Block stem wall repair assistance

House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

abennett0695

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2015
Messages
4
Reaction score
1
Greetings!

I am an insurance adjuster who wants to write a fair estimate (No, really, I am!)

I am looking for some direction on the proper way to repair a concrete block stem wall on a home built in 1925. A car hit the home, pushing a few of the blocks back an inch or two.

I found a diagram on the internet that is pretty darned close to how the home is constructed. Between that and the pictures I am including, I hope that you can see what I've got going on.

Will it be necessary to lift and support the front elevation to make the repair? If so, what do I do about the cast iron waste pipe that is sticking out of the exterior of the house? It is my understanding that it runs from the kitchen and bathroom to the septic. Also, if the house is lifted and the service mast has to be detached, what interior electrical work will need to be done? Thanks for any assistance you can provide to me!

Stem Wall Diagram.jpg

IMG_0390 (800x600).jpg

IMG_0394 (800x600).jpg

IMG_0397 (800x600).jpg

IMG_0405 (800x600).jpg

IMG_0406 (800x600).jpg

IMG_0403 (800x600).jpg

IMG_0404 (800x600).jpg
 
Nice to see you doing such a good job. I can speak to only what I see. There are no exposed electrical issues from your photos. Good chance you can omit that work from your estimate. Were the blocks empty or filled? If filled, this is more serious .... if empty then the repair should not be difficult at all.

Shoring, not raising, would be sufficient to remove and replace those blocks. This eliminates plumbing involvement. I would specify non-shrink mortar (4000 psi) to ensure strength at the repair.

Bring some more examples, could be fun!
 
Like said; min. lifting required, the the floor joists are not landing on this wall, All the weight is on the rim joist sitting on that wall. You want to make sure there are no joints in the rim joist over the dammaged area. If it is opne peice the worst you would have to do is just add another ply to the rim on the inside. The the blocks could be removed and re- worked. but the clean out would have to be removed and replaced. A better picture of the plumbing from the inside would help. I know you thought you could get away without climbing in there. And welcome to the site.
 
Thank you for the welcome!

I think I was not thinking and that is why I did not crawl under there. Check out the crawlspace I was in a few days before!
One thing that I don't understand is how the rebar will be added - seems to me that there wouldn't be enough space. Do you just not add them to those few blocks?

Are you familiar with Xactimate? It prices shoring by the SF. I figured 15' x 4' for shoring for a cost of $595. I figured 8 12" x 8" x 16" blocks, reinforced for a cost of $123.49 but thought that was chintzy for the R&R so added another 2 hours of labor to remove the damaged blocks for a cost of $137.42. I figured the minimum for the stucco at $253.51. Add that all up and (with tax and O&O) it comes to $1,110.06 for the block repair. Does that sound like enough? Is there something more I should add?

Thanks!

IMG_0258_SM.jpg
 
It really depends on who does the job. If you have a plumber and carpentor and then a bricklayer. The first two may only be an hr each but min. charge and all that. And then the unknowns that always show up.
 
Thanks, Neal

I agree with you. I am going to call it good and send the estimate into the client. I got ahold a copy of an estimate that had been provided from the asbestos siding abatement company for the repairs and I was pretty close to theirs. Mine was better though ;)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top