AU_Prospector
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Hello I have a home built in the year 2003. I purchased the home inn 2007. The foundation is concrete block with several individual piers throughout the crawlspace. The crawlspace varies between 3-4 feet high. The problem area is below lot grade by about 1-2 feet.
There are two piers in the general area of the dining room. When it rains a lot or it is generally wet for several weeks like it is now, water will collect around these two piers in my crawl space. I dont know the significance of this, so I mention it anyway.
The pier I am mostly concerned about lies beneath floor joists which are about 3 inches apart, close but not touching. Above these two joists is a wall that divides my kitchen and dining room. Above this wall is a second story area with another wall that divides two bedrooms. Above that in the attic is support framing that extends all the way to the roof rafters. I can show pictures, but I assume this means LOAD BEARING from the crawl to the roof.
Anyway hopefully you get the picture. There is a narrow crack in the middle of some drywall coming off a doorway between the kitchen and dining room. This is not a seam crack. Upstairs the bedroom door is slightly out of square, but operates. The upstairs windows are out of square and difficult to latch closed. All symptoms have gotten only slightly worse in the 4 years I have owned the home. The wall between the kitchen and dining room is sagging in the direction of the wall where a heavy hutch is located. It is off maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch.
In the crawl space there is about 12 feet of joist between the pier and the outer foundation wall in the area of the sag. It is also possible, though it might be my imagination, the pier is sinking just a slight bit. The crawl floor is packed clay/chert which is very hard. If you know about chert, when it rains hard, water will seep into the ground and run along the top of chert, which is why I think it collects around these piers.
My idea is to use steel foundation screw jacks to slowly support these joists to get it back in line or closer to in line. If the joists float above the piers, then I need professional help, but if I manage to get lift and all looks good, then this would be my permanent fix. My father's home had the exact same problem and the jacks he uses work nicely. My questions are about the footings. I plan to just use 4x10x14 concrete blocks and then use 4x4 wood to make contact with the two joists. Sound good?
There are two piers in the general area of the dining room. When it rains a lot or it is generally wet for several weeks like it is now, water will collect around these two piers in my crawl space. I dont know the significance of this, so I mention it anyway.
The pier I am mostly concerned about lies beneath floor joists which are about 3 inches apart, close but not touching. Above these two joists is a wall that divides my kitchen and dining room. Above this wall is a second story area with another wall that divides two bedrooms. Above that in the attic is support framing that extends all the way to the roof rafters. I can show pictures, but I assume this means LOAD BEARING from the crawl to the roof.
Anyway hopefully you get the picture. There is a narrow crack in the middle of some drywall coming off a doorway between the kitchen and dining room. This is not a seam crack. Upstairs the bedroom door is slightly out of square, but operates. The upstairs windows are out of square and difficult to latch closed. All symptoms have gotten only slightly worse in the 4 years I have owned the home. The wall between the kitchen and dining room is sagging in the direction of the wall where a heavy hutch is located. It is off maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch.
In the crawl space there is about 12 feet of joist between the pier and the outer foundation wall in the area of the sag. It is also possible, though it might be my imagination, the pier is sinking just a slight bit. The crawl floor is packed clay/chert which is very hard. If you know about chert, when it rains hard, water will seep into the ground and run along the top of chert, which is why I think it collects around these piers.
My idea is to use steel foundation screw jacks to slowly support these joists to get it back in line or closer to in line. If the joists float above the piers, then I need professional help, but if I manage to get lift and all looks good, then this would be my permanent fix. My father's home had the exact same problem and the jacks he uses work nicely. My questions are about the footings. I plan to just use 4x10x14 concrete blocks and then use 4x4 wood to make contact with the two joists. Sound good?