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brianstrange
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 8:43 am Post subject: help needed! BADLY!!!! |
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I just added a 16' x 16' room to my house and it's sinking. I found out that the contractor didn't use footings under the 10" piles, and at least two piles are sinking into the ground. I tried jacking one into the ground and it went 20" before starting to bind and tilt.
The structure specs
One side is attached to existing house
16' x 16'
2x10 floor joists
2x10 rafters, 7 pitch roof
2x8 ceiling joists
Leaning on (4) 10" tubes filled with concrete, 4' deep
Facts (helpful?):
The soil is a powdery clay type.
When jacking on top of grade,with a 12" x 18" board as a base, the base settles 6" before lifting the room.
I am planning to install four footings below 12" tubes and was wondering what size pad (footing) I should form.
Also, any suggestions would be a huge help! |
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RWL
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 399
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 9:29 am Post subject: |
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I cannot stress strongly enough your need to contact and hire a structural engineer to look at, analzye, and design an appropriate solution.
You may be highly skilled at doing the work, but those conditions that you described are not normal or ordinary-- you need professional design help! |
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RWL
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 399
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 9:35 am Post subject: |
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Sorry--
Also might ask-- who designed the addition in the first place? If it was the builder or someone working for him, they atre responsible for the failure you are experiencing. They should pay for the remedail work!!!
Also, did you have to have a building permit for this work? Or better did you have such permit? If it is required and you or the builder didn't get one, you have yet another problem there. The code would more than likely require an engineered soultion which evidently was not done or filed initially. Even with no permit the building code official could help you in getting the builder to remedy the work. |
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brianstrange
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 10:24 am Post subject: Problems |
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Builder is in denial and I don't want him to step back on the property.
We will persue that end of it seperatly.
I just want solutions.
I just spoke to a civil engineer familiar with our soil and he came up with a 3' wide x 16' long 1' deep footing 1/2" rebar 1' OC raised 3" from botton, and additional rebar turning up into the pile, to support the 4 new piles. It equates to 500 lbs sq ft. |
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RWL
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 399
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:18 am Post subject: |
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Good for you! Heck of a footing!!!
Appears you're on the right track |
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carpenterguy
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 4
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cosmosemper
Joined: 27 Nov 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Southern France
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| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:53 am Post subject: Find your footing |
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I had the same trouble in Zimbabwe. Builder shortchanged me on materials, building extension on clay 'vlei' soil. I ended up sinking two footings 5' down, about 3' from each corner, conical pad 2' diameter at base (ground absorbs water and swells in season, bigger pads get pushed up - just as bad as sinking!), 8' steel reinforced concrete beam bridging the footings and grafted to the too-short existing piles. I don't know anything about US codes, but that was several rainy seasons and a couple of droughts ago, and the extension is solid.
_________________
Larry Niven said, "Think of it as evolution in action" (Oath of Fealty). I want to take it out of the box. |
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cymurai
Joined: 02 Dec 2005
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 7:47 am Post subject: |
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hmmm... if the builder shorthanded you with the materials, is on contrary with the contract documents, you can get him..
anyways, hope you have find solution/s with that footing problem because it can cause a chain of uncertainties...with regards to structural problems you need to seek professional structural designer who can make solutions out of it...
thats one of the problem with regards to constructions, there are lots of uncertainites, but there are skilled people in the field who can help you...
good luck
_________________
"make ordinary seem extraordinary" |
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cymurai
Joined: 02 Dec 2005
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 7:50 am Post subject: |
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hmmm... if the builder shorthanded you with the materials, & is on contrary with the contract documents, you can get him..
anyways, hope you have find solution/s with that footing problem because it can cause a chain of uncertainties...with regards to structural problems you need to seek professional structural designer who can make solutions out of it...
thats one of the problem with regards to constructions, there are lots of uncertainites, but there are skilled people in the field who can help you...
good luck
_________________
"make ordinary seem extraordinary" |
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TLWalkerAIA
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 129
Location: Seattle Washington, USA
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| Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 2:20 am Post subject: |
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Soil is very important stuff to structural stability of even light structure.
First examine the soil (geotechnical engineer) before you design the solution. Strategically corect process will save you a lot of money, building on top of soil with properties not known to you, your designer or your builder was a serious strategic error. DO NOT REPEAT THAT ERROR.
FIRST, talk to your attorney (now not later) because it is going to be more expensive than you first thought and you need to proceed with advice from council regarding this matter.
NEXT Hire an engineer to design a foundation that fits the loading from the "building" to the bearing capacity and other properties of the soil.
NEXT Build it the way it is engineered.
After it is built and you occupy and are using it, then deal fairly with your contractor and his "sub's" regarding the excess exspence. Avoid law suits if possible.
_________________
Terry L. Walker, AIA
Terry L. Walker, Architects
terry.walker20@verizon.net |
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