coastalcandy
05-08-2008, 02:15 PM
I have an addition that was built on my house prior to my purchase that is about 10 x 20 built from concrete blocks. I live in Maine and we had a severe winter with lots of snow and rain and this has caused the back of the addition to first bow in and then after the last big rain the blocks are moving in. I also had major flooding- 18" on several occasions. The foundation is probably at least 15 years old.
I had the waterguard system installed to fix the flooding issue and they recommended installing the Reinforcer carbon fiber to fix the foundation. I also had a local foundation contractor over to look at the work and knew nothing about the carbon fiber option. I have a deck off the back of the addition where the bowing/bulging is occurring. His solution is to lift the deck back as it is not attached to the house and then dig a trench and then repoint and replace? the cinder blocks. He will then move the deck back- which is not in the best of shape.
So the question is - if I installed the Reinforcers I will still have water pressure issues so it is better to remove the deck and dig a trench and repoint/ repair or dig a trench and still use the Reinforcres or just use the Reinforcers. I guess I am questioning the use of the Reinforcers without addressing the water issue. Also, if I do dig a trench and repoint what will prevent this from happening again if we get another severe winter with deep frost. Should I get a structural engineer in to help decide or would they recommend the best approach?
Related to this, when I bought the house the deck had carpet on it- my inspector said to remove it as it would rot the wood. But when I did I noticed that the decking has about 3/4" gaps between the planks. So would this have helped to cause more water to get in the back of the house and should I replace the deck as well or just eliminate it so I can have access to the back of the house to keep it clear for future issues. I really can't afford any of this but have to address the issue and want to do the right thing. I am a single homeowner nearing retirement and will probably keep the house for about 7 years more.
I had the waterguard system installed to fix the flooding issue and they recommended installing the Reinforcer carbon fiber to fix the foundation. I also had a local foundation contractor over to look at the work and knew nothing about the carbon fiber option. I have a deck off the back of the addition where the bowing/bulging is occurring. His solution is to lift the deck back as it is not attached to the house and then dig a trench and then repoint and replace? the cinder blocks. He will then move the deck back- which is not in the best of shape.
So the question is - if I installed the Reinforcers I will still have water pressure issues so it is better to remove the deck and dig a trench and repoint/ repair or dig a trench and still use the Reinforcres or just use the Reinforcers. I guess I am questioning the use of the Reinforcers without addressing the water issue. Also, if I do dig a trench and repoint what will prevent this from happening again if we get another severe winter with deep frost. Should I get a structural engineer in to help decide or would they recommend the best approach?
Related to this, when I bought the house the deck had carpet on it- my inspector said to remove it as it would rot the wood. But when I did I noticed that the decking has about 3/4" gaps between the planks. So would this have helped to cause more water to get in the back of the house and should I replace the deck as well or just eliminate it so I can have access to the back of the house to keep it clear for future issues. I really can't afford any of this but have to address the issue and want to do the right thing. I am a single homeowner nearing retirement and will probably keep the house for about 7 years more.