You are here:
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Foundation | 2/9/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: Can you advise what we can do to stablize our foundation. The house was built in the 70's and we ... A: The most important thing is preventing the soil from becoming wet or saturated!....Moistened soil ... | ||
| horizontal and step cracks in basement | 2/4/2012 | Jim Hise |
| Q: i was advised to use rods and cement to reinforce my block wall. is this a possible do it yourself ... A: Mari, The rod and grout wall stabilization repair method has been in use a long time. In ... | ||
| block foundation | 2/4/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: Greetings Ed, We have a block foundation approx. 40 yrs old, under a house addition. It has a ... A: I'm sorry that I do not understand what you are describing as a block foundation with a concrete ... | ||
| A-Frame Home we still have problems. | 2/2/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I'm sure you remember the A-Frame in Texas with the twisting frame the -3.75 sunken foundation on ... A: It sounds like you have consistent saturation from storm water and evidently the slab foundation is ... | ||
| basement wall | 1/31/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: The house foundation over laps the basement walls by 3 feet. the basement is only a partial basement ... A: There are several ways to reinforce the basement walls, but it depends on the severity of the ... | ||
| Waterproofing foundation underpinning | 1/27/2012 | Randy Dikeman |
| Q: I am renovating my 1911 house, which has almost 18" thick foundation walls made of stacked ... A: Linda, Have read through your description and trying to grasp everything. If I am understanding ... | ||
| slab foundation with a bulge | 1/25/2012 | Edwin Moore |
| Q: We have a 12 year old house in Leander, TX. we have been in a drought for a while. This summer was ... A: I am not an expert in the pest control business, however I do know that many treatments include a ... | ||
| Basement block repair | 1/25/2012 | Jim Hise |
| Q: Jim, I have bowing walls and need an estimate. House in Lakewood. Pls let me know how to proceed. ... A: Craig, Our company will provide a free basement inspection if you contact us at our office or ... | ||
| slab foundation with a bulge | 1/25/2012 | Edwin Moore |
| Q: We have a 12 year old house in Leander, TX. we have been in a drought for a while. This summer was ... A: Hey Barbara, All of the things you are seeing are indicative of foundation settlement. It is a very ... | ||
| Bowing | 1/24/2012 | Edwin Moore |
| Q: I have one quick question. I have scoured the Internet and have learned everything there is to know ... A: Hey Daniel, Excavation is not always necessary but will certainly provide the best opportunity to ... | ||
| foundation separation from exterior wall | 1/21/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I live in Colorado, in a 30 yr. old 3 story condo. My slab has slipped and dropped and is scheduled ... A: I would recommend holding off on the mudjacking until you can have the foundation lifted and ... | ||
| 60 year old cinderblock wall collapsing,"Between a wall and a hard place" | 1/20/2012 | Randy Dikeman |
| Q: I am in property maintenance and I have a customer in her 80's that has a patio along the entire ... A: Phil, There are several options in repairing the wall. Soil Anchors could be installed through the ... | ||
| Foundation Settling | 1/16/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I live outside Birmingham, AL and in 2007 with a severe drought I noticed a crack in my office ... A: Generally, pier placement is based on a number of factors and depends on the overall weight ... | ||
| bowing basement walls | 1/12/2012 | Randy Dikeman |
| Q: I have two basement walls bowing in with a horizontal crack almost the entire length of the wall. ... A: Pamela, Either method can be acceptable but you should consider the length of time and exposure ... | ||
| Crumbly Poured Foundation Walls | 1/9/2012 | Jim Wamelink |
| Q: We are finishing out the basement of our 1916 Portland, OR home. The foundation walls are poured ... A: Good Morning, Based on what you have told me you can consider the following: 1.remove all loose ... | ||
| is patching tiny holes in cinderblock basement wall viable? | 1/5/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I have an area of my cinderblock basement wall, about 1 foot from the floating slab edge of the ... A: Sealing up the tiny holes in the blocks may help stop the intrusion of small amounts of water, but ... | ||
| Garden Wall Leaning | 1/3/2012 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: How do I stabilize a tensioned garden wall that has started leaning after 8 years? The wall is ... A: It is very difficult to offer advice without examining the wall myself, but I believe your thoughts ... | ||
| home on cinderblock settling and beginning to split | 12/29/2011 | Randy Dikeman |
| Q: My in-laws home "began life" as a single wide mobile home, with additions made over 20 years ago ... A: Chris, You mentioned that the latest work incorporated a concrete pedestal as a base for the block. ... | ||
| home on cinderblock settling and beginning to split | 12/29/2011 | Randy Dikeman |
| Q: My in-laws home "began life" as a single wide mobile home, with additions made over 20 years ago ... A: Chris, It may be that the original block foundations were placed on a very shallow foundation ... | ||
| Cracks on and around the chimney | 12/21/2011 | Jim Hise |
| Q: Looking forward to your advise. Our house is about 25 years old, in Indiana. The inside of the house ... A: Vick, The chimney requires only two piers. The proposed pier at the corner will do nothing to ... | ||
| Cracks on and around the chimney | 12/19/2011 | Jim Hise |
| Q: Looking forward to your advise. Our house is about 25 years old, in Indiana. The inside of the house ... A: Vick, I've been around these problems for 18 years in Cleveland and this problem / solution ... | ||
| Movement of pillars | 12/19/2011 | Edwin Moore |
| Q: About 3 years ago me and my husband bought a house that was built in the 1930's. The back of the ... A: The soil borings would tell you what the soil conditions are under your home. If the mining is the ... | ||
| Movement of pillars | 12/16/2011 | Edwin Moore |
| Q: About 3 years ago me and my husband bought a house that was built in the 1930's. The back of the ... A: something has changed the soil conditions. this could need helical piers. I would gta geotechnical ... | ||
| cement block wall | 12/7/2011 | Jim Wamelink |
| Q: I have been getting some estimates for waterproofing basement. The wall is now visibly bowed as we ... A: Good Morning. Concrete and masonry construction work can be completed in cold weather. American ... | ||
| Bulging brick foundation wall | 12/4/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: We have an underpinning project on an old house to convert the crawl space into a full height ... A: I would recommend contacting a licensed structural engineer in your area. The engineer will be able ... | ||
| Carbon fiber cost | 11/30/2011 | Jim Hise |
| Q: Jim, I am getting some estimates on carbon fiber installation and the costs seem a bit high. About ... A: Dan, This pricing I mentioned and installation cost is included here in Cleveland, Ohio. That ... | ||
| Crumbling Poured Concrete Basement Wall | 11/17/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: Interior portion of poured concrete basement walls (poured in mid 1950's) that are below ground are ... A: You can purchase bags of Cement Patch from Home Depot. I believe Quickcrete products may work but ... | ||
| Crumbling Poured Concrete Basement Wall | 11/16/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: Interior portion of poured concrete basement walls (poured in mid 1950's) that are below ground are ... A: The problem that you have described is deterioration from oxidation. Usually it is caused by ... | ||
| cost comparision | 11/15/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: would trenching around a structure of block and concrete shell structure with a road stone interior, ... A: It depends on the Contractors you hire....I'm sorry that I cannot guess which would be less costly ... | ||
| Cracks in the walls | 11/15/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I own a two story, 50 years old house made of cement blocks with a basement, that sits on heavy clay ... A: I'm sorry that I cannot advise any Load Bearing Techniques on an unknown footing or concrete ... | ||
| fieldstone wall | 11/14/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I have a 4 car garage that was converted from and old barn. The base has fieldstone and mortar ... A: I believe there are additives available for most masonry compounds. You would need to ask the sales ... | ||
| fieldstone wall | 11/11/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I have a 4 car garage that was converted from and old barn. The base has fieldstone and mortar ... A: Your Idea sounds like a good plan, provided the stone work is reasonably stabile and you are able to ... | ||
| Red clay tile block foundation construction | 11/9/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: My home was built in the late 20's and has a red tile block foundation. From the outside of the ... A: There should not be any gaps between the bricks either horizontal or vertical. The foundation should ... | ||
| Foundation Stablization | 11/6/2011 | Randy Dikeman |
| Q: I have been having sticking doors and some minor cracking in walls in parts of my home. I have been ... A: Marie, The placement of helical piers will vary depending on the foundation loads, the type of ... | ||
| moisture seepage in walls | 11/2/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: Our house is 110-120 years old in the Capitol Hill area of Washington DC. We purchased the house a ... A: We are located in Colorado. I have worked on many older structures similar to yours, (Brick or ... | ||
| Crack in basement wall, shifting foundation | 11/1/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I have a side split 1040 sq. ft. house that is about 15 years old. I live in western Missouri and ... A: All of the details you have described about the home are indications of foundation settlement and ... | ||
| Bath floor uneven after sup pump failure | 10/31/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: I have a house in Colorado Springs, I discovered the sump pump in the basement was no longer working ... A: From your description of the sump pump failure and the resulting concrete floor damage, I would ... | ||
| basement wall cracked bowed and window well | 10/29/2011 | Edwin Moore |
| Q: My basement wall is cracked (steps), bowed (about 1.6 inches at the widest), but not sheared. There ... A: Grant, It sounds like you have done all the right things. Carbon fiber is very effective when ... | ||
| Rebar in the basement floor | 10/20/2011 | Jim Hise |
| Q: I had to remove the concrete floor in my basement due to some settling and cracking/heaving. The ... A: Jim, First find out what his warranty will be if the floor tries to heave and breaks concrete. ... | ||
| foundations | 10/12/2011 | Ed Eckley |
| Q: i have a conservatiory attached to the back of my house. a small gap has appered between the house ... A: I'm sorry that I cannot recommend anyone in the UK, because I am unfamiliar with the territory. I ... | ||
Answers by Expert:
Top Expert on this page
I will be happy to answer any questions regarding foundation problems of any type. Questions pertaining to construction methods, Problematic soils, Settling & Movement, Frame torsion & racking, Preventative measures, Repair methods of all types.
Over 18 years in the industry. A.S.M.E. Certified,(American Society of Mechanical Engineering). Hydraulics Design Expert. 18 years of hands on soil manipulation. Over 500 homes repaired, and over 20 commercial buildings repaired. Extensive soil knowledge. Familiar with most types of repair methods and the expected results of each.
Publications
Ezine.com Article Title: Foundation Problems Do's & Don'ts
custombuildingsupport.com: Foundation Repair Methods
Education/Credentials
High School Graduate 1976
Trade School Graduate 1976
College Graduate 1978
Awards and Honors
Certificates of achievment: Excel Industries
Letters of appreciation: City of Golden
Awards & Plaques: Jacobsen Turf Division
Past/Present Clients
Available on request

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.