been working on purchase of a property where the house burned down
all thats left is the concrete foundation (10″)
courious if any one knows of a way to determine if concrete is still good for building on
there are no obvious defects such as crumbling cracks that have parted etc.
property has 6 car underground garage incl bomb shelter, 30 x 40 nearly new barn,12 acres, 1000′ on river , 1/5 mile paved driveway . thus the reason for my intrest.
i checked with the municipality and the will allow a rebuild on same site
my concern is if the deal sounds too good i should check some more
having been a gc for over 25 yrs im wondering if im too keen on this property to be objective as to its faults any opinions on the foundation and other aspects appreciated
Ken in ontario
Replies
heck, if the price is right, you can always make a new foundation, right?
Besides, what if your new house plan is differently shaped? :o)
Having no expertise in this area at all will not prevent me supplying you my opinion: Since heat rises in a fire, and since concrete is used as an insulator for prevention of heat damage on steel girders in high rise buildings (granted, that is aerated concrete), maybe the county is right that the foundation will still be strong enough for you.
This sounds like a question for a local structural engineer to answer for you, since none of us here can see it ourselves. A CE should be able to make whatever test is needed, per your loading plans (number of stories, and so on) to best answer your question.
Sounds like a choice piece of property, good luck!
Norm
We work on the odd firejob and I know the insurance companies have contacts who can check the integrity of the foundation, I would give one a call.
bake