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My house is built in a U shape, forming a courtyard. I built a woodframe wall in a U shape to close the opening, with the legs of the U attached to the corners of the house. Both the house and the wall are clad in stucco (not sprayed, true three-part). The footing for the wall is more than adequate, I think…but the footing seems to have settled. I suspect that it is a result of an extended drought which has caused the soil to settle. In any case, the wall is separating from the house, leaving a gap of 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch at the top, while still tight at the bottom. This is an obvious place for water to infiltrate, both into the wall framing and, at one end where an addition to the house is the attachment point, into the house framing. Is there anything I can do myself to jack up the footing and wall, and if so, how do I shore it up permanently…more concrete? The footing is approximately 12 inches deep and 18 inches across. The wall is 6 feet tall, framed with 2X6 and coated with stucco. There is a gate with a curved arch, also of 2X6 framing and plywood sheathing, stucco coated. Any ideas?
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I'm having trouble visualizing your problem.
It sounds more like the openning or gateway is sagging than a settling of the footings. (gap at the top and none at the bottom normally indicates a serious sag in the top assembly.)
Use a level line on the top and see if this is the case before you go trying to add to your footings or underpinning them.
Gabe
*At this point let the wall settle. Once it appears to have finished settling you can fill the gap with foam and then cover that with some appropriately colored elastomeric.Alternatively, separate the wall from the house, attach brackets to the house frame and to the wall frame using elongated slots that will allow for movement as soils swell and shrink (assuming your analysis is on.) Then, re-weatherproof both house and fence and call it good.It's likely that the only way you'd have been able to avoid what you're seeing would have been to have cast the footer for the house and wall at the same time on well drained and compacted soil. If the fence footer was cast after the house was built it was likely poured at least partially in disturbed, uncompacted soil. If this was the case, there really isn't much you can do other than live with it and seal with something flexible, or rebuild the wall. Helical piers might help if this were a structure, but considering it's really just a stuccoed fence, rebuilding on a proper footing is likely the best option if the cracking really bothers you.
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My house is built in a U shape, forming a courtyard. I built a woodframe wall in a U shape to close the opening, with the legs of the U attached to the corners of the house. Both the house and the wall are clad in stucco (not sprayed, true three-part). The footing for the wall is more than adequate, I think...but the footing seems to have settled. I suspect that it is a result of an extended drought which has caused the soil to settle. In any case, the wall is separating from the house, leaving a gap of 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch at the top, while still tight at the bottom. This is an obvious place for water to infiltrate, both into the wall framing and, at one end where an addition to the house is the attachment point, into the house framing. Is there anything I can do myself to jack up the footing and wall, and if so, how do I shore it up permanently...more concrete? The footing is approximately 12 inches deep and 18 inches across. The wall is 6 feet tall, framed with 2X6 and coated with stucco. There is a gate with a curved arch, also of 2X6 framing and plywood sheathing, stucco coated. Any ideas?