I recently purchased a small cottage (27′ X 24′) in upstate New York. The house was built over a roughly 3 foot crawl space using a concrete block perimeter.
However, the folks who built it did not a) put footings below the frost line or b) reinforce the wall with concrete or rebar. As a result, the walls have started to lean as if they’ve had to much to drink.
I’m wondering what my options are short of hiring someone to come lift up the house and pour me a new foundation (and if they’re going to do that, I might as well have them excavate a full basement). This would be my prefered route if I could afford it or if there was someone who would do it in a timely fashion (I’m in a remote location).
I was thinking of placing a series of lolli columns around the perimeter of the house, then running some I-beams under the house. It would be ugly, but I could live with it.
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Replies
adam.. i like the pick it up and put a full foundation under it...
the excavator can dig it easy if the house is out of the way
the building movers can jack it and move it if you have room on the site..
or they can jack it an crib it and excavate under it with the house above
find a good building mover.. he can recommend excavtors and foundation guys he works with.. keep in mind good drainage.. and wether you have ledge in your area.. most modern excavtors can rip ledge... but you want ot be careful about groundwater
I'm with Mike.
Your heqd is already to the point of the I-beams. By time you have them in, it is a mionot thing to crib and jack them up with the house above. Then, you can rebuild the foundation or dig deeper and make yourself something worth having
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the above advice is very good, especially for an all year residence and when you've got the money to do it right.The alternative for an occasional use cabin is what many do in the Adirondaks, jack and shim each spring after the thaw is completed! Believe it or not, there are an awful lot of places in the park that were built like that and this labor intensive solution worked for generations. Of course, it helps when the bedrock is not too far away.Depending on your budget this is one other option. Maybe file this in the "tarpaper siding" file of home building.Norm
Edited 1/12/2005 12:25 pm ET by Norm