Porch separation

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simonsx5

simonsx5

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Hi. I am in need of some advise. So during a recent home elevation, one side of my back porch started to separate. Forgive me if I mess up on the specific terms related to the framing, but from what I understand the facial board that our deck was attached to, was rotten and fell apart during the elevation so there is nothing there to hold that side of the porch to the back of the home? I also included a picture of the inside of my home where you can see the Separation of the same wall just from inside. Any advise on how one might remedy this situation?View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500136531.303019.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500136745.627432.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500136766.583868.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500136780.995765.jpg
 
How much was your home elevated? And were the front posts of the deck anchored to the ground or were they free to move. Were they supported during the lift?
 
Welcome to the site.

The "facial board", is actually called a rim joist, and SNS is correct that the deck should have been supported and raised with the house.

For no other reason than the roof loads.

The simplest correction is to lift the deck, lever it back into place, level it and secure it with heavy metal angle brackets.
 
My home was elevated 2 foot. The original posts under the deck were simply wooden post concreted in the ground. Most of those were cut off at deck level and replaced with concrete blocks. (Picture below). The concrete blocks are still not anchored or attached to the home at all. The tie downs were installed under the home into the footing and wrapped around joists in random places. (Picture below)

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500148284.283045.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500148405.699696.jpg
 
Snoony B- when you say lever it, are we talking like a ratchet strap?
 
Sorry to be a pain, what type of metal brackets, and where would those said brackets go?
 
Have you been able to confirm the amount of rot involved? It sounds to my cynical ear, like something a contractor ( a disreputable one) might say if he was looking for an excuse. If there is rot, now would be the time to fix it and defend against future problems. If the board is not really rotted, it probably needs to be reinforced at this time because of the damage done to it when the deck pulled loose.
I don't think ratchet straps would be strong enough to raise a deck. You would have to jack up the lower end, and you may need cables to pull it back against the ledger. Then it can be fastened to the new ledger board. The supports under the lower spot may need to be shimmed to support the deck at the right height.
 
simonsx5 said:
Snoony B- when you say lever it, are we talking like a ratchet strap?
Click to expand...

Thanks, I had assumed they would have poured either a continuous stem wall foundation or placed a continuous CMU foundation.

How often do these CMU pilasters and hold downs occur across the length of the deck attachment?

The process involves some cribbing, bottle jacks and a couple of 4X6.

Set the first jacks 18" out from the rim joist/ledger and after you have it lifted pull all the nails used to attach it to the house. Attach a strap or cable to the deck joist and the other end with the ratchet to the house floor joists, or a support beam.
 
Ok. So my husband says that the CMU's are all different as far as spacing. We measured 2 on the very back and one measured 11' 3" between them and another measured 12' there are 2 tie downs both on each end of the porch. There are about 15 CMU's on the interior of the deck and they are spaced much closer. I have given more pictures below. The first one is the porch from the back. The second is the rim joist on the opposite side of the house that is not separating. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500167936.736430.jpg The third picture is what looks like the rim joist pushing out on the siding of the home. The last is how my general contractor added support, but it doesn't seem to be working and he doesn't want to go behind and fix what the foundation contractor messed up. He just wants to cover it up. I think we will try the suggestions so far and see if we can get it to come in some. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500168014.329337.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500167844.421467.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1500167875.083867.jpg
 
Yes I was able to confirm the rot... it was definitely rotten. However when I asked why my porch was separating his response was it was inevitable and it wasn't in his scope of work to fix it. There were no steps taken to prevent this. I don't have the time nor the money to sue, so I am making lemonade out of my lemons.
 
Thanks again. That style of support is typical in a flood plain and at this point I would recommend you not try this repair yourself.

As aggravating as it is, if there is a possibility of working with the contractors involved, it's an avenue to explore.

If addressing the rot, is not presently, within the contractors scope of work, and instead of hiding it, what would be the cost of addressing the comprehensive repair?

Has your relationship with the foundation contractor become adversarial, or deteriorated to a point they would be reluctant to address some corrective action?
 
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