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SuzieQ
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:07 am Post subject: putting a basement in and moving house to it. |
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| Ok, I have a house that I still owe money on and it needs some kind of support for the main bearing wall. It is slowly sinking. I am thinking of a basement as it only has a crawl space. Everything has to be on the main floor, furnace, watersoftener,ect. It is also very cold on the floors in the winter. Minnesota you know! I need ideas, how much, codes and any info on grants that would help me. I come from a family of, "do it right the first time and you don't have to do it again." I married, " do the cheapest and sometimes, more than not, it is never finished. I would like to do it right before the house collapes. I am running out of time and patience. Can anyone give me some advise besides burning it down, which is illegal. I like my little spot on earth. |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 2174
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:11 am Post subject: |
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Sounds like you have some structural problems. You ought to have that looked at by a professional.
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-Chris Stewart
http://bcshdb.blogspot.com >
The B/CS Home Design Blog |
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SuzieQ
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:01 am Post subject: |
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| I had the floor reinforced when the kitchen was remodeled. All walls have been redone, windows changed. I think the problem started when the 2nd floor was put on. |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 2174
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, well sometimes that happens with additions, what ever the reason it sounds like a problem. The basement idea sounds very expensive.
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-Chris Stewart
http://bcshdb.blogspot.com >
The B/CS Home Design Blog |
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SuzieQ
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Yep, I've been looking into it and I'm screwed. |
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O-Archy
Joined: 18 Sep 2008
Posts: 48
Location: Victor, Idaho
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe, maybe not. Simple reinforcing of the main bearing wall with a pony wall / footing or similar load-bearing method in the crawlspace and adding insulation to crawlspace interior walls and underside of floor may be the simplest solution...
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"If the city is one of humankinds greatest achievements, it's uncontrolled evolution also can lead to desecration of both nature and the human spirit" -M.G. Marcus-1979 |
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SuzieQ
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks, I acually thought of this as I was trying to sleep at night. I thought of a metal beam that extended from one side to the other under the load bearing wall. I thought metal, like a beam because it wouldn't rot. I have tried the jacks but they seem to be sinking slowly. |
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JWmHarmon
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 126
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:54 am Post subject: Crawl space moisture problem - rotting beam |
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One of the main problems with crawl spaces is moisture in the crawl space. Excessive moisture can lead to deterioration of the main support beam. This leads to sagging floors, particularly in the center of the house.
Crawl spaces need to be drained of any accumulating water using a sump pump. The floor of the crawl space needs to have a vapor barrier installed. The crawl space needs to be ventilated to get water vapor out.
Vents are often installed in the foundation walls. These are designed to be opened in summer and closed in winter. Homeowners rarely open and close them with seasonal changes.
Installation of a fan to circulate air in the crawl space may be necessary to keep the space dry enough to prevent rot. Sometimes this fan can be vented into the garage space.
It may also be desirable to insulate the foundation walls and heat the space in the winter. This will lead to warmer floors. It also can help reduce the moisture levels in the crawl space.
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When building or manufacturing always ask, "How will we recycle that?" - JWmHarmon |
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hungryarchitect
Joined: 07 Feb 2009
Posts: 22
Location: Edmonds, WA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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SuzieQ - The basement may be the solution IF you are trying to get more space in the house. However, it is an expensive solution and if you really want more space it would be cheaper probably just to add on.
In order to find the solution to the sinking bearing wall you need to determine why the wall is sinking in the first place. I'm assuming that you have a foundation that is in reasonable shape whose footings extend to below your frost line. If this is not the case then that is the solution.
The bearing wall could be sinking because it has no support directly below it in the crawl space. If that is the case then the solution would be to put a wood beam supported regularly by pressure treated wood posts on concrete footings. This is undoubtedly much easier than installing a steel beam and is a typical construction technique.
The bearing wall could be sinking even though it has support directly below it because the support is inadequate. In that case the solution is to add posts and footings (especially where point loads come down from above) under the existing beam.
The bearing wall could be sinking even though it has adequate support because the ground the footings are sitting on is sinking. This is a harder problem to solve because it involves digging new footings deep enough to either install structural fill or to reach competent bearing soil. The alternative to this would be to place extra supports to spread the load out, but that might not actually work.
In any case, you'll want to jack the floor back up to level before you install the fix. This is not as hard as it sounds.
The way you know for sure is to hire a local structural engineer or architect to come out and take a look at it. They'll need to get into the crawl space to see what the conditions actually are.
This is no shortcut solution and is the right way to solve the problem.
With respect to the cold floors the obvious answer is to insulate. If your crawl space is well ventilated then you can insulate the underside of the floor between the floor joists. If you crawlspace has no ventilation and is not wet, you could insulate the foundation walls instead which would result in a conditioned crawlspace. If the crawlspace is wet you need to dry it out before you do anything.
Good luck.
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Rick Anderson AIA
www.hungryarchitect.com/blog |
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hungryarchitect
Joined: 07 Feb 2009
Posts: 22
Location: Edmonds, WA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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Just a follow up. Nothing should rot in the crawl space. EVER. If you have wood rotting in the crawl space then you have too much moisture in the crawl space or the wrong kind of wood.
The traditional ways of solving this are to use pressure treated wood for all wood in contact with soil or concrete and for any structural members closer than 12" to the earth in the crawl space. Next you install footing drains around the perimeter of the crawl space below the level of the footings.
Next you install a plastic vapor barrier on the earth in the crawl space, overlap the joints and extend it up the foundation walls. If the footing drains don't keep water from gathering in the crawl space then you need to add a sump that will pump the excess water into your sewer.
Finally the crawl space needs to be well ventilated. If it can't be ventilated, then the foundation walls should be insulated. Although you don't want a warm moist crawl space so ventilation is better than insulation if there is any water in it.
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Rick Anderson AIA
www.hungryarchitect.com/blog |
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SuzieQ
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:55 am Post subject: |
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| The roof was cut off and the second floor was built. This was done in 1988, we had a fire in 1993. Things were replaced and new electricity, plumbing and duct work were re done. I think that the bearing wall runs thought the center of the house, east to west 32 ft. The second floor is identical to the first as to where they're are placed, except the bathroom. The hall is in the center with a two walls running approximately 8 ft north. That, I think, is a big problem as there is a gap in the floor. Now mind you this house was built in the 1940's by two little old farmer who built it out of crap lumber. Not scrap, but I'm sure that was part of it. Their sisters husband had died and they built it between the two farms. It's a 25x32 house with a crawl space. In the 70's we replaced the north wall and the window there. Opening the wall created a new bunch of 2x4's, boards and siding. The whole north side had rotted. Horrible wood they'd used, probably left over from some outer building. A garage was attached next which is another story. It has to be removed as it is moving away from the house. Knowing my luck the foundation needs help, that's why I had the idea of putting in a basement next to it and moving the house to it. I think it's to expensive though. I'm on my budget when it comes to big fixes. The house looks nice but has an underlying problem. Ha! Ha! It's not selling the house that bothers me. I have a wonderful garden in the front yard, a good location (1 1/2 miles from the edge of town.) I have 2-9 years till I can retire. I'm not a city dweller so it's a nice location. There are alot more nightmares about this place but life is short. Can this all be done by my boys and myself? I'm sure if I throw out the guilt some of their friends might help. It's either fix it or let it go. |
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S_Sheppard
Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:10 am Post subject: Sinking Bearing Wall |
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Hello,
I am an engineer from CA. The architects have given you some reasonable solutions, you basically need to add foundation in either a strip under the wall or add pads with a beam beneath the wall. The whole basement thing sounds more expensive than what you are looking to do. The size of the foundations and beam would need to be sized by a professional. Please call me if you would like me to provide a solution for you. (949) 770-9967 x102 |
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SuzieQ
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you, I have been talking to my daughter and her friend and he has the same suggestion. I would like to remove the gargage from the back of the house as it is pulling on the house. The floor is cracked as well as the foundation. This would provide me with a access point to get put in the center support under the wall and I could put in a new foundation or basement walls and add on the back of the house. We'll see as I will be doing this all my own $$$. |
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