foundation replacement

[908/930]

You could try calling the local concrete supplier and asking them, they should know the locals that do that type of work, at least for the foundation part.

I have seen locally where they bring in a crane and just lift the house out of the way, do the work and place it back.

[vash]

I would call,the permitting office. They have to know everyone with this skill in their wheelhouse.

It’s axmatter of having the tools I think. Beams, jacks and dunnage.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I'm pretty sure you need to start with an engineer or architect that can assess the soil and work up from there.

Once you have drawings you can find a contractor.

This. Great advice

[drcoastline]

Very common in my area to put new foundations under homes. In my area assuming you need to hire two subs maybe three. A house mover to lift the house. A mason to tear out the old foundation dig and pour the footer and lay the new block. Depending on soil you may need to drive pilings before they pour the footer. A good mason should be able to GC the job.

[wilnj]

Originally Posted by mepstein

I would see if superior walls are available in your location. Pre-cast concrete walls. Installs in half a day. I worked a new construction site and they used them for 250 homes. Even guaranteed to be waterproof. I would use them for my house.

Unless things have changed they’re not interested in in a job like this because they can’t easily modify their walls to existing conditions suck as the existing house not being square.

At least that was the story when I talked to them about my house.


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[Porsche-O-Phile]

Agree - if I were ever approached with something like this the first thing I’d do would be to do an on-site evaluation with a geotechnical engineering sub-consultant, then develop a scope of work according to the findings. Likely they’ll need soils reports and possibly some testing first.

[tevake]

IN lots of the country manufactured homes are common , they do or have done exactly what you need. They might know of folks for the job.

Cheers Richard

[Porchdog]

Have any Mennonites or Amish nearby? It might be worth a half a day to go talk to some of them about the problem . They dominate the market for that kind of work around here.

The geotechnical advice is probably good. Those guys could be able to recommend contractors as well.

We have dealt with foundation subsidence /repair here with our customers a few times. I am a fan of micropiles for substandard soil issues.

Assuming that you don't have a soil issue I would see your problem as pretty straightforward.

When I was in my young teens my father, brothers and I did essentially the same thing on three different structures - an old farmhouse (pointed loose stone foundation in a flood zone), the adjacent barn (substandard "concrete" footers in the same flood zone) and a vacation cottage (the cottage was on footers, Dad wanted a basement).

Our process was strictly farm engineering. We either jacked the structure with lolly columns or with bottle jacks and timbers, we excavated (by hand) 4' - 8' sections for footers and we formed and poured concrete walls. We did the whole cottage section by section with a total of 10 or so pours. The farmhouse we did one whole wall and a staircase and we encase the other walls. The barn we did one corner and another section of wall.

This process was a ton of hard manual labor. We didn't know any better. None of those buildings have subsided since.

[VincentVega]

Interesting stuff.

^thats what I was thinking. You can make things as complicated s you want, I usually go for the simplest. You could shore up the existing, jack the house then add a top plate/shim until level. Add a little more security with a footer behind the existing, shore up the existing, build a block wall and tie it into the existing.

[Porchdog]

Given the appearance of that loose brick I am doubting that there is any other footer. Absent an existing, intact and stable footer I would clear the brick out, Pour a footer below the frost line then put in the new foundation wall.

I wouldn't want to do block in a confined space but I suppose that would be OK. So long as you can form concrete that is relatively easy. My brother and I had a form blow out but we were just doing the "farmer" thing. We didn't screw that up again.

I'm thinking that shoring and jacking the house would be the toughest part. It looks like there are substantial beams under there which would make it easier. If you need to jack on joists you will need beams or timbers to span under them.

[1990C4S]

I think you need to go watch some 'Holmes on Homes' episodes. Sometimes he's a pain in the ass and goes over the top which annoys me to no end.

With a foundation I think you want to err on the side of caution, like he does.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by Porchdog

Given the appearance of that loose brick I am doubting that there is any other footer. Absent an existing, intact and stable footer I would clear the brick out, Pour a footer below the frost line then put in the new foundation wall.

I wouldn't want to do block in a confined space but I suppose that would be OK. So long as you can form concrete that is relatively easy. My brother and I had a form blow out but we were just doing the "farmer" thing. We didn't screw that up again.

I'm thinking that shoring and jacking the house would be the toughest part. It looks like there are substantial beams under there which would make it easier. If you need to jack on joists you will need beams or timbers to span under them.

Yeah, no footing and only a center beam that was added sometime in the 50's. Another part of the problem is that the foundation does not go to the frost line. It's 42" here but the foundation only goes down about 24" (12" below crawlspace grade).

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by VincentVega

Interesting stuff.

^thats what I was thinking. You can make things as complicated s you want, I usually go for the simplest. You could shore up the existing, jack the house then add a top plate/shim until level. Add a little more security with a footer behind the existing, shore up the existing, build a block wall and tie it into the existing.

I would love to go simple on this but the brick is crap brick that's turned fragile. You poke it with a screwdriver and it turns to dust. Because of that, a total replacement is really my only option.

[GH85Carrera]

Call a house mover and tell them you want to move the house. Move it just far enough to build a new foundation first, and move the house to it. Hopefully you have enough land to move the hose and be in a good location. Maybe build a man cave in the place where the house is.

I am good at spending lots of your money!

[Zeke]

I've stayed out of this for now. But now I'll add my take. Moving the house is unnecessary. Raise it in place, it's easier to lay out the forms while the house is directly above. Gives a lot of info about plumbing, etc., which will be a factor.

No need to slide steel beams in from the sides, that's for when the moving platform is slid under the house and its lowered onto that. Raise the house from under with numerous jacks. The ones controlled by a single panel and have gauges on each for level would be the best. Keep the perimeter free of such equipment so that you can excavate the required depth and place your concrete with rebar. Build your stem walls in whatever manor is typical for your area and let that sucker down.

I've raised a corner of a house just enough to get concrete right up to where the new sill plate needs to be with a shim here and there, and let the house back down to level. All you need is a 1/4" if you know what you are doing.

[dad911]

How big is the house? Single Story?

[Porchdog]

Zeke is correct. Find the guy who has those jacks and the rest is easy.

I only have personal experience doing it with small jacks and lolly columns, and then only levelling part of the structure. Lifting the whole house requires a lot of jacking.

I have helped engineer the process on industrial buildings and homes with sinkhole subsidence (hence my fondness for micro-piles). Around here the Mennonite house movers are the guys with all the jacks and beams, so they are the guys brought in to do the lifting. They will need to do some prep to set the jacks but that should be relatively simple.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by dad911

How big is the house? Single Story?

22' x 36' 1.5 story (single story with full height attic). Straight walls with no bay windows or dormers. There's one 6"x 6"x 36' beam that runs down the center of the house but the joists are full length and go from outside wall to outside wall. Lot is 60 x 70 with retaining walls on 3 sides so that negates moving it in any direction and keeping it on the lot it's on.

[Porchdog]

No need to shift it at all. Pick it up a couple inches above the sill height and you are good to work.

When we diy'd it we spanned several joists with a timber, just far enough back from the wall to leave room to dig the footer and lifted with lolley columns. Those need to be fixed top and bottom.

If I was DIY'ing that job I would lift one long wall, then the opposite wall, then fill the ends. That way the house doesn't shift - that's how we did it.

A pro will put two beams under near the joist ends and jack on those and the center beam - he will lift and level the whole house at once. That is easier and quicker when you have a crew and an
excavator They can excavate and pour the footer in one shot then stack or pour the foundation.

You/they will need to deal with the plumbing, but the foundation itself isn't that big a deal to do with the house on jacks.

Thousands of houses along the coast were jacked up after Sandy - like 3' - 12'.

[911 Rod]

If the foundation looks like that are you sure the house is not a teardown?