A Partial Foundation Retrofit

Before assembling the support for the needle beams that carried … Read More Before assembling the support for the needle beams that carried the wieght of the wall, a crew member scored the concrete slab for the new footing with a concrete saw.

After making openings in the sheathing, the crew inserted the ne… Read More After making openings in the sheathing, the crew inserted the needle beams and supported them inside with double screw jacks.

On the outside the needle beams sat on solid cribbing.

The foundation walls in this corner of the building were in terr… Read More The foundation walls in this corner of the building were in terrible shape and fell apart easily with an impact hammer.

After tearing back the existing walls to solid concrete, the cre… Read More After tearing back the existing walls to solid concrete, the crew began excavating for the footings.

The crew dug trenches 12 inches deep and 24 inches wide for the… Read More The crew dug trenches 12 inches deep and 24 inches wide for the footings, removing all the excess soil and debris in five-gallon buckets.

The new footing was reinforced with 1/2-inch rebar, which was ti… Read More The new footing was reinforced with 1/2-inch rebar, which was tied to chairs pinned to the base of the footing trenches.

The rebar in the footing was wired together with vertical rebar … Read More The rebar in the footing was wired together with vertical rebar that extended up through holes in the existing sill plates (which would later be replaced), tying the footing to the concrete-block replacement foundation.

The crew kept dumping batches of wet concrete into the trench un… Read More The crew kept dumping batches of wet concrete into the trench until the footing was level with the basement slab.

To remove air bubbles in the mix and to create the densest possi… Read More To remove air bubbles in the mix and to create the densest possible concrete for the footing, the crew vibrated the wet concrete mix after filling up the footing trench.

Vibration not only consolidated the concrete, but also brought m… Read More Vibration not only consolidated the concrete, but also brought more liquid tot he surface, making it easier for the crew to smooth the wet concrete surface of the footing with a float.

Masons built the foundation walls out of Dry Block CMUs (which a… Read More Masons built the foundation walls out of Dry Block CMUs (which are made from water-repellent concrete).

Where vertical rebar extended up from the footing, the crew pack… Read More Where vertical rebar extended up from the footing, the crew packed the cores of the block with grout.

The masons capped the walls with a course of bond beam blocks, w… Read More The masons capped the walls with a course of bond beam blocks, which were tied to the lower block courses with short lengths of rebar.

After filling the bond beam blocks partially with wet concrete, … Read More After filling the bond beam blocks partially with wet concrete, the crew installed horizontal rebar.

With the rebar added, the crew filled the rest of the bond block… Read More With the rebar added, the crew filled the rest of the bond block with wet concrete, giving the top a smooth surface.

With the block wall finished, the crew replaced the old mudsills… Read More With the block wall finished, the crew replaced the old mudsills with new treated sill stock, using inflatable shims and heavy-duty pry bars to hold the new plates tight against the bottoms of the existing studs for fastening.

After pushing the sill stock tight against the bottoms of the st… Read More After pushing the sill stock tight against the bottoms of the studs, the crew drove galvanized toe screws through each stud and into the sills to hold the sills in place.

The crew filled the gap between the block foundation and the sil… Read More The crew filled the gap between the block foundation and the sills with high-strength non-shrink grout, forcing it under the sill from the inside with a margin trowel.

The crew used the same tool and same grout to fill in the gap fr… Read More The crew used the same tool and same grout to fill in the gap from the outside.

The crew used an edging trowel to smooth the grout along the top… Read More The crew used an edging trowel to smooth the grout along the top of the foundation and to smooth the seam between the existing foundation and the new block foundation.

After allowing the grout to cure, the crew removed the needle be… Read More After allowing the grout to cure, the crew removed the needle beams, leaving the corner of the house fully supported by the new foundation and sills.

The crew anchored the mudsill to the new foundation with Simpson… Read More The crew anchored the mudsill to the new foundation with Simpson Titen bolts.

Finally the crew was able to remove the LVLs that had offered te… Read More Finally the crew was able to remove the LVLs that had offered temporary support while the wall was being rebuilt.

Removing the masking tape left a clean line on the block.

The crew next secured drainage mat to the block foundation with … Read More The crew next secured drainage mat to the block foundation with concrete fasteners.

The crew backfilled with pea gravel outside the mat to provide a… Read More The crew backfilled with pea gravel outside the mat to provide additional drainage.

Once the topsoil was in place, the only remaining task was repai… Read More Once the topsoil was in place, the only remaining task was repairing the beam holes in the siding.