Hi, folks. I have a lake house in Michigan that sits on a high water table. It was built back in the early 1950's, and the floor sags considerably. The existing support is a steel I-beam that spans 33'; its concrete support posts appear to have tipped a little. We've contracted to have five new 2' x 2' x 2' concrete pads put down as footings, with five new 4" round posts with adjusting plates welded to them to shore up that existing I-beam and to lift the floor above a little. The existing posts will be removed.
The width of the crawl is 28', and we felt that the one existing beam wouldn't be sufficient if we were ever to build out the attic, so we are also having them install an additional two 8" 21-lb steel beams, each with the same footings and posts, placed between the central existing beam and the outer walls. My questions concern the way this contractor wants to handle installation of these two new beams.
Before hiring this company, I asked the following via email: "How are the beams attached or supported at the ends? Do they sit on the top of the concrete block? Just trying to visualize how they are installed."
The salesman's reply was: "The beams will rest on the concrete blocks with a block cut out halfway (this is called a beam pocket) just as if it were new construction with steel shims to make sure they are at the proper height at the ends resting on the block. This is how beams are installed to code in new new construction." Sounded good to me, so I hired the company.
Well, I crawled under there yesterday to see how things were coming along. I discovered that they've constructed a concrete-block pier at each wall to support the ends of the two new I-beams... and it doesn't appear that they intend to create beam pockets by notching the foundation walls as the salesman had said. First big questions: Are concrete-block piers a legitimate way to support the ends of the I-beams? Or should I insist that they notch the foundation wall to create beam pockets?
I asked the foreman what was supporting these new piers, and he said they were sitting on the house's existing footers. I'm not sure this is true. First, are footers wide enough to support the existing foundation wall (concrete block) and a new pier next to the wall? Also, the lowest concrete block of each new pier was installed about 12"-14" below interior grade, or about 24" (guessing) below exterior grade. Does that sound like they could be sitting on the existing footing? That didn't seem to be deep enough to me.
Now here's the biggie -- the thing that is really concerning me. At one end of where one new beam is to be installed, there are a couple of copper plumbing lines that run below a floor joist, right in the way of where the new I-beam will go. I asked the foreman if they were going to move the plumbing (even though the salesman had told my husband that plumbing would not be in the way -- guess he was wrong!), and the foreman said that they were not going to move it, but instead that they were going to cut a rectangular notch out of the top of the end of the beam. That notch will cut out I'd guess about 6" horizontally of the top flange and about 5" vertically of the web. This just doesn't sit right with me, but I don't know much about construction, structural engineering, loads, etc. Is this going to compromise the amount of load that the beam can support? Years down the line when we want to sell the house, will an inspector make note of the notch in a report?
Thanks in advance for your help. They bring the beams in on Monday, and I want to have a little knowledge before I take the issue up with them.
The width of the crawl is 28', and we felt that the one existing beam wouldn't be sufficient if we were ever to build out the attic, so we are also having them install an additional two 8" 21-lb steel beams, each with the same footings and posts, placed between the central existing beam and the outer walls. My questions concern the way this contractor wants to handle installation of these two new beams.
Before hiring this company, I asked the following via email: "How are the beams attached or supported at the ends? Do they sit on the top of the concrete block? Just trying to visualize how they are installed."
The salesman's reply was: "The beams will rest on the concrete blocks with a block cut out halfway (this is called a beam pocket) just as if it were new construction with steel shims to make sure they are at the proper height at the ends resting on the block. This is how beams are installed to code in new new construction." Sounded good to me, so I hired the company.
Well, I crawled under there yesterday to see how things were coming along. I discovered that they've constructed a concrete-block pier at each wall to support the ends of the two new I-beams... and it doesn't appear that they intend to create beam pockets by notching the foundation walls as the salesman had said. First big questions: Are concrete-block piers a legitimate way to support the ends of the I-beams? Or should I insist that they notch the foundation wall to create beam pockets?
I asked the foreman what was supporting these new piers, and he said they were sitting on the house's existing footers. I'm not sure this is true. First, are footers wide enough to support the existing foundation wall (concrete block) and a new pier next to the wall? Also, the lowest concrete block of each new pier was installed about 12"-14" below interior grade, or about 24" (guessing) below exterior grade. Does that sound like they could be sitting on the existing footing? That didn't seem to be deep enough to me.
Now here's the biggie -- the thing that is really concerning me. At one end of where one new beam is to be installed, there are a couple of copper plumbing lines that run below a floor joist, right in the way of where the new I-beam will go. I asked the foreman if they were going to move the plumbing (even though the salesman had told my husband that plumbing would not be in the way -- guess he was wrong!), and the foreman said that they were not going to move it, but instead that they were going to cut a rectangular notch out of the top of the end of the beam. That notch will cut out I'd guess about 6" horizontally of the top flange and about 5" vertically of the web. This just doesn't sit right with me, but I don't know much about construction, structural engineering, loads, etc. Is this going to compromise the amount of load that the beam can support? Years down the line when we want to sell the house, will an inspector make note of the notch in a report?
Thanks in advance for your help. They bring the beams in on Monday, and I want to have a little knowledge before I take the issue up with them.