Ask Me Help Desk - Shifting cinder block foundation

Hi,

We recently purchased a cottage and it sits on cinderblocks to keep if off the ground. The cinders are tilted toward the waterfront and need to be realigned. Is there an easy way to do this ourselves or is this a professional fix. Who fixes this type of thing and how much would something like this cost? Always one more question... do I need a structural engineer to assess the issue?

The cinders are just sitting on the ground and are sinking... some more than others.

Any info would be great.

Regards,

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

I guess everyone else is like me, hesitant to comment on your post because there are so many unknowns.

I can't tell from your post if you have a true foundation or a post and beam construction. You say that the cinder blocks are leaning toward the lake. I can't tell if they are sinking or if they are just leaning. How old and how big is the cottage. Are you in a very cold climate?

You are not likely to be able to get a true structural engineer to inspect it. They are just too expensive. You probably can find a competent builder of contractor to tell what's happening. Try to find one with a good reputation, get more than one. Their diagnosis should be consistent and sound logical.

This is not likely to be something that you can repair. No matter what the cause, the correction will most likely involve jacking up the house or at least providing some temporary support while repairs are being made.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkstroud

Hi Rachel,

I guess everyone else is like me, hesitant to comment on your post because there are so many unknowns.

I can’t tell from your post if you have a true foundation or a post and beam construction. You say that the cinder blocks are leaning toward the lake. I can’t tell if they are sinking or if they are just leaning. How old and how big is the cottage. Are you in a very cold climate?

You are not likely to be able to get a true structural engineer to inspect it. They are just too expensive. You probably can find a competent builder of contractor to tell what’s happening. Try to find one with a good reputation, get more than one. Their diagnosis should be consistent and sound logical.

This is not likely to be something that you can repair. No matter what the cause, the correction will most likely involve jacking up the house or at least providing some temporary support while repairs are being made.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

The foundation is just cinder blocks direcely on the ground. The cottages are 40 years old and the cinders at the front of the cottage are sinking into the soil. This is causing the buildings to lean towards the waterfront where I assume the soil is wetter and therefore has more give. The cottages are about 600 sq ft, 30'-20'. The lean is not huge about 80 degrees (if 90 degrees is plumb from the ground). I live in Ottawa Canada and the winters are cold... up to minus 30 but summer is hot... +30. I've included some pics but they may not show the lean very well.

I've had a couple of different suggestions from contractors. One thinks we need to add 2'-2' concrete tiles below the cinders to spread the weight load, as well as realign the shifted cinders. The other suggest we jack up the cottage and add a cement tube below the frostline and then set the cinders on that. So now I am more confused as to the way to go. My thought is that the cinders have lasted 40 years and only sank a few inches... so do I really need to dig to the frostline?

Rachel

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkstroud

Hi Rachel,

I guess everyone else is like me, hesitant to comment on your post because there are so many unknowns.

I can’t tell from your post if you have a true foundation or a post and beam construction. You say that the cinder blocks are leaning toward the lake. I can’t tell if they are sinking or if they are just leaning. How old and how big is the cottage. Are you in a very cold climate?

You are not likely to be able to get a true structural engineer to inspect it. They are just too expensive. You probably can find a competent builder of contractor to tell what’s happening. Try to find one with a good reputation, get more than one. Their diagnosis should be consistent and sound logical.

This is not likely to be something that you can repair. No matter what the cause, the correction will most likely involve jacking up the house or at least providing some temporary support while repairs are being made.

Forgot attachement of the cottages.

It can be jacked up and blocks reset, but better if a foundation could be dug to allow it to set more solid on a firm footing.

I understand your dilemma. After 40 years the ground should certainly be compact. However, if the blocks do not go down below the frost line the freezing and thawing of the ground will probably keep them moving. This partially explains why they are tilting and not just sinking. The freezing of the water in the ground causes the soil to expand, the thawing allows it to contract. As it moves, anything with any real weight will naturally sink into the soil .

I think I'd go the getting them down below the frost line, whatever that is in your area.

After excavating down below frost line, whether you place some kind of preformed concrete plates, pouri concrete footer or use tubes to pour concrete columns up to ground level I wouldn't care. Just get the base down below frost and on solid undisturbed earth.

Good luck and enjoy the cabin.

To do this right to keep the blocks from sinking or shifting in the future you should move the house out of the way and have what is known as cement piers poured where the cement blocks are placed. The type of structure you have is very similar to a modular home. The cement piers are not cheap but they extend down into the ground about 3' and a hole must be dug to accommodate the cement. Just placing the blocks on a pad that rests on the top of the ground will only encounter the same problem in about a year or so. The poured cement piers are meant to last a LONG time. Would suggest you contact a local mobile home dealer who is a licensed home installer and ask them for an estimate to do this type of work for you. The home could be moved out of the way and put on a frame in the meantime and then just reset in place and properly leveled and tied down. I know it's probably much more than you want to spend on this project, but done any other way would only result in the same thing happening down the road.