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Anyone had any foundation work or leveling done on their home?
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DeathGrip
US Veteran
I have a 10 by 15 screen room and the slab is split in half due to settling. The settling is due to allowing critters to borrow under it.
I have a company coming out Wed. to pump foam under it to fill in the void and raise it a little.
I'll let you know in a couple of days.
This method wont work on a structural foundation.
There are good videos on youtube showing how they jack a house for repair. I'm sure it cost a lot but if it needs to be done, what options do we have?
I have a company coming out Wed. to pump foam under it to fill in the void and raise it a little.
I'll let you know in a couple of days.
This method wont work on a structural foundation.
There are good videos on youtube showing how they jack a house for repair. I'm sure it cost a lot but if it needs to be done, what options do we have?
ParadiseRoad
Member
...my father in law built a complete basement under a double wide mobile home...
...jacked it up...
...used two Bobcats...my brother in law on the other one...
...dug it out...poured a slab...laid four 13 block tall walls...
...set the house down on it...fit perfect...
...my father in law was an amazing guy...
...jacked it up...
...used two Bobcats...my brother in law on the other one...
...dug it out...poured a slab...laid four 13 block tall walls...
...set the house down on it...fit perfect...
...my father in law was an amazing guy...
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DWalt
Member
No personal experience, but I have a good friend who needed extensive slab jacking to level his house slab some years ago. It was a real mess. They had to tear up the flooring and bust up the slab in several places to get the jacks in. I don't know what it cost him, but it wasn't cheap. But he could easily afford it.
Fortunately my house is built in an area where the soil is very stable. Not so in some other parts of town where houses are built on clay which shrinks and swells due to variations in moisture level. I checked that out thoroughly before I bought the house.
Fortunately my house is built in an area where the soil is very stable. Not so in some other parts of town where houses are built on clay which shrinks and swells due to variations in moisture level. I checked that out thoroughly before I bought the house.
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Years ago we had the contract to remodel and repair a cabin that had been built during the depression.Part of that job included installing a block foundation under it.Once that was done and I tore into the structure it became obvious that just rebuilding the cabin was the smart way to go.The original had been built with little knowledge and a lot of salvaged and scrap lumber 40 years earlier.So I spent the next few months building a new cabin on a foundation that was 5" out of square...Intersting challenge...
Had a house on a hill on Oahu with soil movement. Built in the late 70s, I bought it in 2004, and rented it out for ten years. I sold it in 2014. When preparing it for sale, a house inspector told me that the reason the kitchen window would not close properly was because settlement had left the window frame out of shape so that the glass could not slide in it properly.
He said the fix was to jack the house up a bit. I asked the cost, and he estimated $20K. I considered doing it, but then, shortly thereafter, found an interested buyer. I disclosed the issue and offered $20K off the price to him. We closed.
He said the fix was to jack the house up a bit. I asked the cost, and he estimated $20K. I considered doing it, but then, shortly thereafter, found an interested buyer. I disclosed the issue and offered $20K off the price to him. We closed.
LVSteve
Member
Caliche terrain for the win.
Of course, this means no basement and pools are expensive to put in.
Of course, this means no basement and pools are expensive to put in.I have been there and done that. Five years ago my prior home (pier & beam) had settling problems, we live in an area with a clay base. I obtained estimates from three companies that were all over the map. The low bidder wanted to trench under the affected area and back fill with concrete, lots of concrete for about 5K. The next recommended their cable tension system at 15-20K. The final one quoted 30K for their system which involved driving 4" steel pipe into the ground until they hit bedrock or 7,000 # of resistance. Not being smart enough to separate the BS from the best I hired a structural engineer to evaluate the problem and solutions. He strongly recommended the steel pipe being driven. We followed his advice and the home was leveled with 29 steel pipe piers and some addition support piers under the house. There was some additional settling afterwards but this was adjusted free of charge under the lifetime warranty. My brother-in law had one of his rent house on a slab that he had problems with. They did have to jackhammer through the foundation but I don't have details on the extent or cost involved.
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My house was on a slab.
We lived in it for 40 years.
The 'center' of the house stayed high while the outer perimeter settled, considerably.
I decided that I needed to have it jacked.
Well, what a cluster bomb.
It had to be done, really.
But, because of the amount of upward shift the roof buckled the roofing tiles, my sliding glass door (92" wide) no longer rolled home to be locked and my front door was really junked up.
I was in the house when it was being done. Things were falling off of shelves in the bedrooms. It was a creepy feeling, and loud.
My son came over and set with me in my living room while it was all 'happening'. He told me later that when he left me that he got in his truck and he was just shaking. He felt so bad for me knowing what I had ahead of me to make the house 'right' again.
I believe the cost was $300 per hole and there were 22 holes.
Now after all was said and done it was worth the money to have it done right.
It was really brutal on my psyche. Forty years in that house and now all of this.
One thing I was extremely happy about was that no plumbing issues arose from the drastic upward shifting of the foundation. No broken drains or pipes leaking. And, that's a good thing.
If your foundation needs a lot of attention just remember it is not for the faint of heart.
A funny perspective though is that at around six thousand plus dollars to jack the foundation put it at about one third the price I paid for the house, brand new.
Bought another brand new home about a year later and sold the old one.
Told mamma it was time to go.
bdGreen
We lived in it for 40 years.
The 'center' of the house stayed high while the outer perimeter settled, considerably.
I decided that I needed to have it jacked.
Well, what a cluster bomb.
It had to be done, really.
But, because of the amount of upward shift the roof buckled the roofing tiles, my sliding glass door (92" wide) no longer rolled home to be locked and my front door was really junked up.
I was in the house when it was being done. Things were falling off of shelves in the bedrooms. It was a creepy feeling, and loud.
My son came over and set with me in my living room while it was all 'happening'. He told me later that when he left me that he got in his truck and he was just shaking. He felt so bad for me knowing what I had ahead of me to make the house 'right' again.
I believe the cost was $300 per hole and there were 22 holes.
Now after all was said and done it was worth the money to have it done right.
It was really brutal on my psyche. Forty years in that house and now all of this.
One thing I was extremely happy about was that no plumbing issues arose from the drastic upward shifting of the foundation. No broken drains or pipes leaking. And, that's a good thing.
If your foundation needs a lot of attention just remember it is not for the faint of heart.
A funny perspective though is that at around six thousand plus dollars to jack the foundation put it at about one third the price I paid for the house, brand new.
Bought another brand new home about a year later and sold the old one.
Told mamma it was time to go.
bdGreen
Rpg
Member
Some areas (around Golden) here in Colorado experienced expansive soil (bentonite) in homes built in the ‘60’s & ‘70’s.
The fixes were hugely expensive and invasive and generated a lot of litigation.
I wouldn’t wish fixing these things on my worse enemy.
Be prepared to spend a significant portion of the home’s value on a good fix.
The fixes were hugely expensive and invasive and generated a lot of litigation.
I wouldn’t wish fixing these things on my worse enemy.
Be prepared to spend a significant portion of the home’s value on a good fix.
There were a lot of problems with bentonite up in Rock Creek too.We were shopping for a new house around there in the mid 90s and yikes!
caduceus
US Veteran
Been through this before and really was a anxiety inducing evolution. I laid in bed listening to the house creak and groan from the shifting. Had two leaks each , water then natural gas. I went with piers. This was 17 yrs ago and expensive at the time. One item you should pay attention to. You will hear that it comes with a guarantee. That applies to the piers not the work. Not unusual to have the company come back and adjust. I hated that house. Placed on market with disclosures to buyer sold in one week. Some folks are not phased by this problem. Been in current house 15 yrs without problems. Studied post tension Slabs and soil shrink/swell etc and hired an engineer. The soil wins but you can mitigate it's destructive force to a degree. While living in Tennessee I watched a crew lift the complete house up, placed wooden pallets under it for support. They took out the complete slab and place new plumbing etc let it down and tied it all together. Slickest piece of construction work I ever witnessed . I wish you the best of luck.
Pump foam?? Never heard of that. Drilling the slab, and pressure grouting is done all the time
Firesticks
Member
Worked for a general contractor until I had to retire. I leveled 2 houses over the years. Took quite a few mighty heavy duty jacks. One was a 2 story and wasn't too bad. The big ranch style was and ended up popping old sheet rock nails right and left. Basically had to rescrew everything. repair the nail pops by running screws into them to keep them from backing out over time. Mud over all the nails and screws and then retexture and paint. Hope yours is an easy one.
My house was on a slab.
We lived in it for 40 years.
The 'center' of the house stayed high while the outer perimeter settled, considerably.
I decided that I needed to have it jacked.
Well, what a cluster bomb.
It had to be done, really.
But, because of the amount of upward shift the roof buckled the roofing tiles, my sliding glass door (92" wide) no longer rolled home to be locked and my front door was really junked up.
I was in the house when it was being done. Things were falling off of shelves in the bedrooms. It was a creepy feeling, and loud.
My son came over and set with me in my living room while it was all 'happening'. He told me later that when he left me that he got in his truck and he was just shaking. He felt so bad for me knowing what I had ahead of me to make the house 'right' again.
I believe the cost was $300 per hole and there were 22 holes.
Now after all was said and done it was worth the money to have it done right.
It was really brutal on my psyche. Forty years in that house and now all of this.
One thing I was extremely happy about was that no plumbing issues arose from the drastic upward shifting of the foundation. No broken drains or pipes leaking. And, that's a good thing.
If your foundation needs a lot of attention just remember it is not for the faint of heart.
A funny perspective though is that at around six thousand plus dollars to jack the foundation put it at about one third the price I paid for the house, brand new.
Bought another brand new home about a year later and sold the old one.
Told mamma it was time to go.
bdGreen
How many years ago did you have this done?
$6K sounds cheap compared to the $30K posted above.
Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll do as the whole place may only be worth $60K - $80K, and needs EVERYTHING done.
I inherited the place, and that is about the only positive.
DWalt
Member
Cold comfort to anyone who already has a house which needs slab leveling, but it is worthwhile advice to thoroughly investigate soil conditions in the area prior to buying or building a house to prevent such problems from happening in the future.
"Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll do as the whole place may only be worth $60K - $80K, and needs EVERYTHING done.
I inherited the place, and that is about the only positive."
It might be better to sell it for whatever you can get and make it someone else's problem. I'm sure you already know that.
"Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll do as the whole place may only be worth $60K - $80K, and needs EVERYTHING done.
I inherited the place, and that is about the only positive."
It might be better to sell it for whatever you can get and make it someone else's problem. I'm sure you already know that.
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DeathGrip
US Veteran
Correct terminology? A picture or in this case a video,
I don't think the OP is looking for this type of repair.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lKej0UAJ_U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lKej0UAJ_U[/ame]
DWalt
Member
It might work on a smaller area of an isolated slab, probably not for a house slab. I'd also wonder about how permanent it is.
I have done a lot of them over the years. Most in flood plain of the river.
It takes a army of jacks. Most have to have new foundations laid and
when leveled up there can be Windows and Doors on a bind and trim
popped, walls crack. It's not a cheap operation. Never did a house on a
slab but did a couple old houses that were just set on one course of cut
stone with no footer. The expense should have been put towards a new
house. I have been involved in several projects of leveling that didn't
make sense money wise. People are nuts on restoring old houses.
It takes a army of jacks. Most have to have new foundations laid and
when leveled up there can be Windows and Doors on a bind and trim
popped, walls crack. It's not a cheap operation. Never did a house on a
slab but did a couple old houses that were just set on one course of cut
stone with no footer. The expense should have been put towards a new
house. I have been involved in several projects of leveling that didn't
make sense money wise. People are nuts on restoring old houses.
