doors every time it rained. Now it goes through the joints into the drains, and our maintenance staff can reach every drain.”
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