I am looking to buy an older house with either a block foundation or a stone foundation.
any comments on the pro’s and con’s of either is much appreciated
lostwilly
I am looking to buy an older house with either a block foundation or a stone foundation.
any comments on the pro’s and con’s of either is much appreciated
lostwilly
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Replies
They both normally hold the house up and they both normally leak ground water into the cellar.
Why are you specifying that the old house must have one or the other?
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I am not specifying one or the other it just seems most houses in my neighbourhood have this type of foundation.
If it's in a colder climate and it's a stone foundation then gutters are essential to help get roof water away so that it can't freeze and buckle the stones over time.
"so that it can't freeze and buckle the stones over time."Or block Or poured concrete..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Welcome, and sorry about your Willy.
Snork!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
willys leak and so does stone
i live in a stone home and and know a bit about water leaking through the walls as some one else said drainage away from the building is important as it is for any home
as a contractor i have laid up block foundations many times and usually used block-lok in their construction to avoid cracks
in the case of concrete i have even put in a rebar (3/4") to avoid cracking
all foundations have their pros and cons including ICF,s
What is "block-lok"? Another name for ladder wire? Some kind of coating? If it is a coating, got a link?
reinforcing wire used between of blocks not necessarily each course
Every other course, last I knew.
Ladder wire. As Henley said - used every other course.
Sleazy builders don't use it as there is no way for a BI to know. Granted, it may not be necessary for a 24" high foundation with some kind of key in the footings and balanced fill inside and outside the foundation. Foolish not to use it on anything much higher than that - cheap insurance.
Edited 7/26/2008 12:00 pm ET by Matt
"there is no way for a BI to know."All they would need is to have the town buy them a $200 tool to find metal and $2000 to train them to use it
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I am talking about a 100+ year brick home like they have scattered all over southern Ontario
along the way i bought a 100 plus old orange hall & it had a stone foundation with brick veneer on the 4 sides
we altered doors and windows using a cut off saw
the old bricks are very porous & had to be soaked in water before relaying otherwise the sucked the moistureb out of the mortar before you could get them into place
i repointed many a stone foundation along the way
i live in a 1875 stone building and built a stone garage to match it ( hand cut limestone)
i am familiar wth ontario as i live in the eastern end near Ottawa
lostwilly
Please define older house. To some that's any house over 10 years old and to others it's 100+ years old..
In general stone or block foundations are superior to no foundation at all. However they do have limitations as others have partially posted here.. The point not mentioned is lack of insulation.
Retro fitting insulation to prevent the potential massive heat loss requires one of two methods.. First you can do the job properly and dig up around the exterior of the house and install rigid insulation and water proofing.
Second you can attempt a bandaide repair by insulating it from the inside. The trouble with insulating from the inside is trapped moisture between the insulation and the wall. sooner or later that leads to mold and the smells asociated with mold.. In dry desert locations that probably won't be an issue however as I've only rarely seen basesments in dry desert locations I don't feel that is a likely probablity.
I must admit that the look of a well laid up stone wall does appeal to me and if it remains solid most likely was done well. The home I saw it done to used the stone to make their own statement about the art and craft of the stone layup. They retuck pointed all the stone and sealed it. Then several interior walls were laid up with stone as well. The finished look was fantastic. Castle meets wine cellar.
It is rather difficult to make a block or stone basement habitable. Most are extremely dark, because of water issues they tend to be damp as well.. they are wonderful for storage of wines and suanas hobby shops etc... but not the sort of place where you'd be real comfortable sitting down to watch TV/movies..
My own foundation I put several windows in and still it isn't the sort of place I could make into a TV room. Instead it's my shop and garage. 1500 sq.ft. devoted to the man room stuff.
thanks for the info. I Mean a house 100 + years and older.
lostwilly,
You're welcome.
If you haven't selected a house as yet let me give you some advice.
Location is critical!. You are far better off finding an old house in need of repair in a good neighborhood than a house in good repair in a poor neighborhood..
Corner lots are more desireable than non corner lots. being near a park or lake is prefered over a nondescript house.
You can do all sorts of things with a house even if you don't have the talent or interest but that house will always remain where it is.
One final point. Your neighbors are a #### shoot. You may move into a nice neighborhood but people move and homes change ownership.. I meet all of my neighbors when I moved in here and they were nice people. One however sold and the new people have been the bane of my life for the past 18 years..
I think your question is getting lost in the shuffle,
let's see if we can get it back on track.
Like any old foundation block or stone is susceptible to
undo moisture and or settling.
Both of which should be quite apparent upon inspection.
Also look for bowing (primarily in)or cracking.
On a stone foundation this will appear as an unusual
opening of the joints in something like a diagonal line.
If after one hundred years things seam to be in good shape
there is no reason to avoid a house because of a block or stone
foundation.
Thanks Henley