<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Well that’s a duh, but a poured wall won’t ever buldge.That is an incorrect statement. Not trying to start an argument but I have seen concrete walls bulge. It all falls back on an error sometime during the process.
I have also
I don’t think there’s anything we can really do legally. We bought the house knowing the wall was an issue.
As far as legal action I’m sure theres none as the house was steeply discounted because of that.
I don’t mean this to sound rude, but realize it might via text. You already knew the answer before posting this. You bought a home on a discount 14 years ago due to a known issue, now when that known issue has gotten worse, you need to bite the bullet and pay the piper. Thankfully you should have a ton of equity in your home at this point, if you don’t have the cash for it. And I would do whatever the only big name contractor that does that type of work recommends doing to fix it. Whether it’s your forever home or you plan on moving soon, do it right this time.
It would be nice if I could get a couple more years out of my temporary fix to save up some to cushion the huge expense of getting it fixed correctly.
The cost to fix it will only go up while you’re saving to afford it
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Well that’s a duh, but a poured wall won’t ever buldge.That is an incorrect statement. Not trying to start an argument but I have seen concrete walls bulge. It all falls back on an error sometime during the process.
Yes and that is due to a support column issues and or over load beam issues. Kind of a different ballpark then side pressure from backfill. A properly poured and designed concrete wall will not buldge. If it does the issues are far beyond the back fill. And typically due to overload or initial pour issues. We are 40 ft below grade right as I type this now
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Com and Res are two different ball games.
A poured wall doesn’t reach it’s called for strength for 30+ days. Alot can happen before then.
A green wall and a torrential downpour do not play well with each other.
Com and Res are two different ball games.
A poured wall doesn’t reach it’s called for strength for 30+ days. Alot can happen before then.
A green wall and a torrential downpour do not play well with each other.
I know how it all works, we do it all. We are a structural specialist company. This is my exact Forte.
Not the wood frame but structural concrete
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>walleyesforme wrote:</div>
Our realtor told us it wouldn’t be a huge deal if we braced it up and stopped it from getting worse.Anything for a commission.
I am surprised the mortgage company didn’t deny this… but then again, he did say he bought it from a bank. 
Rules for thee but not for me ! 
My first thought. What about the other 4 walls. I assume they are constructed the same. I’d look really hard at them before making a decision.
My first thought. What about the other 4 walls. I assume they are constructed the same. I’d look really hard at them before making a decision.
If it’s just the one wall I’m wondering if it’s caused by a lack of a gutter on that side or the yard is slopped toward the house. If the back fill was clay I could see water running between the clay and foundation and freezing causing the bulge. This is just conjecture. I’m not an engineer or builder, but I have had a frozen beer can explode before.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Underground wood framing is about the worst design scenario I have heard of. Especially in our area.Yup, they had lifespan rating also, don’t remember but I was always like why would you build your house on something that had a lifespan, when concrete is indefinitely.
A friends dad bought a cabin in the 90’s that was only a few years old and passed unexpectedly around 08/09. My friend was going to try and buy the cabin instead of letting it go to the bank but he was told it had a wood foundation and that they only last about 75yrs. After hearing that he decided to pursue it. Whether the time is accurate or not that’s what he was told but while his dad owned it he never had an issue with it. It was a walkout style basement.
Innovative Basements.
Close personal experience, but not my home.
Done right. Long transferrable warranty. Not cheap … one cement foundation wall (trenched and pulled back into position) will run about the cost of replacing an asphalt shingle roof. They have lower cost brace techniques if just stopping the progression is the goal.
Not sure about wood foundations, but I would start with them. At least get the quote (what they plan to do for what cost).
Thanks! I will check them out. It’s tough because I only know of the one place around here and with something that expensive it would be nice to see what a few different places have to offer and the prices. That’s part of the struggle for me.
Have you called these guys yet? https://www.safebasements.com/
Had them give me some options for my concrete block for my garage. It was a little outside their scope since we had to lift the garage up but what they told me for options was priceless.
Poured concrete walls will move or bulge, especially in homes located in regions where the soil is heavy clay.
As noted above it is likely due to torrential rain events and soil expansion and contraction. Foundations that are and appear fine for 40 years or longer can move over time when exposed to soil expansion.
It is simply amazing to watch and listen to a poured concrete wall move back into position …
Poured concrete walls will move or bulge, especially in homes located in regions where the soil is heavy clay.
As noted above it is likely due to torrential rain events and soil expansion and contraction. Foundations that are and appear fine for 40 years or longer can move over time when exposed to soil expansion.
It is simply amazing to watch and listen to a poured concrete wall move back into position …
Moving back in to position ? There is major issues in this case and structural damage is done. That wall needs to be reinforced or removed and redone. But that’s a different topic completely.
If that wall moved and buldged it was never right to begin With. A residential poured foundation should be no less then 8 inch and if a 8 inch wall is moving then the entire structure is going to be sketchy. Simply trying to shift the wall back is dumb as hell unless it’s completely shored and reinforced with iron. A cmu foundation is different. And this wood framed basement is a different animal all together
I will be careful because I get this is your profession …
I would agree that the backfill process around these homes was probably not done right based on what is known today.
Go visit some cities and towns in heavy clay regions of the Midwest … moving walls back is relatively common and yes, the wall is reinforced with plates or beams to prevent it from “slipping” back out of position.
The wall I watched moved back into position was moved about an inch or maybe two on the top area of the wall. The wall has zero changes in cracks, etc… and there is no moisture penetration on the repaired wall.
The entire process is under the full direction of civil engineers (reviewed by an independent civil engineering company) and the warranty is long (maybe lifetime) and transferrable.
That said, I did not even know this was a thing until a couple years ago.
Poured concrete walls will move or bulge, especially in homes located in regions where the soil is heavy clay.
This.
The combination of clay and frost are a killer on concrete.
You’d be hard pressed to find a slab in my neighborhood that isn’t cracked to hell. Obviously a slab isn’t a wall, but concrete is concrete.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Brittman wrote:</div>
Poured concrete walls will move or bulge, especially in homes located in regions where the soil is heavy clay.
This.
The combination of clay and frost are a killer on concrete.
You’d be hard pressed to find a slab in my neighborhood that isn’t cracked to hell. Obviously a slab isn’t a wall, but concrete is concrete.
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Slabs are called a floating slab and designed in a way to move and heave due to frost. In a perfect world they wouldn’t but here they move alot. And no concrete is not concrete, definitely differences in structure slab, a floating slab a load bearing wall, a non load bearing wall and so on.
I will be careful because I get this is your profession …
I would agree that the backfill process around these homes was probably not done right based on what is known today.
Go visit some cities and towns in heavy clay regions of the Midwest … moving walls back is relatively common and yes, the wall is reinforced with plates or beams to prevent it from “slipping” back out of position.
The wall I watched moved back into position was moved about an inch or maybe two on the top area of the wall. The wall has zero changes in cracks, etc… and there is no moisture penetration on the repaired wall.
The entire process is under the full direction of civil engineers (reviewed by an independent civil engineering company) and the warranty is long (maybe lifetime) and transferrable.
That said, I did not even know this was a thing until a couple years ago.
I catch what your saying but it sounds like you are explaining a wall tipping in rather then bowing. But yes old city houses are rarely a structural wall lots are old river rock booger poured slop, and I will say that wasn’t what I was talking about or visualizing. So I apologize on that. Wasn’t trying to argue by any means or seem like a ass hat.
Interesting. I guess I never thought to describe it as tipping in instead of bowed in but now that you threw that term out there it much more describes what I have going on. The wall doesn’t have a bulge in it what so ever. I’d have to agree 100% that it started as a drainage issue and escalated from there from what you guys have went over.
Interesting. I guess I never thought to describe it as tipping in instead of bowed in but now that you threw that term out there it much more describes what I have going on. The wall doesn’t have a bulge in it what so ever. I’d have to agree 100% that it started as a drainage issue and escalated from there from what you guys have went over.
You most likely have water and soil issues. Lack of drainage, drain tile, crappy soil and all the good stuff. Sadly there probably isn’t a cheap fix on such a thing. But I hope you are able to get it addressed. Where are you located ?
We live in Eveleth. North of Duluth about an hour. It’s a newer neighborhood or was I guess when we bought the house. I’m guessing I’m not the only one with this problem because a couple years ago a house down the block had a side of its basement dug up and a week later there were new owners in the place. This definitely by far is not our forever house. Being young and dumb we just saw an awesome deal and snapped it up not really realizing what the future had in store for us. Now our house is nothing but a place to stay at when I’m at work because if I’m not working we are at the cabin or shack. If I had known that back then I would have bought a crappy little 2 bedroom house. To add fuel to the fire our house payment has about doubled since we bought the house just from the taxes (everything is escrowed). Not that we can’t afford it but just adds insult to injury. Really want to do like the neighbor and fix it and dump it.
I’m a retired excavator. I did many types of excavating but mainly I dug and backfilled basements. I recall doing some pressure treated wood basements back in the 70’s and early 80’s. At the time they were touted as 50 year foundations, which looking back is not that long.
The allure for builders was that they could use their own carpenters to erect the walls, plus they were easy to insulate and sheet rock. Typically in our clay soils I would dig the basement with only a 12 inch oversize. Pea gravel was then spread on the basement floor. The wall plates were set right on top of the leveled gravel, no concrete footings.
The walls were framed and stood up. The wall exteriors were waterproofed with a material that was applied with a long handled roller and heavy mil plastic was applied.
After the concrete basement floor was poured and the 1st floor framing was done to stiffen up the structure, the basement could be carefully backfilled with pea gravel. Proper drainage was key.
Back then a competent crew could put up a block or poured foundation in a day or so, so there really wasn’t much savings in my opinion, especially for an untested (at the time) 50 year product.
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