A part of my foundation has been in need of repair for quite some time.  I 
now have the opportunity to do this, but after looking at it today, I'm not 
sure I can handle the task.  I really want to try it, but not sure how to 
proceed.

The damage I'm seeing isn't like the web info I keep coming across, so 
that's the reason for my uncertainty as to a repair course.  I've decided to 
take some pictures and will explain each below.

The first damage I describe as a "foundation gap" of around 2-3" deep by 
nearly 36" long.
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3977/foundationgap.jpg
To make matters worse, parts of the gap are quite deep and I can fit at 
least half of the yard stick in spots:
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1382/foundationgapdepth.jpg
I can easily chisel and break parts of I guess what would be the cinderblock 
within the deep depth.  Very easy to break and crumble.  There is also some 
foam filler someone attempted to inject, but I have removed most of that. 
Lots of dirt and debris around this area.  The big question is how do I 
repair this gap?  Can I just fill in with cement and what type and how would 
I go about cleaning the entire area?

Lastly, there is a crack just beyond the gap:
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1713/foundationcrack.jpg
I assume this could be filled in with hydraulic cement patching that I keep 
reading about.

There you have it.  I can't find anything on repairing this type of 
foundation separation/ decay damage and all I keep running across are cracks 
or small to moderate sized holes, so any advice would be greatly 
appreciated.  Just to note, the separation only occurs at one end of my 
house and is about 36" long as I said.  The rest of the foundation in other 
areas seems intact and not separated, plus there are no cracks.  Any idea of 
the cause of this would be appreciated also so, if I can repair it, it 
doesn't happen again.

Thanks in advance,
Bill Skype 

Just to add, this is a single floor home with no basement or crawl space. 
Bill

"Bill Skype" <b...@eroltz.com> wrote in message 
news:h196mr$k6u$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>A part of my foundation has been in need of repair for quite some time.  I 
>now have the opportunity to do this, but after looking at it today, I'm not 
>sure I can handle the task.  I really want to try it, but not sure how to 
>proceed.
>
> The damage I'm seeing isn't like the web info I keep coming across, so 
> that's the reason for my uncertainty as to a repair course.  I've decided 
> to take some pictures and will explain each below.
>
> The first damage I describe as a "foundation gap" of around 2-3" deep by 
> nearly 36" long.
> http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3977/foundationgap.jpg
> To make matters worse, parts of the gap are quite deep and I can fit at 
> least half of the yard stick in spots:
> http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1382/foundationgapdepth.jpg
> I can easily chisel and break parts of I guess what would be the 
> cinderblock within the deep depth.  Very easy to break and crumble.  There 
> is also some foam filler someone attempted to inject, but I have removed 
> most of that. Lots of dirt and debris around this area.  The big question 
> is how do I repair this gap?  Can I just fill in with cement and what type 
> and how would I go about cleaning the entire area?
>
> Lastly, there is a crack just beyond the gap:
> http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1713/foundationcrack.jpg
> I assume this could be filled in with hydraulic cement patching that I 
> keep reading about.
>
> There you have it.  I can't find anything on repairing this type of 
> foundation separation/ decay damage and all I keep running across are 
> cracks or small to moderate sized holes, so any advice would be greatly 
> appreciated.  Just to note, the separation only occurs at one end of my 
> house and is about 36" long as I said.  The rest of the foundation in 
> other areas seems intact and not separated, plus there are no cracks.  Any 
> idea of the cause of this would be appreciated also so, if I can repair 
> it, it doesn't happen again.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Bill Skype
> 

Bill Skype wrote:
> A part of my foundation has been in need of repair for quite some time.  I 
> now have the opportunity to do this, but after looking at it today, I'm not 
> sure I can handle the task.  I really want to try it, but not sure how to 
> proceed.
> 
> The damage I'm seeing isn't like the web info I keep coming across, so 
> that's the reason for my uncertainty as to a repair course.  I've decided to 
> take some pictures and will explain each below.
> 
> The first damage I describe as a "foundation gap" of around 2-3" deep by 
> nearly 36" long.
> http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3977/foundationgap.jpg
> To make matters worse, parts of the gap are quite deep and I can fit at 
> least half of the yard stick in spots:
> http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1382/foundationgapdepth.jpg
> I can easily chisel and break parts of I guess what would be the cinderblock 
> within the deep depth.  Very easy to break and crumble.  There is also some 
> foam filler someone attempted to inject, but I have removed most of that. 
> Lots of dirt and debris around this area.  The big question is how do I 
> repair this gap?  Can I just fill in with cement and what type and how would 
> I go about cleaning the entire area?
> 
> Lastly, there is a crack just beyond the gap:
> http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1713/foundationcrack.jpg
> I assume this could be filled in with hydraulic cement patching that I keep 
> reading about.
> 
> There you have it.  I can't find anything on repairing this type of 
> foundation separation/ decay damage and all I keep running across are cracks 
> or small to moderate sized holes, so any advice would be greatly 
> appreciated.  Just to note, the separation only occurs at one end of my 
> house and is about 36" long as I said.  The rest of the foundation in other 
> areas seems intact and not separated, plus there are no cracks.  Any idea of 
> the cause of this would be appreciated also so, if I can repair it, it 
> doesn't happen again.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> Bill Skype 
> 
> 

Good closeups, but we need some wider shots to understand what sort of 
foundation you have. Is it just concrete/stone sleepers on packed dirt? 
Are there piers that actually hold the house up, and the visible blocks 
are just skirting? What is holding up the visible blocks? What year was 
house built? Unless there is a slab floor inside, you have some sort of 
crawlspace, even if it is less than a foot tall. (Yeah, I've seen houses 
like that.) As to what causes the damage- some combination of settling 
of fill material, water flow, frost heave, and maybe animals digging.

I'd recommend calling a foundation repair/house leveling company for a 
site survey and an estimate. A cosmetic repair is pointless, and a real 
repair is likely to require equipment and skill sets well beyond DIY.

--
aem sends...

> Just to add, this is a single floor home with no basement or crawl space.


It looks like what you've pictured there is a straight concrete  "slab" with 
no support or footings.
Some homes are built on a slab only . [See  "Post tensioned slab] but yours 
doesn't look like that.
The pictures look like a 'plain ol' slab w/o any perimeter support.
Like someone said:  more details and pictures that show a lot more (ZOOM 
back) needed. 

Rudy,

Thanks, at request, I took a couple more images:

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9882/lightedgapinterior.jpg

The above is a lit up version of inside the gap.

And:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7977/normalzoomedoutfoundati.jpg

This is a zoomed out view of a normal part of the foundation.  It is about 
8" high.

Bill

"Rudy" <N...@no-onehome.net> wrote in message 
news:uqWZl.6$n...@newsfe15.iad...
>
>> Just to add, this is a single floor home with no basement or crawl space.
>
>
> It looks like what you've pictured there is a straight concrete  "slab" 
> with no support or footings.
> Some homes are built on a slab only . [See  "Post tensioned slab] but 
> yours doesn't look like that.
> The pictures look like a 'plain ol' slab w/o any perimeter support.
> Like someone said:  more details and pictures that show a lot more (ZOOM 
> back) needed.
> 

-- 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Don't forget to draw the curtains!"
"aemeijers" <a...@att.net> wrote in message 
news:VFVZl.73326$d...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Bill Skype wrote:
>> A part of my foundation has been in need of repair for quite some time. 
>> I now have the opportunity to do this, but after looking at it today, I'm 
>> not sure I can handle the task.  I really want to try it, but not sure 
>> how to proceed.
>>
>> The damage I'm seeing isn't like the web info I keep coming across, so 
>> that's the reason for my uncertainty as to a repair course.  I've decided 
>> to take some pictures and will explain each below.
>>
>> The first damage I describe as a "foundation gap" of around 2-3" deep by 
>> nearly 36" long.
>> http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3977/foundationgap.jpg
>> To make matters worse, parts of the gap are quite deep and I can fit at 
>> least half of the yard stick in spots:
>> http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1382/foundationgapdepth.jpg
>> I can easily chisel and break parts of I guess what would be the 
>> cinderblock within the deep depth.  Very easy to break and crumble. 
>> There is also some foam filler someone attempted to inject, but I have 
>> removed most of that. Lots of dirt and debris around this area.  The big 
>> question is how do I repair this gap?  Can I just fill in with cement and 
>> what type and how would I go about cleaning the entire area?
>>
>> Lastly, there is a crack just beyond the gap:
>> http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1713/foundationcrack.jpg
>> I assume this could be filled in with hydraulic cement patching that I 
>> keep reading about.
>>
>> There you have it.  I can't find anything on repairing this type of 
>> foundation separation/ decay damage and all I keep running across are 
>> cracks or small to moderate sized holes, so any advice would be greatly 
>> appreciated.  Just to note, the separation only occurs at one end of my 
>> house and is about 36" long as I said.  The rest of the foundation in 
>> other areas seems intact and not separated, plus there are no cracks. 
>> Any idea of the cause of this would be appreciated also so, if I can 
>> repair it, it doesn't happen again.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Bill Skype
>
> Good closeups, but we need some wider shots to understand what sort of 
> foundation you have. Is it just concrete/stone sleepers on packed dirt?

Here are some additonal shots.  First, the interior of the "gap":

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9882/lightedgapinterior.jpg

And then, a zoomed out view of a normal part of the foundation.  It is about 
8" high:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7977/normalzoomedoutfoundati.jpg

> Are there piers that actually hold the house up, and the visible blocks 
> are just skirting? What is holding up the visible blocks? What year was 
> house built? Unless there is a slab floor inside, you have some sort of 
> crawlspace, even if it is less than a foot tall. (Yeah, I've seen houses 
> like that.) As to what causes the damage- some combination of settling of 
> fill material, water flow, frost heave, and maybe animals digging.
>
> I'd recommend calling a foundation repair/house leveling company for a 
> site survey and an estimate. A cosmetic repair is pointless, and a real 
> repair is likely to require equipment and skill sets well beyond DIY.
>
> --
> aem sends...
> 

"Bill Skype" <b...@eroltz.com> wrote in message 
news:h19deu$9od$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
>
> -- 
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> "Don't forget to draw the curtains!"
> "aemeijers" <a...@att.net> wrote in message 
> news:VFVZl.73326$d...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>> Bill Skype wrote:
>>> A part of my foundation has been in need of repair for quite some time. 
>>> I now have the opportunity to do this, but after looking at it today, 
>>> I'm not sure I can handle the task.  I really want to try it, but not 
>>> sure how to proceed.
>>>
>>> The damage I'm seeing isn't like the web info I keep coming across, so 
>>> that's the reason for my uncertainty as to a repair course.  I've 
>>> decided to take some pictures and will explain each below.
>>>
>>> The first damage I describe as a "foundation gap" of around 2-3" deep 
>>> by nearly 36" long.
>>> http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3977/foundationgap.jpg
>>> To make matters worse, parts of the gap are quite deep and I can fit at 
>>> least half of the yard stick in spots:
>>> http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1382/foundationgapdepth.jpg
>>> I can easily chisel and break parts of I guess what would be the 
>>> cinderblock within the deep depth.  Very easy to break and crumble. 
>>> There is also some foam filler someone attempted to inject, but I have 
>>> removed most of that. Lots of dirt and debris around this area.  The 
>>> big question is how do I repair this gap?  Can I just fill in with 
>>> cement and what type and how would I go about cleaning the entire area?
>>>
>>> Lastly, there is a crack just beyond the gap:
>>> http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1713/foundationcrack.jpg
>>> I assume this could be filled in with hydraulic cement patching that I 
>>> keep reading about.
>>>
>>> There you have it.  I can't find anything on repairing this type of 
>>> foundation separation/ decay damage and all I keep running across are 
>>> cracks or small to moderate sized holes, so any advice would be greatly 
>>> appreciated.  Just to note, the separation only occurs at one end of my 
>>> house and is about 36" long as I said.  The rest of the foundation in 
>>> other areas seems intact and not separated, plus there are no cracks. 
>>> Any idea of the cause of this would be appreciated also so, if I can 
>>> repair it, it doesn't happen again.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> Bill Skype
>>
>> Good closeups, but we need some wider shots to understand what sort of 
>> foundation you have. Is it just concrete/stone sleepers on packed dirt?
>
> Here are some additonal shots.  First, the interior of the "gap":
>
> http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9882/lightedgapinterior.jpg
>

Is that a pair of eyes, looking out?

On Jun 16, 5:27=A0pm, "Bill Skype"  wrote:
> Rudy,
>
> Thanks, at request, I took a couple more images:
>
> http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9882/lightedgapinterior.jpg
>
> The above is a lit up version of inside the gap.
>
> And:
>
> http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7977/normalzoomedoutfoundati.jpg
>
> This is a zoomed out view of a normal part of the foundation. =A0It is ab=
out
> 8" high.
>
> Bill
>
> "Rudy"  wrote in message
>
> news:uqWZl.6$n...@newsfe15.iad...
>
>
>
> >> Just to add, this is a single floor home with no basement or crawl spa=
ce.
>
> > It looks like what you've pictured there is a straight concrete =A0"sla=
b"
> > with no support or footings.
> > Some homes are built on a slab only . [See =A0"Post tensioned slab] but
> > yours doesn't look like that.
> > The pictures look like a 'plain ol' slab w/o any perimeter support.
> > Like someone said: =A0more details and pictures that show a lot more (Z=
OOM
> > back) needed.

Bill-


What Rudy & aem both said.......

WAY zoomed out photos are needed, to provide context.   Imagine the
guys in this newsgroup have never seen your house....closeups are good
but not with context.  The photos you take & post have to substitute
for being "on-site".

While most of your photos give good close-up information.....there
appears to not be "zoomed out" and various stages of "zoomed in" of
the same foundation location


Compose and post the photos necessary to understand this "elephant"
that we've never seen in person.......we need your photos to tell the
whole story.

Get rake / broom & remove the extraneous / unimportant debris from the
ground in the photos.



cheers
Bob

On Jun 17, 2:49=A0am, fftt  wrote:
>
> WAY zoomed out photos are needed, to provide context. =A0 Imagine the
> guys in this newsgroup have never seen your house....closeups are good
> but not with context. =A0The photos you take & post have to substitute
> for being "on-site".
>
> While most of your photos give good close-up information.....there
> appears to not be "zoomed out" and various stages of "zoomed in" of
> the same foundation location
>
> Compose and post the photos necessary to understand this "elephant"
> that we've never seen in person.......we need your photos to tell the
> whole story.
>
> Get rake / broom & remove the extraneous / unimportant debris from the
> ground in the photos.

I don't know that any amount and quality of pictures will help with
this diagnosis.  Eyeballs on the situation - paid knowledgeable
eyeballs - is the only way to figure out for sure what is going on.

That being said, let's talk theoretical situations for a bit.  The
soil has subsided substantially.  A fair bit of soil had to go
somewhere, so there are probably two major scenarios that would cause
such a situation.

The first would be improper subgrade preparations.  Either there was
organic matter that rotted and compressed, or the soil was disturbed
during excavation and not properly compacted before the slab was
poured.  If the gap is no longer increasing in size, mud jacking would
probably take care of the problem.

The other scenario would be flowing water washing away the soil.  That
could come from improper drainage around the house, an underground
stream, or a leak in a water/sewer pipe under the slab.  If there is a
bathroom near the gap that would increase the odds that it were a pipe
leaking.  To fix this sort of problem you have to determine where the
water is coming from and where the soil is going.  Mud jacking may of
may not take care of the problem.

It is not a good situation and the OP's comment that the foundation
has been in need of repair for quite some time scares me.  Hire a pro
and fix it.

R

"fftt" <r...@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:3...@a7g2000yqk.googlegroups.com...
On Jun 16, 5:27 pm, "Bill Skype"  wrote:
> Rudy,
>
> Thanks, at request, I took a couple more images:
>
> http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9882/lightedgapinterior.jpg
>
> The above is a lit up version of inside the gap.
>
> And:
>
> http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7977/normalzoomedoutfoundati.jpg
>
> This is a zoomed out view of a normal part of the foundation. It is about
> 8" high.
>
> Bill
>
> "Rudy"  wrote in message
>
> news:uqWZl.6$n...@newsfe15.iad...
>
>
>
> >> Just to add, this is a single floor home with no basement or crawl 
> >> space.
>
> > It looks like what you've pictured there is a straight concrete "slab"
> > with no support or footings.
> > Some homes are built on a slab only . [See "Post tensioned slab] but
> > yours doesn't look like that.
> > The pictures look like a 'plain ol' slab w/o any perimeter support.
> > Like someone said: more details and pictures that show a lot more (ZOOM
> > back) needed.

Bill-


What Rudy & aem both said.......

WAY zoomed out photos are needed, to provide context.   Imagine the
guys in this newsgroup have never seen your house....closeups are good
but not with context.  The photos you take & post have to substitute
for being "on-site".

While most of your photos give good close-up information.....there
appears to not be "zoomed out" and various stages of "zoomed in" of
the same foundation location


Compose and post the photos necessary to understand this "elephant"
that we've never seen in person.......we need your photos to tell the
whole story.

Get rake / broom & remove the extraneous / unimportant debris from the
ground in the photos.



cheers
Bob

Thanks, Bob, and here you go:

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/9626/s6300325j.jpg

The concrete pads you see in front are not attached and were added later. 
Note the downspout on the right.  One observation I have noted is that the 
pad in front of the door actually sinks towards it.  Perhaps when it rains, 
the water has been flowing directly towards the foundation.

Another image:

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/9992/s6300324.jpg


I've been told that this is the result of soil erosion from under the 
foundation and dirt needs to be compacted into the gap.  I turned here 
because I wasn't sure this was the correct course of action, plus the cinder 
blocks within the gap have decayed around the exposed gap area.

Unfortunately, I am on a limited budget.  I thought if I could repair this 
myself, it would be worthwhile.  Although the pad seems to angle towards the 
foundation instead away from it, I wonder if there was any way I could still 
direct the water away and force it towards where the gutter drains.  I would 
not be able to lift the pad myself.