Home Ownership (misc.consumers.house)

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
fork
 
Posts: n/a
Default will I undermine my foundation?

The house I just bought is three stories tall, built into a moderate
hillside. The ground floor is not as large as the floor above it, and
there's a 'workshop' in the crawlspace behind the ground floor, beneath
the second floor. This workshop has a sloped dirt floor. It goes from
about 7.5 ' tall to about 6' tall over the span of about 8'. What I'd
like to do is dig this out so it's flat and pour a slab. But I'm
worried that this dirt is supporting the foundation, and if I remove
too much of it the pressure from the dirt on the other side would
eventually do some harm. Needless to say, I know nothing about this
stuff . Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Fork

  #2   Report Post  
John A. Weeks III
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article . com,
"fork" wrote:

The house I just bought is three stories tall, built into a moderate
hillside. The ground floor is not as large as the floor above it, and
there's a 'workshop' in the crawlspace behind the ground floor, beneath
the second floor. This workshop has a sloped dirt floor. It goes from
about 7.5 ' tall to about 6' tall over the span of about 8'. What I'd
like to do is dig this out so it's flat and pour a slab. But I'm
worried that this dirt is supporting the foundation, and if I remove
too much of it the pressure from the dirt on the other side would
eventually do some harm. Needless to say, I know nothing about this
stuff . Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Fork


You might want to get a structural engineer out to take a
look at this. Depending on the soil and how the foundation
for the 2nd story is built, you might be OK. One thing
you can do is dig a small hole along the 2nd story foundation
and see how far down the foundation goes. If it goes more
than a foot and a half below your dirt level, you are probably
OK. If not, you might be able to do this in sections, one
strip at a time, with the new concrete floor supporting
the wall while you remove the dirt for the next stip.
As a builder, realtor, or architect for advice on who to
talk with to look this over. Or perhaps the concrete
company has someone available to help you.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications
http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================
  #3   Report Post  
v
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 22:26:13 -0600, someone wrote:


As a builder, realtor, or architect for advice

WTF, a REALTOR for cripes sake....


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.
  #4   Report Post  
v
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 27 Feb 2005 17:27:08 -0800, someone wrote:

...Needless to say, I know nothing about this


Then you shouldn't mess with it.

Its the WEIGHT on the wall, and the support UNDER it, that's critical
here. I actually saw the aftermath in NYC of a brick bldg where the
owner dug down the basement all the way out to the perimeter,
intending to make it deeper. Undermined the footings. Building
became an empty lot. Not intentionally.



Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.
  #6   Report Post  
ameijers
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"fork" wrote in message
ups.com...
The house I just bought is three stories tall, built into a moderate
hillside. The ground floor is not as large as the floor above it, and
there's a 'workshop' in the crawlspace behind the ground floor, beneath
the second floor. This workshop has a sloped dirt floor. It goes from
about 7.5 ' tall to about 6' tall over the span of about 8'. What I'd
like to do is dig this out so it's flat and pour a slab. But I'm
worried that this dirt is supporting the foundation, and if I remove
too much of it the pressure from the dirt on the other side would
eventually do some harm. Needless to say, I know nothing about this
stuff . Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Fork

I see this all the time in older houses around here, where they dig out the
'Michigan basement' (aka furnace pit) to a near-full basement. What they
generally do if existing foundation is sound, is to hold back 18 inches or
so from the old walls, dig down, pour new footers, and build a short wall
that really isn't holding anything, then cover the dirt shelf between the
two walls with concrete. You end up with a ledge around the perimeter of the
basement. Now if the old foundation is crappy anyway (like an old rubble
stone foundation with failing lime mortar), the correct solution is to have
house moving company support the house (or that wing) on temporary piers and
jacks, raise it maybe half an inch for clearance, and demo the old walls and
footings, dig down, and build new walls and footings. Not Cheap, but may be
worth it if house is otherwise in decent shape, or you need to correct a
little old-age sagging anyway. Good time to add or upgrade support beams in
the middle of the house.

Note that none of the above is DIY-class work. You need an engineer to
eyeball old foundation, design new stub wall or new foundation, etc, and
permits will be required.

aem sends...

Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Foundation repair Distancevector Home Repair 2 October 14th 04 11:17 PM
Pinning new patio to existing foundation Jeff Home Repair 0 January 21st 04 04:24 AM
Blasting Damage to My House Foundation Research86 Home Repair 0 January 18th 04 07:40 PM
Crack in foundation and home buying decision Prospectivehomebuyer Home Ownership 12 December 16th 03 09:59 PM
HELP: vertical foundation crack in new construction Zhixin Tang Home Repair 46 October 26th 03 02:53 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:28 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"