Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    jamlove's Avatar
    jamlove Posts: 78, Reputation: 2
    Junior Member
     
    #1

    Jul 1, 2009, 08:34 AM
    My foundation has no footing!
    Once again my house has baffled me. Yesterday I started preliminary work on my summer project of replacing the concrete floor of the basement (which is cracked, leaky, and badly sloped). I broke out a section of floor near the foundation wall, to see how far down the footing was. I dug down about 3" and found the END of the foundation wall! No footing. It appears to have been poured directly onto the dirt.

    This house was built in 1910. The foundations were mixed and poured by hand. None are cracked, but the whole thing has definitely settled over the decades. The house is not level.

    All I want to really do is have a non-leaking basement. But now if I remove the floor, it looks like I'd be removing the only thing holding the walls up! Not quite, but close.

    What do you guys think? Any advice?

    a) support the house with cribbing and rebuild the entire foundation?
    b) attempt to pour retrofit footings (in stages) by digging under the existing foundation?
    c) burn the house down
    d) sell it to the next sucker?

    Obviously the place has withstood the test of time, sort of. But I can't achieve my goal of having a workshop down there unless I can replace the floors, so, what to do?

    Thanks for any thoughts.
    21boat's Avatar
    21boat Posts: 2,441, Reputation: 212
    Ultra Member
     
    #2

    Jul 1, 2009, 06:44 PM

    1. would be add onto the house for a work shop
    2. Underpin that section the work shop is in.
    3. Move or don't build a workshop

    I had very good success with underpinning a foundation wall.

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search


Check out some similar questions!

Turned Down Footing [ 4 Answers ]

We are in the process of designing a 3 story addition to our DC rowhouse. The addition will add approximately 150 sq. ft. or 50 sq. ft. per floor. Our architect is just about done with the schematic design and has sent us some draft drawings. Obviously as a rowhouse, we are attached to neighbors on...

Deck Posts and how to do footing [ 2 Answers ]

I have a 16' x 8' 2nd story deck with 10' posts. It is attached to the house on one 16' side and has stairs off one of the 8' sides. The posts are placed at the edges of the concrete on the pad below. The thickness of the concrete is approx. 4". How do I go about adding a proper pier/concrete...

Footing for a fence [ 4 Answers ]

I have a side yard that the ground slops away more that I would like. I would like to build a retaining wall on this side about 1 to 2 ft. above ground. And then level out the ground to it. I would then like to wrap it in rock and put a 6 ft rod iron fence on it. I would really appreciate it if...

Concrete Footing [ 3 Answers ]

I am building a house on a preconstructed Slab supported by a perimeter beam. The beam shoud have been 12" wide by 18" deep. It is only 12" deep. The front of the house will have a solid block wall filled with grout 10' high. Should I put some piers under the existing beam to support the wall?...


View more questions Search