House Foundation Repair Methods

♦ November 19, 2012 ♦ Leave Your Comment

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION:
what is the best method to repair a pier and beam foundation on clay soil?
House was built in 1924 in Central Texas. The cedar peirs were replaced in 1999. The house is just on stacked block right now. Too much movement this winter. All the bids I have received so far are for spread footings or pressed pilings.
- ANSWER:
  Spread footings would be a good choice usually. You might consider doing some over excavation and re-compaction with engineered fill to prevent the problem in the future. The only problem with this is that it would be very costly on an existing structure.
QUESTION:
What do you call those people that jack your house up when it has settled on its foundation?
My house has “settled”…..I am wanting to see how much it cost and what the heck those guys that do that for a living are called—-help me please!
- ANSWER:
  Every house can be different when it comes to jacking, depending on the type of structure that it is. You deal with each situation differently. For instance, the method of jacking a house is different depending on what kind of roof you have — a hip roof or a gable, for example. In the last case it would also be a question of whether you need to jack one of the soffit-sides of the house or one of the gable-sides. Basically, each of those situations, and others, indicate different jacking techniques.
  
  It’s not an amateur’s job, by any means. A house moving company will come in and jack your house for you — and of course you can get bids from different companies in your area. A foundation contractor may also be able to do the work if you can find one with remodeling & repair experience.
  
  But before you call anyone, take some time to determine if jacking is really necessary. Your foundation may not be in as bad a shape as you think, and even if some settling has occurred you may not need expensive repairs. Here’s an article about foundations, including information about why they fail:
  
  http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1203559,00.html?xid=yahoo-answers&partner=yes
QUESTION:
I found a vertical crack on the outside of my house foundation. What do I do?
It is a split level house, built in 1962 in a rainy city.
- ANSWER:
  The caulking could work, unless water is causing the foundation to settle and crack.
  
  This site describes the cheap “quick fix” way to deal with it, or as my dad would say, the “Mickey Mouse” way:
  
  http://www.ehow.com/how_5690581_fix-foundation-leaks.html
  
  If it works, then great. But you’ll probably be repeating this a couple times at least!
  
  Here are a couple other options. One involves repairing the crack from INSIDE w/low-pressure urethane foam. That’s also a quick and temporary fix.
  
  A “French drain” is another. It keeps our 100+ y.o. basement dry, but does NOT stop cracking due to frost or water damage on the OUTSIDE (we’ve been lucky there, but ONLY there–the rest of the house is like a seive!). ANyway, here’s a link for those 2 options:
  
  http://www.repair-concrete.com/foundation-crack-repair.html
  
  For a more permanent solution
  
  THEN you need to dig out all round the foundation, down to the bottom, put in a layer of rocks and gravel, then a perforated drain pipe or tile (or replace the one that is not working). THEN you coat the foundation with tar or other waterproofing, like A-tech masonry and brick repair-a Low-VOC sealant, then backfill. Make sure to have your surface slope away from the house for added drainage.
  
  There is a system called “Drainguard” which replaces the traditional tile, and has strips that run vertically, funneling water down to the drain strip:
  
  For a picture and description, go here:
  
  http://www.appliedtechnologies.com/home/drainguard_modular_groundwater.html
  
  Here’s a brief description of the urethane method (inside or out) vs. excavation:
  
  “Urethane injections are okay if the crack is small, but if the crack has been ignored and has become large and gaping, it is better to repair it using a drainage tile. For larger leaks outside the house, a more extensive method is employed. A trench is dug at the affected place and the drainage tile is replaced if necessary. The trench is then filled – first with coarse gravel to make it more waterproof and then with the soil. This method is used even when dams spring a leak in their foundation.”
  
  http://ezinearticles.com/?Foundation-Leak-Repair&id=119864
QUESTION:
What is the best way to find a leak in your basement and repair it?
When it rains really hard in the spring my basement floods… I know where on the house the water is coming in, generally, but what is the best method to fix a hole in the foundation of the house.
- ANSWER:
  Hello, the best repair for a hole in the foundation, if you can get to it, is to mix up some concrete and re-pack the hole.Clean the hole of all loose debris and dirt, make sure that one side is closed off,cut a piece of plywood six inches wider and six inches taller than the size of the hole.This will close the other side of the hole.Position the plywood over the hole and mark a two inch by two inch notch in the top-center, then cut that out,this will allow us to fill our hole with concrete.Begin by mixing concrete to a fairly stiff consistency and packing it firmly into the hole.When concrete no longer stays in the hole brace or attach the cut piece of plywood to the wall with the notch just below the top of the hole.Continue packing concrete until the hole is full,finish the 2×2 spot of concrete with a trowel,wait a day for the concrete to set and remove the plywood. At that point you can mix a small amount of mortar an finish off the face of the patch smoothly.Hope this helps:-)
QUESTION:
What is the smallest amount of money you could spend building a house for a family of four?
Where can you cut corners or be innovative without reducing the standard of living?

Examples of what I’m talking about are using recycled material for the frame and flooring, an above ground foundation(house on stilts) and a simpler plumbing system(I’m thinking something radical along the lines of low pressure disposable/recyclable plastic pipes with easy access wall panels for DIY repairs).
- ANSWER:
  Some methods you might want to research are; rammed earth, straw bale, papercrete, and used tires that you fill with dirt as you stack them. There are websites and videos you can find quite easily by searching those terms. You can look into collecting the rainwater from your roof and recycling your grey water. Depending on your location you can make a good water pre-heater with a coil of black plastic pipe.
QUESTION:
What are the different types of home foundations?
We are in the process of trying to sell a house that was built in the late 1960s. A potential buyer commented on the way the foundation was built. There is a space of about 1″ between the floor and walls. I was built this way and isn’t a crack. Is this normal? The buyer is complaining about potential water damage. Thanks!
- ANSWER:
  Well, I’d have to ask for more details first, before commenting on this particular problem. For example… where is the gap? What is the floor made of? Are there any cracks in the foundation?
  
  During the 1960’s, here in the US, you began to see more and more houses built on concrete slabs. There are 2 ways to approach a slab home. The first is to pour a complete slab, usually 4 to 6 inches thick, and build everything on top of it. With this method, the floor actually runs under the walls, so there should be NO gap, unless you are measuring a gap between the wall covering, and the floor surface.
  
  The second method, is the way many ‘post and beam’ buildings, such as barns, are put up. Garages are often done this way too. Whether for a home, garage, barn, whatever, if the grade is sloped, or the pour is below grade, then the walls will be poured concrete to at least above the grade level. Once the footers (and if necessary, the walls) are poured, then the slab is poured INSIDE the perimeter of the foundation. A lot of basement floors are done this way too.
  Ive never seen a 1″ gap between a poured floor and perimeter foundation, or poured wall, though, if you mean the floor stops about 1″ away from the wall, horizontally.
  
  If the gap you are talking about is between the wall covering, and the floor surface (that is, you would measure the 1″ gap by holding a tape measure up and down), then there may have been some settling, or the wall covering was built with that much gap for a reason (maybe they intended to tile it later?)
  
  One important question… Have you HAD any water damage, or know about any in the past, if you have not owned the home since it was built?
  
  And, Its still your house, if you don’t want to deal with this individual, tell them to go find another house to buy.
  
  Your best option is probably to hire a foundation/concrete repair specialist to come in and look at the situation. They can tell you if there has been any settling, and how to correct it. They can also, if necessary, eliminate that gap for you. In the long run, if you really need to sell the home, this is probably your best option. (They can also tell you if your situation is common for your area)
  
  Your other choice is to give the buyer such a good price, they’ll buy it knowing they’ll have to correct any problems themselves. Be sure, if you choose that option, to get it spelled out very explicitly in a contract.
  
  I’d say call in that concrete foundation expert… if nothing is wrong, they can put that in writing for you. If there is a problem, they can tell you how to best go about fixing it.
  
  Good Luck
QUESTION:
How do I get rid of squirrels from my house?
Squirrels are getting into my house somehow. I’ve tried hav-a-heart traps but they don’t work. Their getting in through tiny openings where my stone foundation meets my ridge joist. What do I use to fill the holes? I’m thinking Spray Foam might stop them for a little while?
- ANSWER:
  I have been successful blocking the area with metal flashing. If they can pull it away however they will so it must be fastened securely. On one building recently, I cut all trees back 5 to 10′ away from the building and used spray foam on some existing holes. They could still jump to the building, but would have to climb down the building. This was enough trouble for them to go elsewhere.
  
  Poison is a much more secure method and is what an exterminator would do. The concern will be where to place it and what other animals will be able to eat the same poison.
  
  Moth balls in the area they are trying to inhabit will discourage them but I have successfully used this as a treatment to drive them away and then make my repairs. You would not want to be living in a place with a lot of moth balls out-gassing in the area.
QUESTION:
How do I mend a brick wall & replace current brick mending?
I have a house and the brick walls have these long bolts and big wooden washers that are 1×4. The long bolt goes through the wall, and these ugly wooden washers, that are on here to keep the bricks together are here.

Is there another method I could use to stop or repsir the cracks in the brick walls, by removing these things and doing something else?

I don’t want the walls to fall down, but I want to repair them differently to make them nicer looking. Outside you can see the obvious cracks/separation of the bricks.

It is awful to look at them in my bedroom & kitchen. They ruin the room’s appeal.
- ANSWER:
  It sounds like you need to get your foundation repaired before you think about doing anything to the wall.
  
  Any repair to the wall will be for nothing if the foundation continues to dhift.
QUESTION:
what is the cost to fix structural cracking and foundation issues on an 1800 sq ft brick house in texas?
I need an estimate on the cost to level my 1900 sq ft brick house, the house has shifted and there is some structural cracking on the bricks only on one side of the house but all the walls inside the house facing east have cracks up the walls into the ceiling. If a hire someone to fix the foundation do they fix the inside cracking too?
- ANSWER:
  You have not given nearly enough information to give a cogent answer. And before you do anything at all, you should have a registered structural engineer experienced in your type of construction survey the house and actually design the means and methods to fix your problem. You will need to determine:
  
  a) The primary cause of the shifting and whether it is ongoing.
  b) Has this cause been corrected permanently.
  c) The extend of the damage – can it be corrected safely or must structural elements be replaced.
  d) What means must be employed to correct the damage.
  e) What are the long-term implications of the damage.
  
  And finally:
  
  f) Design a package of corrective measures, structural and cosmetic, in detail for bidding purposes.
  
  From the above you can go to the proper contractors and get legitimate estimates make the repairs. And short of this you may simply be covering over the problem rather than correcting it.
QUESTION:
How bad is the foundation?
I had a foundation repair company come over and they told me part of the house was level at 0 and the other part especially the front was at -.5 or 7. The guys said it was not bad but the front house needs to be lifted with peers. What I want to know is do I really need to fix the foundation? Are the numbers that bad? I wonder if adding soaker hoses around the house if it will raise the house without having to spend too much on repair.
- ANSWER:
  Some maybe all of the differential settlement is due to the dry weather conditions which caused the movement. The part that doesn’t appear correct, but it is, the addition of water will not allow the structure to settle back to the original location. There is no way the structure will rise. In fact the settlement issue may get worse. It would not be positive to try the soaker hose remedy. A tremendous amount of water would be required and it would not work.
  As far as the .5 to 7 differential is hard to determine if it is even significant or critical. If the dimension is feet, it is time to get out of the house. If it is centimeters it may not be an issue depending on the size of the house. If it is inches the .5 is not an issue, the 7 inches is an issue that would require corrective measures. At 7 inches you should be seeing significant cracks appearing on the inside and outside walls. The house should be jacked up in the area, very slowly over an extended period of time, and additional supplemental supports (piers) should be added to support the floor at the corrected height. If the settlement was really .7 inches and not 7 inches, depending on the size of the house, corrective work may not be required. A 7 inch settlement would be very noticeable when you walk on the area. Although I am not aware of the formal guide lines any area that exceeds 1″ in 20′ should be considered for corrective action.
  You should check with other reputable foundation companies regarding the need for and method of corrective actions suggested. Before authorizing any corrective work have at least 3 or 4 cost proposals including estimates of how long the action will take. If an area is off 7″ you do not want it lifted in one day or more damage may be done to your house. Question the contractors on this point.
QUESTION:
I have a large crack in the concrete foundation wall of my one storey house. How can I repair it meaningfully?
I want to avoid making it look like a sleazy coverup! It’s visible from the ground about three feet up to the wood siding. Thanks in advance!
- ANSWER:
  I guess I don’t seee where you said “block wall” Other than that if it is concrete there are a couple of fixes that can be used. They are called out below as quik crete, foam and or caulk.
  I am more inclined to tell you to use an epoxy material to “glue” the crack back together. The crack should be cleaned to remove dirt, dust and insects. Then after it dries put duct tape over both side of the crack to form a dam. Leave access holes about 1′ apart.
  Go to Home depot and buy Set 22 epoxy cartridge and gun and shoot the epoxy into the crack. Patch each hole with a wood plug as yyou work up the crack.
  After 24 hours you can pull the tape and apply a slurry of cement creme over the exposed epoxy to get it to blend.
  NOTE instead of Duct tape to seal the crack a superficial patch about 1/2 inch deep on each side of the crack will work better.
  If the crack is not still moving you can fill the crack with mortar or concrete depending on the width and depth. Mortar will fill a small crack and concrete mix for a wide crack . Quikcrete does make patching mortars that should match good. Same method of damn and fill only one side placing material full depth.
QUESTION:
how do i get rid of caterpillars/centipedes in my bathroom?
i’ve never really had caterpillars in my bathroom, EVER. how do i get rid of ’em! HELP!
- ANSWER:
  If you want to get rid of the caterpillars/centipedes , you should follow these steps:
  
  Tolerate caterpillars and centipedes when possible. If these arthropods are numerous enough to warrant action, first attempt management with one or more of the following nonchemical methods. If these steps are not sufficient, then use insecticides as a last resort.
  
  Nonchemical Management
  
  Outdoors: It is very important to make the outside of your home as unfavorable as possible to sowbugs, millipedes, and centipedes to reduce their numbers.
  
  Caulk or seal cracks and other openings in exterior foundation walls and around doors and ground-level windows by late summer.
  
  Remove leaf litter and decaying vegetation from around the foundation which provide food and shelter for sowbugs and millipedes. A border of bare soil around the building next to the foundation also helps to make the area a less favorable habitat.
  
  Trim and thin foundation planting so that ventilation permits the soil to dry more quickly near the foundation.
  
  Allow the soil near the house to dry between waterings. Roughening the soil surface will speed drying and will work plant materials into the soil where it is unavailable to sowbugs or millipedes.
  
  Reduce thatch in your lawn to discourage sowbugs and millipedes. This is best done by dethatching in early fall.
  Indoors: Within homes, sowbugs and millipedes often die quickly because the encrionment is usually too dry. When soebugs or millipedes are frequently dound alive, it indicates excessive moisture is present. Use a method to dry the room as a long-term solution. Reduce favorable places for centipedes to hide.
  
  Remove sowbugs and millipedes with a broom or vacuum cleaner. Kill and remove centipedes as they are seen. Also set out sticky traps (e.g., Roach Motel) on floors where centipedes are often seen to capture them.
  
  Remove unnecessary boxes, bags, and other clutter that gives centipedes favorable places to hide.
  
  Caulk or seal behind baseboards and in cracks and crevices where centupedes like to hide.
  
  Place a dehumidifier in damp areas to sufficiently dry the air. Structural repairs may be necessary to the home and/or yard if a dehumidifier does not keep a room sufficiently dry.
  The continued presence of house centipedes suggests that insects are abundant enough to serve as a food supply. Management of insects, spiders, or other prey may be the best treatment for centipedes. Because centipedes feed on a variety or prey, there may not be a single obvious source of food. Reduction of moisture can also help reduce centipede numbers.
  
  Chemical Management
  Outdoors: If sowbug or millipede numbers are still higher than you can tolerate despite these nonchemical steps, supplement your efforts with an insecticide application. Apply a liquid insecticide around the building’s foundation and the adjacent ground in a band to help keep pests out. Common insecticides available to the general public for treating building foundations include: bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, and permathrin. You may also choose to apply a granular insecticide to the perimeter, such as deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, or permethrin. Be sure the specific insecticide you purchase is labeled for outdoor use around buildings. Chemical treatment will be less effective if food and shelter exist near the foundation and there are available cracks and spaces for pests to enter the building. Apply an outdoor insecticide in late summer or early fall when sowbugs and millipedes are first noticed indoors.
  
  Indoors: Sowbugs and millipedes often die soon after entering homes because it is too dry, making an insecticide application unnecessary. To treat for centipedes, apply an appropriate insecticide where they hide indoors, especially behind baseboards and in cracks and spaces. Select an insecticide that is labeled for indoor use. Common examples of available insecticides include: bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, esfenvalerate, and permethrin. These insecticides normally are purchased in ready-to-use aerosol or liquid forms. Insecticides will provide only temporary management if excessive moisture and a food supply exists.
  
  Caution: Handle all insecticides with care. Avoid spilling. Wash with soap and water if they are spilled on your skin and after using them. Carefully read follow label directions. Store chemicals in a safe place where children cannot reach them.
  
  I guess following these steps will help you.
QUESTION:
How do you get rid of pesky squirrels?
Help, we have squirrels with identity crisis, they think they are beavers and moles, they are chewing, making holes in our back pouch and eating the flowers and digging holes in the garden.

Are there any true, tried and tested home remedies against the squirrels.
- ANSWER:
  ·Non-toxic squirrel removal begins with figuring out how the squirrels got into your building in the first place.
  ·For successful squirrel control, repairs have to be done to keep them out of your home permanently.
  ·Remove the food supply.
  oIf it is a bird feeder, move it twenty or more feet from the house.
  oClose or cover garbage cans, and if possible make them inaccessible.
  oIf you have a barbecue near the house, keep it clean and covered.
  §Squirrels have been know to eat the drippings and sometimes build a nest if they can get inside.
  §It doesn’t take very long, sometimes just hours.
  ·Maybe the squirrels are digging in your garden, or flower pots.
  oYou can’t stop a squirrel from digging, you can discourage it
  oUse hardware cloth, a heavy metal screening with a half inch square grid
  oCut it to fit around the stem of the plant, and extend it to the edges of the pot.
  oPlace it just below the soil.
  oPut some small rocks near the edge to hold it in place.
  ·If the squirrels are eating your fruit as it ripens, about the only way to stop them is to cage the entire plant.
  oAllowing them to have a little may be a small price to pay.
  oThey can be wasteful, try to accept it as food tasting.
  ·Other devices, such as high frequency sound emitters and animal scents may be effective for a short period of time.
  oThey become ineffective, and you’re out a lot of money.
  oThe use of ” Squirrel Away” or ” Hot Pepper Spray” are also ineffective as deterrents.
  oThey can actually do harm to both squirrels, and other animals, especially when these products get into their eyes.
  §How do you deal with a blind squirrel?
  oThe use of ” moth balls” as a deterrent does work.
  §Temporarily
  §A determined squirrel will get used to the smell, or simply push the ” smelly stuff” out of its way.
  §So if you do try this method, wrap them in a piece of metal screening to form a bag.
  §Then tie the bag to a solid object, make it as difficult as possible for the squirrel to move.
  §You will have to replace the contents every few days for it to be truly effective.
  ·Another problem area can be exposed wires or rubber hose’s.
  oMost common are those on gas grills, and stored motor vehicles.
  oBut, low voltage lighting can be a tempting target for squirrels.
  oWhat most squirrels are trying to do, is clean and sharpen their teeth.
  oThey do this by biting through some material, (normally wood) then they pull their head back so the fibers slide between the teeth.
  oIts the squirrel version of dental floss.
  oMost squirrels stick with small tree branches, but some have found the plastic coated wire or rubber hose does a much better job.
  oThe only way to stop this problem is to trap and relocate the offending squirrel.
  oOnce the squirrel is removed, the problem should end.
  ·Once a squirrel has chewed its way into an attic or crawl space, again the only practical way to remove it is by trapping.
  oOf course repairs should be made immediately to close the entrance hole.
  oIt is also important to cut off the access route to the attic or crawl space.
  oThis may require trimming tree branches that overhang the roof.
  oRemove firewood that may be stacked against the building.
  oFill cracks in foundation walls.
  oEven a one inch hole or crack can make a suitable entrance hole for a determined squirrel.
  oWhen patching wood, use metal plates or flashing where ever possible.
  oOn foundation walls use concrete.
  oAvoid plastic or PVC vents when ever possible.
  ·If your only alternative is to trap, and remove an unwanted squirrel, you should first check with your local government agency.
  oYour City, County, or State may require you to obtain a permit.
  oThere may be certain circumstances when a professional trapper is needed to capture and relocate the animal.
  ·The other very important part of trapping concerns the time of year.
  oThe female squirrel will give birth to a litter of three or four, in the early spring and possibly again in the fall.
  oIf you trap and relocate the mother squirrel, you will surely kill her babies since they can not leave the nest on their own.
  oWhile this alone would be heart breaking, consider what will become of those baby squirrels.
  oThey can cause quite a smell.
  oPlease give this some careful thought before you proceed.
  oIf you’re not sure, please ask for help.
  ·If you are allowed to trap, your next step will be to find a suitable trap.
  oBe sure to find one that is the proper size for the squirrel you wish to trap.
  oToo small of a trap may not completely enclose the squirrel and one too large may not be sensitive enough for a one pound squirrel.
  oTraps should come with instructions to bait and set them, be sure you under- stand and follow the directions.
  §Peanut butter (Skippy crunchy) is considered the best bait for a squirrel.
  §Placing a spoonful on the trip lever usually does the t
QUESTION:
How to get rid of Spiders in my house!?
I have had loads of spiders in my house. House spiders. I hate them. Does anyone know a good way to get rid of them?
- ANSWER:
  Heya,
  Firstly get to the route cause of the problem..why do you have do many spiders in your house? Do you leave the windows open at night, is your house pritty cluttered with places for them to hide, see this question here for good advice http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081106222956AALZHvP which also discusses vacuuming..it’s a good idea that once you get rid of all the spiders you currently have in the house that you repeat this of clearing the spiders out and then make sure that you thoroughly vacuum all of your house so that you can get rid of the sacks that the spiders have laid their eggs in, continue to repeat this process until you can’t see any more spiders after about a month. If you still have lots of spiders in your house here are a few more reasons why: (unfortunately I don’t have the time to summarise this for you but here are some websites that maybe helpful)
  http://www.ehow.com/info_8311699_do-spiders-come-inside-house.html
  http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ipm/msg0814001314108.html
  http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/
  How to prevent them:
  http://www.ehow.com/how_16646_rid-home-spiders.html
  1
  Practice good sanitation for control. Vacuum and clear away all webs, being sure to remove any egg cases. Move and dust frequently behind furniture, stored boxes and appliances.
  
  2
  Eliminate the spiders’ food sources – including flies, cockroaches and moths – and they will be less likely to return. Check and repair all screens, and seal cracks.
  
  3
  Remove piles of wood, trash and debris from around the foundation of your home. Be sure to wear protective clothing: long-sleeved shirts, long pants, gloves and boots.
  
  4
  Hose off the outside of your home to destroy webs and egg cases.
  
  5
  Replace outdoor lights with yellow or sodium-vapor lightbulbs, which are less likely to attract insects and then spiders.
  
  6
  Shake out clothing that has been stored before putting it on.
  http://howtogetridofspiders.blogspot.com/
  Hope this helps =)
  And remember that if you do decide to use any kind of pesticide e.t.c these can be poisonous to pets. Best to thoroughly try all natural methods first.
  Oh and this might help lol
  http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/spider-catcher/
  Good luck, and remember that spiders are just living their lives like us and they don’t mean to scare people and I’m sure that if they knew that they were scaring/annoying us they’d go to avoid being killed, so please don’t kill them- try all natural ways first.
QUESTION:
What was housing like in roughly 900 AD?
In Europe (Britain and France mainly)
912 is my exact date.
WHY the caps?
its just the date i’m using for something i’m writing.
- ANSWER:
  It would vary depending on where you were. Most construction was timber — few buildings other than churches were built in stone. However, it you were in an old Roman city you would find a certain amount of reuse of Roman stone buildings, often patched up, so they wouldn’t have looked very “Roman” any more. The likelihood of this depends on where you were — places like Italy and southern France tended to maintain as much continuity with Roman settlement as possible. In England, on the other hand, Roman sites were more likely to be abandoned even if the general location continued to be occupied. Anglo-Saxon London, for instance, was a short distance upstream from the ruins of Roman London, which was only reoccupied later.
  
  Buildings generally didn’t have foundations. The most common construction method was wattle-and-daub; you drive heavy vertical posts into the ground for the frame, then make the walls out of a kind of latticework of flexible twigs and branches (the wattle). Finally you make the whole thing as airtight as you can with clay and mud (the daub) and make a roof out of thatch. Naturally, this is all very vulnerable to being damaged by the elements and would need to be repaired, the thatch refreshed, etc., on at least an annual basis. The floor might just be dirt packed down hard, or you could lay down flat wooden planks, or flagstones if you were particularly rich.
  
  The layout of houses vary widely from place to place. In some areas, particularly northern Europe, you would have the “longhouse,” big rectangular structures where presumably a whole extended family with their servants and dependents all lived under one roof. One end might be partitioned off for the master family’s bedroom and the rest is a big all-purpose room. In other areas you get smaller square- or round-houses. Southern Germany has a rather distinctive pattern of fairly square houses concentrically partitioned between an inner room and outer rooms. Many areas used a byre — a part of the house partitioned off to keep domestic animals in.
  
  There are also “pit houses” (German “Grubenhaeuser”), which are very widespread. These were build around a pit sunk into the ground and were usually circular. They probably were not living space but rather storage or workshop buildings where the sunken floor provided a desirable cooling effect.
  
  Lead could be used as a roofing material for luxury buildings — again, mostly churches. I’m not sure if tile continued in use anywhere, it may have in Italy. Glass was quite rare, expensive, and only available in small pieces, so more ornamental than useful to admit light. Buildings as a whole were pretty dimly lit – you did most of your work and life in general outside anyway.
QUESTION:
Floors are slanting away from central fireplace. Settling or Foundation?
We purchased a home last year. It was built in 1926. The inspector said that the planed doors and minor cracks in the plaster were from normal settling. However, the upstairs floors are slanting away on all sides from the brick that forms the centrally located fireplace. It is very noticable. Plus, the two doors closest to the fireplace wall won’t close because they appear to need another 3/4 in planed away, on top of the 1/2 inch that’s gone already. Also, after some work on the sewer line, the contractor stated that there are no footers. They just leveled the ground and started laying brick. The basement is panelled and I don’t have complete access to the brick to check for cracks. Where I have checked, there are none. Wondering what others thought.
- ANSWER:
  Sounds like your house has sunk over the years. All houses settle but should not sink because of a footing or other method pertaining to soil condition. With your fireplace, it has a large enough surface area of solid material to act as a footing whereas the outside walls do not have enough surface area to keep from sinking. Thats what footings are for after all. There are companies that can jack up the house and pour new foundations and footings. This is about the only way to do it the correct way. Lay a 4′ level on the floor and measure how far one end is sticking up when its level. Divide the number of feet for the length by 4′ and multiply that by how far the level stuck up to see how much of a drop it is. If your room is 20 feet long and the level is 1″ from being level then your house drops 5″. I’d definately look into some foundation repair and house jacking.
QUESTION:
What does it mean that a “roof is bowing”? what causes it? any remedies?
I am also having foundation problems with part sinking, could this be a cause or are they likely to be independent of each other

Thanks for any help
- ANSWER:
  The foundation settling is likely the cause, or part of the cause of the roof bowing. This is a serious problem at both levels ( pardon the pun! ). The roof could be bowing because the rafters are inadequate, either in their number of rafters installed or their size of lumber used. The foundation problem could also be to blame if the structure is being pulled off center in one direction. You didn’t say, but I hope this problem is with an out building and not the house itself. If it indeed is the house, you need to get some professional help in there right away to determine the cause and a solution. The foundation would be the place to start. They’d have to test the soil to make sure it is able to handle the weight of a structure. They need to determine why the foundation is sinking in one area, and if there’s a possibility of the problem getting worse in the future. If the soil is adequate, then it will have to be determined how to best “jack” up the foundation back to a point of being level and stabilizing the area. Once this has been done, then you can turn your attention to the roof that is bowed. Make sure that you have proper drainage from your downspouts to get rain water away from the foundation. This is the problem many times when soil is being washed away from a foundation! The roof repair will be simple to handle as compared to the foundation repair. Once again, a contractor you trust can repair the bowed roof for you. There may be more than one option for the roof repair, depending on how much you want to spend. There’s an old saying that a house isn’t any better than the foundation it’s built on! Unfortunately, you’re finding that out first hand! Hope everything turns out okay. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about either project and get more than one estimate for the work to be done. If you have a friend that is knowledgeable in construction methods, seek their advice. The cheapest repair isn’t always the best way to go. The repairs will likely depend on your financial status during this time. good luck and I hope any project goes well!
QUESTION:
Who desighned the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
I figure this will give me the fastest answer, so does anyone know?
- ANSWER:
  The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply The Tower of Pisa (La Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is situated behind the Cathedral and it is the third structure in Pisa’s Campo dei Miracoli (field of Miracles).
  
  Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction.
  
  The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the highest side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft) and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes. The tower has 294 steps. The tower leans at an angle of 5.5 degrees. This may not seem a lot, but this means that the tower is 4.5 metres from where it used to stand vertically. [1]
  
  The Tower of Pisa was a work of art, performed in three stages over a period of about 174 years. Construction of the first floor of the white marble campanile began on August 9, 1173, a period of military success and prosperity. This first floor is surrounded by pillars with classical capitals, leaning against blind arches.
  
  The tower began to sink after construction progressed to the third floor. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built higher floors with one side taller than the other. This made the tower begin lean in the other direction. Because of this, the tower is actually curved.[2]
  
  After a phase (1990-2001) of structural strengthening, the tower is currently undergoing gradual surface restoration, in order to repair visual damage, mostly corrosion and blackening. These are particularly strong due to the tower’s age and to its particular conditions with respect to wind and rain.[3]
  
  Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two cannon balls of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their descending speed was independent of their mass. This is considered an apocryphal tale, and the only source for it comes from Galileo’s secretary.[4]
  
  Benito Mussolini ordered that the tower be returned to a vertical position, so concrete was poured into its foundation. However, the result was that the tower actually sank further into the soil.[5]
  
  During World War II, the Allies discovered that the Nazis were using it as an observation post. A humble U.S. Army sergeant was briefly entrusted with the fate of the tower. His decision not to call in an artillery strike saved the edifice.[6]
  
  On February 27, 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling. It was however considered important to retain the current tilt, due to the vital role that this element played in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa.[7] A multinational task force of engineers, mathematicians and historians was assigned and met on the Azores islands to discuss stabilization methods. After over two decades of work on the subject, the tower was closed to the public in January 1990. While the tower was closed, the bells were removed to relieve some weight, and cables were cinched around the third level and anchored several hundred meters away. Apartments and houses in the path of the tower were vacated for safety. After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001. It was found that the lean was increasing due to the stonework expanding and contracting each day due to the heat of sunlight. This was working in combination with the softer foundations on the lower side. Many methods were proposed to stabilize the tower, including the addition of 800 metric tons of lead counterweights to the raised end of the base.[8] The final solution to prevent the collapse of the tower was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle, by removing 38 m3 of soil from underneath the raised end. The tower has been declared stable for at least another 300 years.[8]
  
  In 1987, the tower was declared as part of the Campo dei Miracoli UNESCO World Heritage Site along with neighbouring cathedral, baptistery and cemetery.
  
  Geographic coordinates: 43.7231° N 10.3964° ECoordinates: 43.7231° N 10.3964° E
  Elevation of Piazza dei Miracoli: about 2 metres (6 feet, DMS)
  Height: 55.863 metres (183 ft 3 in), 8 stories
  Outer diameter of base: 15.484 m
  Inner diameter of base: 7.368 m
  Angle of slant: 5.5 degrees[9] or 4.5 m from the vertical[10]
  Weight: 14,700 tonnes
  Thickness of walls at the base: 8 ft (2.4 m)
  Total number of bells: 7, tuned to musical scale, clockwise
  1st bell: L’assunta, cast in 1654 by Giovanni Pietro Orlandi, weight 3,620 kg (7,981 lb)
  2nd bell: il Crocifisso, cast in 1572 by Vincenzo Possenti, weight 2,462 kg (5,428 lb)
  3rd bell: San Ranieri, cast in 1719-1721 by Giovanni Andrea Moreni, weight 1,448 kg (3,192 lb)
  4th bell: La Terza (1st small one), cast in 1473, weight 300 kg (661 lb)by
  5th bell: La Pasquereccia, cast in 1262 by Lotteringo, weight 1,014 kg (2,235 lb)
  6th bell: il Vespruccio (2nd small one), cast in the 14th century and again in 1501 by Nicola di Jacopo, weight 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
  7th bell: Del Pozzetto, cast in 1606, weight 652 kg (1,437 lb)
  Steps to bell tower: 294[11]
  
  The movie Superman III features an evil Superman doing several “bad deeds” around the world – one of which is straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa, played to comedic effect. The famous final scene of the film features Superman pushing the tower back to its normal inclination.
  In the Histeria! episode “The Wheel of History”, Froggo is shown attempting to push the tower into its leaning position, unsuccessfully. He soon manages to accomplish the task with the help of Archimedes (played by Chit Chatterson) and his lever.
  In the Cartoon series Futurama the leaning tower is knocked straight by Fry and Bender and then knocked back again on a joy ride in the Planet Express Ship.
  In the Disney movie Sky High, the very beginning shows Will Stronghold’s superhero mom getting “take out” pizza from Italy. In one shot of the comic strip, she is seen with a pizza box, flying past the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
  In the Bartimaeus Trilogy, the djinni Bartimaeus claims that he helped build the Tower of Pisa, but his advice to the archiects was ignored and that is the reason that it leans.
  On a Tool Time segment on Home Improvement, Tim Taylor shows a picture of the tower as an example of how men create and build masterpieces with tools. His assistant Al Borland then goes on to say that the tower is actually an example of a mistake by mankind.
  In a flashback in an episode Rocko’s Modern Life, it is shown an ancestor of Heffer was standing at a side of the tower, causing the tower to lean.
  In Disney’s A Goofy Movie, Max’s friend Bobby (Pauly Shore) makes a reference to the tower with Eazy Cheeze that he piled in his hand and says “look, it’s the leaning tower of cheesa.”
  In MTV’s Viva La Bam, Bam visits the tower and his uncle, Don Vito, who calls it “The Leaning Tower of Pizza” and says there is a pizza shop at the bottom of the tower . He then says in a hysterical voice that the whole town was named after pizza.
  In the Disney movie the Return of Jafar, the Genie’s song ‘Nothing in the world’ refers to the Leaning Tower of Pisa where, comically, the Genie is seen cycling into the tower, which falls on top of him.
  In Janet Jackson’s music video “Runaway”, she appears at the top of the tower.
  In Niles, Illinois, USA there is a replica which was bought by a very wealthy man as decoration for his front yard. One which included roman and greek statues, swimming pools, and reflection ponds.
QUESTION:
Renting Houses out–how many before i Can Be Full time Landlord?
how many homes or units do I have to rent out do make enough profit where I can be a full-time landlord?
I have seed money of 200,000
landlord—how in the world did you pay off 30 houses to rent out?!
- ANSWER:
  Your question would only be answered by you determining what it would take for you to earn enough per month to be able to live the kind of lifestyle you are currently living or aspire to live. Therefore no one on this forum would be able to answer that question.
  
  It appears as if you would want to educate yourself about the responsibility of being a landlord, and what it take to become a landlord.
  
  Having 0,000 to invest is not a requirement, it is intelligent in how you invest this 0,000 and be able to start your real estate investment on solid ground. You just don’t go out with a certain amount of money and instantly buy properties and become a landlord.
  
  Therefore you would, before you part with any of the 0,000 become educated on the purchase of rental properties. In order to become familiar with the purchase of rental properties you should purchase several books from your local bookstore about the subject. While you are there see if you might find a few books on being a landlord.
  
  You should consider joining the local National Apartment association. This is a group for landlords that would assist you with the local customs about renting units as for the amount of rent you would or could charge. They would also have many rental forms available for your use at a cost, I am sure a discount is available for members. The would also know about the eviction laws along with how to legally evict someone. There might be vanilla legal services available for you.
  
  Consider joining the local real estate investment group. There are lots of local information about investing you would learn from this group.
  
  You might would want to crawl before you start running toward the finish line. Therefore you might consider a 4 unit complex as your first rental adventure. You could live in one and rent out the other 3. This would be very educational to you and most beneficial as you grow your properties and hopefully your monthly rental income.
  
  A 1-4 unit is consider the same as a single family house in the eyes of FHA, therefore you might would want to apply for an FHA mortgage loan. The down payment could be as low as 3.5%. Since you would be residing in one unit this real estate purchase would be considered an owner occupied property, thus the interest rate would be at what a home owner would be. Therefore your monthly payment would be lower. In order to be successful you would want the lowest overhead as possible.
  
  Once you have resided in the unit for a total of 2 years you have then full filled the FHA requirement and may then move on to another 4 unit with the same set up. You now would have 7 units as rentals while living in the other.
  
  2 years later do the same thing once again, this would give you a total of 11 rental units and once again you would reside in one.
  
  After this you would make a decision as to if you would want to duplicate this again or simply purchase you a house and additional rentals to include moving up to what are called commercial rentals those that are above 4 units.
  
  You would have laid a solid foundation, worked your you know what off, know the business from having hands on by living in your units for at least 6 years.
  
  You would want to keep as much of the 0,000 in the bank as possible. This is called a reserve for any unforeseen repair situation.In becoming a landlord you will need this reserve.
  
  Most investors invest for leverage, tax advantages and future appreciation in the property. Therefore in most cases you would want to invest as little of your money as possible, then there are those make sense deals where the norm does not work, you would have to approach these type investments on a case by case basis, so stay alert and be knowledgeable about each investment.
  
  This is one method you might consider.
  
  I hope this has been of some benefit to you, good luck.
  
  “FIGHT ON”
QUESTION:
existing house, bilt in 1900 w/ sml dugout basmt want to expand basmt & repair sag flrs need 2 brace walls etc
foundation settling. need more room. considering adding on. thought putting in a bigger basmt and fixing sagging floors. thinking addition as a basmt instead of building out. floors and walls need to be sured up. building basment and moving house onto the basement is not an option because of outside room for such a project.
- ANSWER:
  The traditional method for doing this is to support the house with temporary beams while you dig out the basement and put in new floor, sanitary drain systems and water connections. As long as you are going to this much effort it is a good time to upgrade the electric system to 200 amp service.
  
  Even if you are going to do this work yourself, you should get a profession contractor to advise you. They type of subsoil strength (to support weight) should be analyzed. Where to place the temporary support beams is very important. They should be under supporting walls. When they are installed you just can’t lift with them, it must be a slow process where the house has time to move and adjust because the structure will twist and turn during the process. It is likely that over the years the house has settled unevenly and there are multiple sags. This is the time to address and repair those situations.
  
  If I were you, I would contact a local building mover. He will be familiar with what the problems are to lift and to reset. Good luck.
  
  My house was built in 1913 and has many of the problems that you mentioned. Although mine does have a basement (with 11 feet from floor to main floor beams) I am likely going to be doing the same thing in about 3 years. First however I am going to be redoing the garage from a 16 by 20 to a 22 by 40 with a green house off the back.
QUESTION:
My neighbor has termites but can’t afford to treat them…Any advice?
What can I do? I know they have a current infestation because the tenant told me that an inspector came out and confirmed it. But the neighbor is having a hard time paying mortgages, and cant afford to treat the termites… Do you have any advice?
- ANSWER:
  First, you need to defend your house from those termites. They migrate, you know.
  
  Set up a defense perimeter around your house. Clear any wood away from your foundation. Make sure you trim back plants so they do not touch the dwelling. If your house has a crawl space, poke your nose in there with a flashlight to look for wood scraps or chips. Clean those out!
  
  If you have a wood pile or other wood lying on the ground, clear it out.
  
  Now, I assume you want to help your neighbor. Help him do the same around his foundation and in his yard. Next, help him kill the termites in the house. Search the internet for low-cost, do-it-yourself methods. Nontoxic is best. Then help your neighbor do the deed.
  
  Final step is to repair damaged wood. This can take some real skill, if it’s finely finished wood, like floors. Mostly, this is roll-up-your sleeves work.
  
  Join this guy in battle and you’ll make a lasting friend.
QUESTION:
What happend in the Quarting act and townshed act?
- ANSWER:
  The Quartering Act (one of the Coercion Acts) was passed by the British Parliament in June, 1774 to permit effective action by the British troops sent to Boston after the Tea Party. In 1768, the Boston Whigs, taking advantage of the absence of troop barracks in Boston, attempted to quarter (house) the troops in Castle William rather than in the town itself. To forestall a similar effort, the Quartering Act provided that where no barracks were available, the authorities must provide quarters for them on the spot; if they failed to do so, the governor might compel the use of inns or uninhabited buildings. The Boston patriots, however, forced the British troops to camp on the Boston Common until Nov. 1774, by refusing to allow workmen to repair the distilleries and empty buildings Gen. Gage had procured for quarters.
  The Quartering Act was another nail in the coffin of British rule, was specifically mentioned in the greviances in the Declaration of Independence and eventually resulted in the inclusion of an anti-quartering measure in the U.S. Constitution.
  
  The Townshend Acts take their name from Charles Townshend, Chacellor of the Exchequer and head of the British government at the time they were enacted. There were four acts and all were passed between June 15 and July 2 1768.
  
  The first suspended the New York legislature until it complied with the Quartering Act of 1765.
  
  The second act provided for an American revenue and the third set up a special board in Boston to collect revenue.
  The revenue acts levied import duties on several articles including paint, paper, glass and tea. The monies collected would go toward paying collection expenses and thereafter for civil establishments like judges, governors and other crown employees instead of the usual method of their salaries being paid by local asemblies. This struck at the very foundation of American political liberty and was denounced as politcal enslavement.
  
  The fourth act repealed the inland duties on tea in England and permitted it to be exported to the colonies free of all British taxes. This served to promote British commercial interests by not having tea rexported to Europe and favored the passage of tea in British ships.
  
  All these acts, but especially the Revenue measures were a significant catalyst to American resistance to political acts by Parliament and the crown that led to the Revolution.
QUESTION:
A crack in my ceiling…Is this anything to worry about?
I have a home that is 8 years old in fairly good condition. This past week we noticed a crack in the ceiling about 18 inches long. It isn’t wide and might be directly over the taping that was done for the sheetrock. I don’t see anything unusual outside on the walls and roof, nor under in the crawl space under the room with the crack.

Could this be caused by normal settling of the ground?
- ANSWER:
  All homes settle to some extent, even after a period of years, if there has been some kind of change in ground recently, such as a major freeze, or thaw. If your home is a mobile home, it is even more likely to settle, depending on which type of foundation method you chose for it.
  
  If the crack is in a straight line, then yes, it is most likely along a tape joint. Cracks will appear there when the sheet rock shift in either direction, lenthwise, or apart. The critical question is how wide is the crack? If it is only a hairline crack, you can run a little Dap Tub & Tile caulk into the crack with your finger (comes in white, or almond, and I find the white blends in with most white ceilings pretty well). If it is wider than that, up to 1/8th inch wide, then you can simply apply a little drywall compound (also called joint compound), which you can purchase in a small tub, already mixed. You will want to prime over the new joint compound, before painting. If it is wider than 1/8th inch, then you want to put a new piece of mesh tape over the crack, and then apply the joint compound. You may need a couple of applications of joint compound, if it shrinks as it dries (very likely)
  
  This type of repair should take less than 15 minutes to fix.
  
  Now, something to consider along with the crack in the ceiling, to help you determine if more needs to be done on the house – have you noticed any doors or windows sticking lately, that did not stick before?
  Do you notice any humps in the floor, or can you tell if you are walking ‘uphill’ in any portion of the home? (Ive walked through enough mobile homes, I can usually tell if a home is out of level very much, just by walking through it).
  
  You can check a home’s level very easily, using a water level, or a laser level. Laser is more accurate, but if you have obstructions, its more hassle. A water level, built properly, will be accurate to within 16″ over 100ft length.
  
  Feel free to email me with more details, if you’d like to discuss this further.
  
  Have Fun
QUESTION:
Is it foundation trouble?
I am looking at homes and need to know if this is foundation trouble because I have an FHA loan, and I have heard they are pretty picky about the house. The home I like may have foundation problems. The dirt has come away from the back of the home and the small porch has separated from the back door, but the house itself is still on its slab, unmoved. You can see under the house because of this, and the concrete slab is fine. The home is on a hill and the back yard has retaining walls so it makes me think the backyard is eroding. There are no cracks inside or outside the home. Is it a major problem? I will try to get pictures soon.
- ANSWER:
  This sounds more like the porch has settled, and not a foundation problem with the home itself. Still you can insist on its being repaired before you purchase the home.
  
  The most likely repair for this type of settling, would be what is called ‘mudjacking’, or ‘helical pier’ repairs. With the mudjacking, a foundation repair company would pump a cement slurry (a thick mud, made of cement) under the porch, bringing it back up to the level it was originally at. This is also a good method to re-level concrete patios, and floors (such as a garage floor). With a ‘helical pier’ type of repair, the company would literally, dig a small hole, 2 or more feet deep, next to the porch (or foundation, if that was what had settled), and they would install a ‘jack’ that is operated by filling it with cement.
  
  These types of repair are usually done by the same business, and this is much more common than it was, say 30 years ago. You can easily find a contractor close to your home by searching for “mudjacking”, or using a site like ServiceMagic their link is here – http://www.servicemagic.com/
  
  Again, this sounds more like a problem with the porch itself, and not the foundation – but a foundation repair company is who you would call to fix it.
  
  The other option would be to tear off the porch, and rebuild it – if it is a small porch, this might be cheaper than repairing.
  
  Good Luck
  
  Oh, just an afterthought here – If you have an FHA loan, then the FHA will send an inspector out to look at the home before you buy it, and they would flag something like this for repairs before they would approve the purchase. If you can see under the foundation of the home itself, then it is likely they would require that to be filled in too.
  
  Good Luck and Best Wishes
QUESTION:
Foundation problems and laminate flooring?
Our house’s foundation needs repair, it will be 00 and supposedly the plan is to spend income tax on these repairs. The man that came out and gave us the quote said the house is sinking on both sides and that they would have to tear up the floor in the hallway that runs through the middle of the house, take out some dirt from under the carpet and concrete and blah blah blah. Anyway the point is, would it be alright to put laminate flooring like pergo in my son’s room or do I have to wait till after they do this? I wanted to get the floating type that locks together. Would it be ok? Thanks!
I’m not even sure we are going to get the foundation fixed, we’re supposed to but chances are that my parents will blow the money on some stupid luxury.
- ANSWER:
  I agree with the first suggestion – wait until the foundation work is finished before putting in the floor in the bedroom. Many times there will be other areas that need torn up when attempting to repair the problems.
  
  I may also suggest that you seek another contractor’s opinion on the problems. I think you really should see how to stop the sinking rather than lower the center of the house as I assume the contractor plans to do. This will only be an expensive bandage if the house continues to sink because eventually the same will have to be done again.
  
  Without knowing everything about your house (such as age, type of foundation, and soil type) it is very hard to give advice on what to do about the foundation. However, there have been several companies that have developed methods of anchoring the foundations (I have never worked with any so I can not attest to their effectiveness).
  
  After the sinking problems have been addressed, then a product like the floating laminate flooring should be just fine. But again I would wait until after the major work is finished on the rest of the house before having it installed.
  
  I hope that this helps you some with your question.
QUESTION:
Do I need to repair foundation?
I had a foundation repair company come out and they told me I needed to get it fixed because the front of the house was .5 to 1.7 inches dropped in some areas. I do have many hairline cracks on the sheet rock and 2 big ones on the ceiling and one one the wall. My home is 12 years old. The strange thing is he told me if we don’t normally water the foundation consistently it is better to not water at all. (you got me) . I have a feeling all repair companies will say I need to fix it. Is the drop really that significant to have to fix?
- ANSWER:
  By reducing and defining the amount of settlement from your previous question it would appear that although you have an issue it is not a catastrophe. Since you have big cracks in the wall and ceiling corrective work would appear appropriate. The cracks will not get better without repair work. You may want to follow the suggestions I made previously about how to proceed.
  If your house was a slab-on-grade foundation it would be possible to have a mud jacking company come in and lift the slab back into position and then proceed with the wall and ceiling repairs. But as I remember you noted the foundation contractor had suggested the use of piers to correct the settlement. This would indicate that either you have a cast in place concrete or concrete block perimeter foundation with probably a crawl space under your floor. By jacking up the floor to its proper elevation and installing piers for support the settlement can be corrected. That from what we know from the info provided that would probably be the most economical solution.
  By watering the foundation consistently you would have been trying to take over for mother natures responsibilities in keeping the soil at a consistent moisture content to keep the moisture under your footings at a consistent level. I have no idea how you could do this successfully since you would have to adjust your amount of watering on the weather conditions and the soil moisture content below the footings. The surface moisture content is not indicative of the moisture under the footings in that they are a foot or two under the surface. The moisture at that level is also effected by the ground water level that rises and falls. Don’t try to mess with mother nature you have no idea how much or how little water is needed under the footings.
  It would appear with that much settlement in only one area of your house, that area of your house was built on top of a clay seam that was not isolated by use of a good granular fill which would have minimized any settlement due to clay shrinkage if the clay should dry out more than its condition when the footing was placed. It is understood that when clay drys out it can shrink in volume and its load bearing capacity will actually increase in its new lower position under the footing. So when it drys out the footing will settle and move to a lower position. The footing and support wall will both crack to allow the settlement. Now lets say you add enough water to saturate the clay under the footing. Although the clay will have a tendency to expand, with the footing load on the clay, the path of least resistance for the clay to expand is to the sides and down from the footing. It will not raise the footing. (This is different from the mud jacking method where adequate pressure is applied to the mud jacking material to push to the sides and down with adequate pressure until adequate resistance is achieved that it is easier to lift the footing than to go out the sides or down.) To continue, now you have wetter clay under the footing than is normally there and the water dissipates to the surrounding soil. With the water leaching out the clay drys out. What happens when clay drys? It shrinks and your house’s footing drops again. This is why once you get settlement on a clay soil it will continue to settle unless the problem is corrected, mud jacking or additional support such as a pier / piers on a stable base, not clay. If the clay is down deep enough under the foundations or the piers its poor foundation support qualities are neutralized for all intents and purposes.
  The repair companies will tell you it needs repaired because if all is factual information that you provided the problem will not fix itself and can get worse. If you have the foundation issues fixed, I would wait for at least a couple weeks before I started any interior wall and ceiling repairs until the house stabilizes. It will take a little time, winds rain, temp changes etc. until the house settles into position.
QUESTION:
Foundation Repair Help?
Hello,

I kind of have 2 questions but both related to the foundation. We just moved into an older house and it has a stone foundation. Very small basement I guess you could call it a cellar. I’m in the process of raising the middle of the house and noticed that the foundation is in pretty bad shape. I was going to just buy a paint on water sealer when I noticed a lot of the mortar is falling off exposing the rock or it’s getting ready to fall off (very brittle). I read somewhere that you can just clean it up real good and re-mortar it. If so, is that pretty easy to do? I have never done this kind of work but I can be pretty handy and enjoy learning new things. Plus I don’t really want to pay a truck load of money to have someone do it. Do I just take the mortar and fill in all the holes as best as possible and smooth the outside into a good finish or is it more technical than that? Some of the gaps are maybe 5 inches wide and some kind of deep and just pointy rocks. If you’ve seen it before I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. About an 1/8th of the foundation is like this. Scattered around the walls.

Second question: I’m going to put down some fill dirt around the outside of the house to ensure proper drainage away from the foundation. On the south side of the house the driveway rides along the house and just barely slopes downward into the foundation. Obviously causing a water problem right there against the foundation. I really don’t want to mess with the driveway unless there is no other way. Any suggestions on how to direct water away from the foundation when it’s just a slab of concrete?

Thanks in advance and I hope I gave enough info.
- ANSWER:
  Sounds like you have some serious issues but also like you have a good handle on them.
  
  It is important for the ground to slope away from your house as constant exposure to water will hasten the deterioration of a foundation. While stone foundations can be very strong, often due to their thickness they also tend to suffer differential settlement, leak and spald easily.
  
  To re-point the stone the loose mortar will have to be removed as much as practical. But in some severe cases may cause instability. Therefore you may wish to work on a section at a time.
  
  A step more intense would be to install a surface bonding cement over the entire surface of the stone. This will also help to block water penetration. This cement has little fibers in it that act as reinforcement. This can tend to be a little rough finishing.
  
  A further level would be to pour a new wall in front (or behind) the stone foundation. This can also be reinforced with mesh or re-bar. This would add further support to a weak foundation. To do this you may actually put a form in front of the wall and fill the space with concrete.
  
  Any type of foundation waterproofing is most effectively done on the outside and most economically done on the inside. If the foundation is not deep you may consider digging on the outside forming up and pouring a supporting wall, surface bonding, and/or pointing from the outside. Once again you have to be concerned about a possible collapse. The risk will determine if you shore up the house, do a very narrow portion at a time or shore up the foundation inside and out. Only someone visiting the site with some experience or an engineer would be in a good position to make such a judgment call.
  
  There is also a method of epoxy injection for cracks in a foundation that may be worthwhile to research.
  
  Once you have taken care of the foundation and any back filling and want to resolve the driveway pitch you have several options. First if the amount you need to fill in is over 2″ then you can fill in with concrete and use a surface bonding agent between the two layers. If it is less than 1/2″ then you can use a surface cement like “top and bond” that are intended to be feathered out to a very thin taper. In between you can build up multiple layers of the bonding cement.
  
  Good luck with your project.
QUESTION:
Structural engineering question?
First the background: I want to build a house using CEBs, Compressed Earth Blocks. (If you want to know more about the CEBs check out thes link: http://www.adobemachine.com)

They are considerably heavier than conventional building materials. Each block is 10″wide x 14″long x 4″ thick. They will be stacked with the 10″ side facing out and thus will make a 14″ thick wall course. The exterior walls will be two courses thick with a small chase between them to allow for electrical and plumbing. The interior walls will be one course.

Each of the blocks weighs about 40 pounds. Stacked as stated above that will create a wall that weighs 14,400 pounds per 10′ x 10′ section for each course and thus a 28,800 pound 10′ x 10′ section for the double course.

My main question is: what is the formula to determine the thickness of the of footings and slab given the width of the walls and the weight?

Once the floor plan is finalized and the interior walls laid out and the lengths of the exterior walls determined I want to be able to estimate what the foundation work and materials are going to run me.

I would also like to build this with a flat top roof (a little slope for rain runoff of course,) and I would like the roof to be make of concrete. How do I do that? Do you pour it in forms in place or do you precast it in sections and then crane it into place? How thick can/should it be (I want it to be tornado proof?) What sort of support is required during construction and afterwards. The interior walls will provide some support but the rooms will be large and I am wondering if I will have to have support beams from the floor up or will I need support beams spanning from wall to wall at the ceiling (I-beams?)

Also should I use foundation support piers (like the foundation repair guys drive down to bedrock when they repair a broken or cracked foundation?) I was wondering if that would help support something as heavy as this house is going to be.
- ANSWER:
  These are all great questions! I really do enjoy designing the structures for all kinds of buildings, especially custom residential homes. This seems like it will be a great project by the way you describe it.
  
  First of all I want to suggest that you have a licensed structural engineer to work along side you during your design process. The questions you have posed here have fairly complex answers and you may not have thought of all the implications of your design materials yet.
  
  I would also like to suggest that you employ a geotechnical engineer to investigate the soil on your property. They will be able to determine just what types of loads can be supported and by what types of foundation. They can also help with suggested procedures for preparing the sub grade soil prior to laying a foundation if it needs any type of enhancement or modification to best serve your home’s needs.
  
  Lastly, I would suggest having an architect review your final design, they are aware of building codes for your area that you may have missed in your initial layout. They might even offer some good suggestions for details on how to waterproof the exterior of your building.
  
  Anyway, your initial calculation about wall weight is off by a lot, a 10′ x 10′ section of brick should only weigh 4,200 lbs based on your weights and brick sizes. Plus you didn’t account for the weight of your roof, nor for snow, construction, or wind loads. And it seems you are only concerned about the roof being tornado proof… that kind of a design needs to be a whole system approach (walls, foundation, roof, doors, windows, etc.). FEMA puts out some documents to recommend how to create a safe-room, but they don’t make for very pretty homes. I would instead suggest a single safe room made to FEMA standards or better and let the rest of the house blow away. Tornado force winds are too strong for typical construction methods.
  
  My guess is you would rather not pay the fees for design professionals to come along side and help… but if the building falls down a concrete roof will be devastating. Besides, your local jurisdiction likely requires that you adhere to a building code like the International Building Code. Rather than learn it on your own, along with all the structural design equations, I suggest building a design team to help your dream become a reality.
  
  Please contact me directly (check my profile for email link) and I’ll help walk you through some of the basics to help get your basic design off the ground before you go to talk to a local professional.
QUESTION:
Replace or repair brick foundation?
Looking to buy a home. Needs a lot of work including a repair or replacement of brick foundation in the center of an 8 foot wall. This foundation is part of a home addition. A tree (about 5 inch diameter) is now growing right against the house. This is causing the brick foundation to bow in about 3-4 inches inward in about a 3′ area on the wall. I have the manpower and tools available to separate the addition and lift it if needed. The house is getting gutted anyway. House has partial dirt basement the size of the addition. I do not possess the know-how to repair or replace foundation. The other foundation walls are excellent so if possible I would only like to repair or replace that one wall. Is it possible to repair a brick foundation to save money or is it going to cost me 10k in replacement block foundation for the entire addition?
Peter W….Yes to all. sounds promising then….fingers crossed.
- ANSWER:
  OK – a few questions:
  
  The foundation wall is neither settling nor shows any sign of damage other than from the tree roots, correct?
  
  There are no sags or tilts within the addition that are attributable to foundation settlement past or ongoing, correct?
  
  You have no intention of adding additional load to the repaired foundation after you are done – other than conventional household loads and conventional household furniture – no water beds, concert grand pianos, 1,000 gallon aquariums, hot-tubs and so forth?
  
  If all of the above are true and correct, it is likely that the footings are intact. If the footings are intact, you are perfectly able to replace the damaged section of the foundation (after suitably supporting the addition) using conventional mean-and-methods and similar materials.
  
  If not, or if you have any doubts, call in a structural engineer familiar with your area and the soils and structures around you. For a relatively small fee you can have peace-of-mind.
QUESTION:
Bentonite clay basement waterproofing method?
We have a poured concrete basement, 4 years old, with 14 wall cracks (6 of which are actively leaking). We’re fixing the outside grade, extending our downspouts and adding window well covers. We’re having the cracks repaired from the interior as well.

We’re also considering using exterior injections of bentonite clay as a waterproofing method. Keep in mind this is exterior, not interior. What kind of experience have you had with this method? How long has it been holding up or how quickly did it fail? Does it seep into and clog the drain tile around the perimeter of the house or no? If not, how do they prevent that from happening? Any additional information you have on this method would be great. Thank you very much!
- ANSWER:
  Bentonite clay is like all other clays, it expands when wet and shrinks when dry.
  
  We once lived in a suburb of Denver where there was a great deal of bentonite clay in the soil. Every one went to great effort to keep the area (about 4 to 6 feet) near their foundation with a consistent water content. This was to keep the clay stable and not put extra pressure on the foundation.
  
  I would think with the number of cracks you have, a membrane type water proofing would be a surer and in the long run a cheaper solution.
QUESTION:
will the smell of a cat drive out a mouse?
ok i have completely cleaned my house from top to bottom and i still don’t fell comfortable. This morning i saw a mouse run from my couch to the computer desk. I have swept, moped and vacuumed every room in the house. I have cleaned every dish in the house again just in case it might have been dirty, and double sealed everything in plastic containers and still don’t feel its enough. I cant lay poison because i have two small children and two puppy’s im afraid will get into it. I don’t want mouse parts, so traps are out. When we bought the house just this winter there was rat poison in the kitchen, just 3 weeks ago a dead mouse was on the sidewalk outside of our home. And today i finally saw a live mouse. So i want to barrow my mothers cat for a few weeks to see if that will keep the mice away. Do you think it would work?
- ANSWER:
  I don’t think that “cat smell” will keep mice away. The cat might catch a few, so that could be a good thing. I live in a older home that has had previous termite damage and repairs to the damage. There are small openings that I just can’t find, even after years of trying to. Our problem is that siding was placed over clapboard and there are spaces that I can’t see to seal off in between. The only effective method here was to buy traps and bait them with peanut butter. They are set every 10 feet or so on the sill plate. That is the board that sits on top of the concrete block foundation. Every so often one gets killed in a trap. I hate to have to live this way but it does stop them where they come in so that they can’t cause damage or breed in the home. Best of luck to you.
QUESTION:
Lotsa questions about the new older home we recently purchased.?
Purchased an older home (1930’s era) that was brought in, in 3 pieces and put together like a puzzle over the years. The floors in some areas are slightly slanted where the home was put together. Rock foundation looks decent though we had to have the basement/garage professionally waterproofed due to water seepage. I want the worst part of the floor fixed, which is the kitchen. I have had many suggestions from people from removing the floor and redoing it to buying floor leveler in a can and using that to building a new floor on top of the existing floor, so it would be a step up floor to jacking the floor up. Now jacking the floor up was my first thought but then I was told we can’t do it because the walls would crack, but that’s not an issue since we are actually redoing the plaster walls with sheetrock anyway. It was an Amish contractor that said he could do the floor by jacking. Any suggestions? The slant is maybe 3-5 inches from one side to the other.

Mary in Camden, MI. USA
The floor jacking makes the most sense to me and would be the least expensive option.
The 3 main parts of the home were brought in and put together but there are actually 2 small additions (both porches).

I have had he Amish contractor do work for me already, just yesterday actually, and he came highly recommended by quite a few of the locals in this small town (population under 550).
- ANSWER:
  A few things to think about here.
  
  First, you make a point of noting that you have talked to an Amish contractor. Do not fall into to trap of thinking that just because the contractor is Amish he is competent and/or reputable. There are some very good Amish contractors, but there are bad ones as well. Sometimes the bad ones seem to get by because they are able to flash the “Amish card”. Ask for references, ideally from a similar project, from any contractor you consider. You will also want to make sure that your contractor is properly insured, especially for this type of project. Check both workers compensation and liability.
  
  From your description I’m not sure if you are saying this house was built on another location and moved or if you are saying it was added on to over the years (maybe both?). Either way, you have some of the same problems.
  
  The slant that you have is probably due to settling of the foundation, structural failure of the joists or carrying beams, or a combination. In any case, this probably happed within ten years or so after the original part of the house was built. Both of these conditions are due to construction methods of the time and were accepted as normal settling. As a result, there was probably not any effort to correct the situation before adding to a house in this condition.
  
  Now comes problem #1 — the newer parts of the house are likely tied to the older part with some compensation for the settling of the older part. The result is that as you raise the older parts, the newer parts will raise as well. This may cause reasonably level floors in the newer parts to become a problem.
  
  Problem #2 is the plaster. This one is probably already a problem — it should have cracked considerably years ago as the house settled. It may have been repaired or maybe you have paneling. Either way, the walls will have to be fixed. It sounds like you are planning this anyway — just be prepared as there will be no turning back. Ideally you should strip the walls before you start to jack the floors as this will reduce the resistance to the movement, reduce the weight you are lifting, and most important allow you to see the framing to make sure nothing is pulling apart.
  
  #3 is the framing connections. Everyone talks about plaster cracking, but as I alluded to in #2, the framing connections can pull apart or become loose as you move the stucture, especially if you have 3 – 5″ to go. Going very slow (1/4″ every two weeks or so) would help reduce these problems, but it is best to have the walls and ceiling open so you can spot any potential problems.
  
  #4 — wiring and plumbing. If you have original wiring in the house, it is most certainly knob and tube (another problem of its own). This type of wiring does not tolerate sudden movement of the structure well. If you have it, it should be replaced anyway, but it is a particular hazard with this type of project. Plumbing in the walls can be a similar problem — pipes just don’t stretch. Again, open the walls first to monitor the situation. Electric and water off, if possible.
  
  You may not have any of these problems, or you may have all. The most important thing is to make sure that your contractor is ready for any of them and that you have a sufficient budget to deal with them as they come along.
  
  Finally, regardless of the problems I think you will be better of long term to raise the existing floor rather than band aid it. Do make certain that the cause (foundation or framing) is corrected as well so you don’t have to do it all again in a few years.
QUESTION:
how to get rid of raccoons?
- ANSWER:
  put ammonia in you trash cans it will keep them away from them.
  Problem Prevention
  
  Raccoons are attracted to urban areas by the easy accessibility of food, water and shelter. Reducing or eliminating the availability of all of these factors will encourage raccoons to leave. Tight fitting lids should be kept on garbage cans; pets should be fed during daylight hours and any leftovers removed immediately; water bowls should be emptied or taken inside at night; gardens should be frequently harvested and windfall fruit picked up. Food should never be intentionally left out for wild mammals.
  
  Raccoons can be excluded from buildings by covering foundation vents with slotted metal vent covers and by using 1/4 inch grid screening to cover attic vents and chimneys. They have been known to enter homes through pet doors; be sure these are locked at night. Raccoons sometimes take up residence under a low deck. Front Foot and Hind Foot Raccoon TracksThey may be excluded by using 1/4 inch grid screening or solid metal flashing. Trench around the perimeter of the deck a minimum of 12 inches deep, insert screening in trench and backfill. Attach top of screening to facade of deck with nails or fence post staples. Before completing final seal on the last entry point, it is wise to make sure no animals are trapped inside. On the night before completing repairs sprinkle flour in the entrance hole and check for tracks the following morning. If no tracks are evident for 3 consecutive nights, no animals are likely to be present. You may wish to make a temporary one way exit using 1/4 inch grid screening. Form the screening into a cone or funnel shape that will permit animals to leave but not to re-enter. The large end should be sized to encircle the entry hole and be attached over the hole to the facade of the deck or building with nails or fence post staples. The small end should face away from the house and be 4 – 6 inches in diameter.
  
  Raccoons may be kept away from roof areas by trimming tree branches 10 feet from roof and by keeping climbing plants trimmed away from root and eave areas.
  
  Exclusion of raccoons from coops and poultry yards is usually the most practical and effective method to prevent losses. At night, poultry should be kept in raccoon-proof sheds or houses. Ideally, poultry should be confined day and night in a sturdy house combined with a predator-proof outdoor run area. This also provides protection from many other types of predators. Often, with a few simple tools and a little material, even somewhat dilapidated coops can be rejuvenated into raccoon-proof condition. Keep in mind that raccoons are good climbers. Moreover, they are strong animals capable of seizing and pushing or pulling objects with considerable force. Usually raccoons are not inclined to break through walls or fences that are intact and in reasonably good condition. Entry is usually made through open, weak, or loose places. Following is a list of measures you can use to protect poultry from raccoons.
  
  1.
  
  Cover tops of outdoor runs with wire mesh and/or suitable paneling material and fasten securely. If this is not practical, shut poultry indoors at night.
  2.
  
  Patch or repair all holes or weak places in existing wire or wood (house or run).
  3.
  
  Check all edges of overlapping or stapled chicken wire for tightness and tie or staple securely.
  4.
  
  Check ground edges of coop for tightness. Raccoons may dig under fencing or enlarge existing spaces.
  5.
  
  Coop doors should be close fitting and sturdy. Beware of plywood doors which may have substantial warp at corners.
  6.
  
  Simple door fasteners, such as plain hooks, should be replaced with more sophisticated devices such as safety hooks or locking hasps. Raccoons can manipulate and open elementary door latches.
  7.
  
  To prevent raccoons from reaching in and grabbing poultry, night roosting or standing areas should be at least 12 inches away from cracks or wire mesh of more than 3/4 inch sq. spacing. Smaller size wire can be installed near roosting areas.
  8.
  
  Birds housed in wire or plastic cages should be kept within the confines of raccoon-proof buildings at night. An alternative solution is to hang or suspend cages from ceilings at least 4 feet above the floor and 5 feet away from walls.
  
  The use of a watch dog may prove advantageous in preventing damage in some situations. However, this is not recommended due to the fact that raccoons can be extremely vicious.
  
  Raccoons causing lawn and turf damage may be encouraged to leave by controlling the grub worms or other subsoil insects that raccoons eat.
QUESTION:
Can this wood be painted over?
I’m a first time home owner.
There’s a lot of wood: there’s the fence, there’s a deck (the part you stand on is fine, but the railings are the issue) also there’s borders of wood around garden areas.

There is one small area of dry rot (I think that’s what it’s called) its not termites, had inspection on whole house already.

But all that wood is a bit dirty… The painted color is faded… It’s drab… I want to paint everything, but is there more to it than just painting it? I am guessing I would have to clean it first, right? How would I?

I just want to know if there’s anything I might not realize before I go painting everything.

And how’s about wood that is on ground level that is dirtied by rain pummeling the dirt? Any way to remedy this?
- ANSWER:
  You might need to clean first, depending how dirty it is. No tricks there. You either use a scrub brush and a garden hose, or a pressure washer. There are various cleaning products that can be used with either method to speed up or to make the cleaning more effective. You can buy them at any hardware/building supply place. Once you have cleaned you have to wait for the wood to dry very thoroughly before painting or staining, so that’s usually a job for summer in many places.
  
  Whether you need to prime first depends on the surface you want to paint. If it’s in good shape you might not need to prime. If it’s in poor shape or has bare wood showing, or if you aren’t sure if what’s already on it is compatible with what you want to paint it with, priming is a really good idea after removing any loose or peeling paint. The fence might be stained rather than painted, and if it’s a transparent stain you can stain right over it. Take a few photos and take them to a paint store and ask what’s the best way to do what you want.
  
  About the wood getting splashed with dirt, why is water falling that close to the house? It shouldn’t be. Do you have gutters? If not, maybe you should. One of their functions is to stop water from falling close to the house and to keep it draining away from the house and away from the foundation or basement and away from the walls too. If you have them, they aren’t doing their job and may need cleaning, repair, or replacement. If lack of gutters has nothing to do with this problem for some reason, it can help to have gravel on the ground where the water lands, deep enough that the water can’t hit bare dirt but only gravel. That will reduce the amount of water that splashes around and pretty much eliminate dirt getting splashed around.
QUESTION:
what is Human Social Welfare Foundation in the U.S.A.?
- ANSWER:
  Human Social Welfare Foundation (HSWF) is an established recruiting non-profit organization dedicated
  to providing quality recruitment and other cost effective placement services to companies of all sizes in United
  States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. Over the years, we have proven that a professionally
  conducted search is the most time-efficient and cost-effective method for successfully meeting staffing
  requirements.
  
  The human Social Welfare Foundation with its head office in United States of American and international
  office in United Kingdom, Canada and Germany is committed to addressing issues of unemployment,
  homelessness, education, community development, home ownership, and developing innovative solutions to
  joblessness which in turn leads to the self-reliance and the economic independence of those served.
  
  We have staffs and volunteers who have devoted their lives to a study of the fundamentals of human behavior
  and personal motivation that affect professional performance. Staff that can awaken the unlimited power of
  achievement within you! International management Strategists who have the dynamic gifts and abilities to
  teach, train, motivate, and inspire, these messages are a power-packed adventure that are filled with practical
  illustrations.
  
  Our Strategy–The Human Social Welfare Foundations strategy is to develop both
  transitional and affordable permanent housing that integrates comprehensive social support and employment
  services within a supportive community to ensure that individuals and families remain stable, are safely
  housed, stay independent and maintain their employment status.
  
  The Human Social Welfare Foundation develops partnerships and linkages with local community-based
  agencies and nationally recognized non-profit organizations. The Human Social Welfare Foundation utilizes
  government programs, grants, bequests, private funds, and contributions from private sector funding and
  donations from the general public to accomplish its mission.
  
  The Human Social Welfare Foundation believes in the fundamental principle that housing alone is not enough
  to end homelessness or poverty. Many working poor and homeless families across America, especially those
  who depend on our services, need more than just a roof over their heads. In the spirit of this principle, HSWF
  offers a comprehensive array of supportive services within each of its programs designed to help families and
  individuals move toward independence and self-sufficiency.
  
  All HSWF’s programs are linked to appropriate on- and off-site supportive services, including: crisis case
  management services, parenting skills training, child and infant care services, mental health counseling
  services, housing placement services, job readiness training, employment placement services, safety/security,
  men and women’s support groups, and family support services. Additional supportive services include: a
  continuum of rich recreational, vocational, cultural and social activities for children of all ages — preschoolers
  through teens. HSWF also offers services and support to parents who help their children learn and grow
  intellectually, emotionally, and physically.
  HSWF manages all the buildings it owns and/or has renovated. All HSWF’s transitional housing projects are
  designed to be convertible to permanent supportive housing. In addition to providing community-based
  property management which is sensitive and responsive to the neighborhood, HSWF offers additional services
  to tenants through the Tenant Advocacy Department. Property Managers, Residence Managers, and
  Community Organizers assist tenants in establishing active tenant associations, combat crime, and secure
  building repairs.
QUESTION:
Plumbing and cold weather (Re-post)?
I posted the following a couple of days ago but I think everyone took advantage of the wk’nd. 🙂
Thanks.

Plumbing and cold weather?
We’re rehabbing an old brick school house (circa 1908) in central Mn. Many years ago a large addition was added to one side with a block foundation crawl space and 2×6 floors and the plan is install a 1/2 bath and laundry room into a portion of the addition.

Currently there is no heat, never was, (we’ve got a hvac people coming out to analyze this and several other issues) and we don’t know yet if we’ll be using forced air, baseboard heat, or another method. I finally convinced my partners that the sink and washer will go on interior walls.

Because the crawlspace has no entrance once the floor is put back in it’ll be basically sealed.

Since I’m the amateur plumber that has to make this work and I’m starting to get hammered about getting started I thought I’d get some opinions about my concerns.

My main concern is how avoid freezing pipes. (It gets cold (-20) up here) I can route through a 14″ foundation into the crawl space or possibly go thru the main building at a higher level with minor modification to the kitchen plan. Would it be recommended to run the pipes down from the ceiling or under the floor? (Only 2×6 floor so I don’t trust the insulation to keep warm) Heat tape? Run lines thru the cold air return? I keep hearing … “they do to mobile homes all the time!” to the point I’m ready to snap.:)

Should any special attention be paid to the drain lines?

I’m ready to listen even to unconventional ideas.

Thanks
Yes, this has a basement and we could go either straight thru to the crawl space or by going up to main floor and then over into the addition. The number and size of the holes needed at this time are not a concern. thanks
- ANSWER:
  I have a suggestion but first let me shoot down some of the other idea’s with the fact that in cold weather you ALWAYS need access to pipes and fittings.
  
  Heat tape-no, the electrical in heat tape goes bad and you will have no easy way to repair.
  Crawlspace- even if heated, you said there will be no access
  Ceiling running down- no, there is no heat in the ceiling and the lines would need to be exposed in the bathroom.
  
  Cold air return-maybe but again, no access
  
  I’m assuming this schoolhouse has a basement, most do, and your best option would be to build a secondary partition wall on the same wall as the addition to hide the plumbing and run it into from the basement.
  Essentially just poking through the now exterior wall and the new addition wall from inside the new “fake” exterior wall . It sounds like you need a H & C for the washer, a H & C for a vanity sink and a C for the toilet?
  Obviously the best thing would be to make as few penetrations as possible so use 3/4 copper for the sink, run flex hose or tubing for toilet and run two exposed lines from the vanity THROUGH(vanity) the side onto the wall(exposed) for the washer.
  
  I’m kind of guessing here as I’m not able to see the layout. If you’re willing to make 4 penetrations…go for it. The toilet only needs to be hose or tubing, make sure you put a separate valve in for it.
  
  The drains shouldn’t matter, they are drains. As long as the traps are in a warm area and the lines are pitched well. Old houses suck.
  ADDITION
  —————————————————————————-
  existing exterior wall
  ————————————————————
  Plumbing ( H 0 C 0 H 0 C 0 ) from basement
  __newwall_______________________________________
QUESTION:
Moved into older home June 2007 in Ontario, Canada just found out previous owner hid water issues in basement?
We bought a home in April to 2007 in Ontario, Canada and moved in June 2007. We recently had alot of wet spots on our basement floor and had our insurance company come out. They found that the previous owners had placed a thick rubber liner between the carpet and cement in a 15×15 ft. area where we are now aware that there is a water issue due to a foundation wall. This method of hiding this from us worked for them however we are now in a situation where there is some mold under the rubber they placed in the basement. In Ontario, Canada title insurance is almost mandatory when you by a home, does title insurance cover anything like this? If not, what other recourse do I have? Thanks for your help.
- ANSWER:
  title insurance is to protect you from paperwork hiccups, not this sort of thing
  but if you went through a realator, there will be a property disclosure that would have any known defects listed… if its not listed and you can prove they knew, you have recourse you can take with the law. you would probably have to have an estimate for repairs but not renovations and go after them for that amount only or any depreciation that it caused if you just sell it to be rid of the house. it’s not like the us where you can sue for hurt feelings or anything more
QUESTION:
Half-Life Question.?
All of the isotopes of radon have half-lives shorter than four days, yet radon is still found in nature. Explain why all the radon has not yet already decayed.
- ANSWER:
  radon is formed from the decay of other materials see th attached link: * The risk of environmental radon levels is not higher now than in the past, when residential exposures were not considered to be a significant health hazard. It has now been raised from a nominal natural background contributor to human exposures to the prime contributor based on a new way of calculating dose, and not on increased exposures in the home due to tighter more energy efficient houses, or new information on radiation dose and/or biologic risk.
  * The great majority of the radiation dose is not from radon itself, but from the short-lived alpha particle-emitting radon daughters, most notably Po-218 (radioactive T1/2=3 minutes), and Po-214 (radioactive T1/2=0.164 milliseconds), along with beta particles from Bi-214 (T1/2=19.7 minutes). [T1/2 is physical half-life].
  * Measurement of radon in homes is simple and relatively inexpensive and may be accomplished by various means. Cannisters remain the method of choice for use by the average homeowner.
  * There is no way to avoid radiation exposures completely, much of which comes from the natural environment as well as from radioactivity in our own bodies.
  * Radon gas can penetrate houses from many sources in many fashions. It is not possible to radon-proof a home, but it is possible to reduce its level. The most important contributor to indoor radon is the soil from which radon can be drawn through large and small subsurface gaps in the house foundation. Houses that are in direct contact with the ground will have higher radon levels than houses with an air space under the dwelling. Radon levels in the upper floors of a multi-story building are lower than on the ground floor. If one lives in a high radon area, it is prudent to determine the level in the home and to take appropriate action if the level is found to be high, i.e. greater than 4-8 pCi/liter (NCRP recommended level is 8 pCi/liter, the EPA recommended level is 4 pCi/liter). [pCi is the activity of the substance and is equal to 10-12 Ci or 2.2 radioacitve emission per minute].
  * The shape of the dose response curves for miners exposed to alpha-emitting particles in the work-place is consistent with current biologic knowledge. It is linear in the low dose range and saturates in the high dose range. No detectable increase in lung cancer frequency is seen in the lowest exposed US miners, i.e. those with exposures <120 wlm, the relevant dose interval for most homes. in most cases, however, it is not possible to exclude a positive correlation due to wide uncertainty ranges on both the dose (x) and effect (y) axes. [wlm is a unit of expsoure to radon, working level month and is defined below]
  * Evidence for a health effect from radon exposure is based upon data gathered from epidemiologic studies of miners, and animal studies. Extensive radiobiologic data predict a linear dose response curve in the low dose region due to poor biological repair mechanisms for the high density of ionizing events that alpha particles create. If this is the mechanism that underlies lung cancer induction, there is reason to believe that there will be some degree of increased lung cancer risk even from low level environmental radon exposures. However, no compelling evidence for increased lung cancer risk has yet been demonstrated from "acceptable" levels (<4-8 pci/liter). increased lung cancer risk is primarily in cigarette smokers, and abatement of that risk can best be accomplished by changes in smoking status.
  * Mitigation of radon in the home can be accomplished by a variety of means. The level to which remediation should be directed is under dispute, to the extent that some groups even suggest the level should be maintained at less than or equal to 0.2 pCi/liter (the average outdoor level). The societal cost of testing and mitigation at the EPA recommended level (4 pCi/liter) is 44.5 billion dollars (1991 dollars), and rises to 101.2 billion dollars if the action level is set at 2 pCi/liter. At the NCRP action level, 8 pCi/liter, the cost is estimated at approx. 15 billion dollars.
  
  Radon, Rn-222 (T 1/2= 3.82 days), is a daughter product of radium, Ra-226, which in turn is derived from the longer-lived antecedent, U-238. Thoron, Rn-220 (T 1/2 = 56 seconds) is a daughter of thorium, Th-232, which is present in larger amount in the earth's crust than radon. Because of thoron's short half-life, it is essentially all gone before it leaves the ground, and is of no significant radiobiologic consequence. These radionuclide series are present in slowly decreasing amounts in the environment (geologic time scale), due to radioactive decay of their parents, which has been known and understood since the end of the last century.
  
  Widely varying radon levels exist in different regions related to geological circumstances. New concern regarding radon exposures is traceable to the discovery that there are more houses with high radon levels than previously realized and to the use of a new method of expressing and summing doses from partial body exposures, such as the lung dose from radon daughters (7-16). This method of expressing dose was promulgated by the ICRP and the NCRP based on defined weighting factors which make it possible to sum partial body doses and thereby estimate a total body dose which would have a quantifiable risk. This quantity is defined as the Effective Dose (ED) (16). Thus, the previously estimated partial body environmental radon dose to the tracheobronchial epithelium (TBE) (2500 mrem/year.) was not included in whole body dose calculations because that exposure was limited to a small fraction of the body.
  
  The new method of calculation multiplies the 2500 mrem/year. dose to the TBE by a weighting factor (WF) which allows the dose to the TBE to be included in the ED from environmental radiation exposure Different WFs have been proposed, including 0.12 (EPA), 0.08 ( NCRP) and (NAS-NRC BEIR V), and 0.06 (ICRP). These WFs raise the radon contribution to the whole body from 0 mrem to 300, 200, and 150 mrem respectively. NCRP quotes an uncertainty of +/- 50% in these numbers. Based on these estimates, radon in equilibrium with its daughters delivers 2 times more dose than previously accepted as the total dose received from all sources of natural background exposure (approx. 100 mrem/year on the average in the United States). Thus, it is not surprising that adoption of the effective dose notion by many radiation protection groups (including the NCRP and the EPA in the United States), has led to increased concern regarding the potential health effects of radon. It should be noted that lung cancer risk coefficients from radon are not increased. There are no new cases of lung cancer that led to the increased dose estimate. In fact, the new estimates of radiation dose, imply a lower risk coefficient. That is, when the same number of lung cancer cases that occur are attributed to the higher doses (ED), the risk per unit exposure is decreased. The effective dose concept is discussed at greater length in NCRP Reports #93 (17) and #100 (18) , and ICRP #60 (7).
  TABLE 1
QUESTION:
Finding an Exclusive Buyer Agent in San Jose, CA.?
Hi,

I am a first time home buyer in San Jose, CA. I have read few books and researched conclusion leads me to getting an Exclusive Buyer Agent is the best way to go.

I have asked my friends and colleagues about it, and no one I know have used such agents, so I am stuck finding one on my own.

I have looked at NAEBA (www.naeba.com), but here are my questions:

1. Are there other sites and or resources besides NAEBA that is good to search for an agent?

2. What usually are the pay structure? Is it a fixed fee? Are they negotiable?

3. Since NAEBA was founded in 1995, its only been around for 10 yrs or so, are there many around who is experienced enough?

Thanks for you help in advanced.
- ANSWER:
  Real estate agents and REALTORS are very poorly trained.
  
  I recommend that instead of a buyers agent, you hire an attorney who sepcializes in real estate law to write the language of your offfer and that you hire a real estate appraiser to give you a second opinion on the price of the house.
  
  Your real estate appraiser should be a Member of The Appraisal Institute. (MAI designation)
  
  Virtually all of the houses that are for sale are on the internet. You do not need an agent to find the house for you.
  
  What you do with the attorney and the appraiser is that you tell them upfront that you are hiring them to protect your interests and to protect you from paying too much for the house.
  
  Direct yur attorney to include language in your offer that makes it contingent on the appraised value as determined by your appraiser not the lender’s appraiser.
  
  The lender’s appraiser will appraise high to ingratiate himself with the real estate agents so they will continue to send business to the bank and the appraiser.
  
  When your appraiser determines that the fair market value of the house is less than the amount that you offered, you are to give the seller two choices:
  
  1. Reduce the contract price to the fair market value as determined by your appraiser or…:
  
  Note: Since you are represented by an attorney and not a real estate agent, the seller is saving the 3% of the purchase price that would have been paid to the real estate agent. I recommend that you also direct the seller to reduce the contract price by the additional 3% that he would have paid to your agent.
  
  After all that 3% is your money. You are saving the seller that money by not using a real estate agent. Thereofre you should get that money in the form of anadditional price reduction of 3% less than the amount of the fair market value as determined by your appraiser.
  
  2. Agree to cancel the contract and direct the escrow company to return your deposit.
  
  Also have your attorney include language in the contract that makes the contract contingent on your approval of inspection reports.by your inspectors, not the seller’s inspectors.
  
  The inspection should be at least 21 days to give your inspectors ample time to inspect the property and write their reports. Do not let the listing agent try to shorten this period. Listing agents often try to shorten this period to 10 days or less. That does not giveyou adequate time to get your inspectors out to the property, make the inspectins, write the reports, give you time to review the reports and make decisons ablut what repairs are needed.
  
  The inspections should include at a minimum an inspection of the roof, the chimney, the structure itself, the foundation the plumbing, heating and the electrical system. Also you need a termite report and an inspection for water damage and dry rot.
  
  In San Jose and all over that area you need and inspection of the chimney by a masonry contractor because in San Jose many chimneys were broken in the 1989 earthquake and have never been repaired.
  
  A broken chimney can permit hot gases from the fire to enter the attic and start a fire in the attic.
  
  When the reports come back indiccating that repairs are needed again give the seller two choices:
  
  1. Agree to hire a licensed contractor to make the repairs or further reduce the price of the house to compensate for the cost of the repairs. or…
  
  2. Agree to cancel the contract and direct the escrow company to return your deposit to you.
  
  I see the responder below does not agree with me and that is fine, I understand. Many people disagree with me. I have been very successful following the method that I have outlined for you.
  
  I challenge those who disagree with me to show that they have been more successful than I have at purchasing pieces of property at true fair market value and not the inflated prices that the real estate agents think that you should pay.
  
  I never use real estate agents to purchase property. I only use appraisers and attorneys.
  
  I also know San Jose very well. I grew up there and purchased most of the property that I own in Cupertino, which is a town very close to San Jose. The method that I have developed works very well in San Jose.
  
  You will find that the attorney and the appraiser will cost much less than the 3% the seller will pay the buyer’s agent. Remember that I said to reduce the contract price to fair market value less the 3% the seller would have paid your agent.
  
  On even a 0,000 house, that is ,000. Your attorney and your appraiser will not charge you anywhere near that amount and your attorney and your appraiser will do a much better job of representing your interests than a buyer’s real estate agent will.
  
  For one thing a real estate agent, even if he is a buyer’s agent will become very unhappy with you after you have cancelled several transactions because the seller would not agree to reduce his price to fair market value or would not agree to make needed repairs.
  
  You will not have that problem with your attorney or your appraiser.
  
  I realize that real estate agents think they know how to determine fair market value of a house, but they do not.
  
  An appraiser who is a Member of The Appraisal Institute has far more rigorous training standards to meet than a real estate agent. There is extensive classroom training that the appraiser must complete and pass and then he must work for several years in a firm that is owned by a Member of The Appraisal Institute before he is even eligible to apply for the MAI designation.
  
  A real estate appraiser who is a Member of The Appraisal Institute has far more expertise than any real estate agent with respect to determining the true fair market value of a piece of property.
  
  Your attorney has far more training than a real estate agent with respect to the law and the language that a contract must contain to protect your interests.
  
  The attorney must go to law school for at least 3 years after graduating from college and must pass a very rigorous bar exam.
  
  A real estate agent only has to take a few classes online. The classes only take a few weeks. Then the real estate agent takes a relatively easy exam which really does not test his knowledge of law or valuation of a piece of property.
  
  You get much better representation with the attorney and the real estate appraiser and they cost less if you follow my instructions and deduct the 3% fee that the seller would have paid youir real estate agent from the fair market value as determined by your appraiser that you pay for the property.
  .
QUESTION:
vehicle speed monitor help?
I live in a nice road which drivers use as a short cut or a speedway.

The coucel won’t put in bumps as they have on other near by roads as they claim they come in the day and never witness anything but I see a near accident daily, know there have been deaths in the past and we are all children and elderly who are often nearly run over by nutters!

I would like to buy / rent a hand held or stationary speed monitor device to actually ensure that these cars and bikes are breaking the law before I take this any further.

Please advise.
- ANSWER:
  Good for your council. Speed bumps are a crude method of slowing cars, which cause many other problems. The vibrations caused by vehicles hitting the bumps can damage the foundations of surrounding structures (e.g. your house, your garden wall/fence). The bumps can damage the tyres, steering and suspension of the vehicles crossing them (including your car and those of your friends and neighbours) leading to an increase in the numbers of unsafe cars on the local roads. They delay emergency vehicles, and are a particular problem for ambulances carrying patients with back or neck injuries. Cars braking for the bumps then accelerating afterwards use more fuel, and therefore create more pollution, than cars travelling at a more constant speed. The noise from cars crossing the bumps (brake squeal, thump, thump, vroom) will annoy you and other local residents. If the bumps are too severe, taxi and delivery companies may refuse to visit your road due to the risk of damage to their vehicles. And the bumps themselves tend to require regular repairs, at great expense to the council.
  
  By all means campaign for traffic calming measures (narrow lanes, build-outs, shared space with pedestrians), but NOT speed bumps.
  
  For a cheap method of measuring speed, use a digital camera with a known burst-speed, and known distance markers on the road (e.g. a painted dot every 10 metres), then calculate the speed from the distance travelled between the burst-mode photos. This will give you not just speed measurement, but also photographic evidence to submit to the local authorities.

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