In order to better understand how to repair your home, you must first understand how a home is built. Things will make a lot more sense once you understand what is behind your walls and under your floors. You always work from the bottom-up in construction. The golden rule of construction is 16" on center, I will explain further in the coming posts. This information is to be sourced from the international building code and is the standard for all construction. It is imperative you do not cut or modify ANY part of your structure without first understanding how the load is carried from your roof all the way to the basement and what utilities are not visible and where.
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Foundation:
A foundation transfers the load of a structure to the earth and resists loads imposed by the earth. For the purpose of this post I will go over three of the most common types of foundation, a slab foundation, full basement foundation or a post and pier foundation (refer to image for foundation types not listed here). A slab is a flat 4 inch (minimum) thick monolithic-concrete platform fitting the footprint of the structure. This type of foundation needs no floor joists and has no basement. A full basement foundation is also the same size as the footprint of the house, but instead of a flat slab, the foundation wall extends around 8 feet below ground level and provides a livable space under the house. Basement foundations can be poured concrete (best), fieldstone and mortar, or cinderblock and mortar. A basement foundation will need floor joists and rim board before the walls are built. A post and pier foundation is made up of vertical wood posts anchored to concrete footings down in to the earth; typically spaced out 4ft evenly under the floor framework to support the house. A post and pier foundation will typically have brick or cinderblock curtain wall and will not be habitable space. The purpose of foundations are to give you a solid and stable structure to build off. You may have seen an old barn that is leaning to one side, or totally collapsed; 99% of the time this is due to foundation issues.
A foundation transfers the load of a structure to the earth and resists loads imposed by the earth. For the purpose of this post I will go over three of the most common types of foundation, a slab foundation, full basement foundation or a post and pier foundation (refer to image for foundation types not listed here). A slab is a flat 4 inch (minimum) thick monolithic-concrete platform fitting the footprint of the structure. This type of foundation needs no floor joists and has no basement. A full basement foundation is also the same size as the footprint of the house, but instead of a flat slab, the foundation wall extends around 8 feet below ground level and provides a livable space under the house. Basement foundations can be poured concrete (best), fieldstone and mortar, or cinderblock and mortar. A basement foundation will need floor joists and rim board before the walls are built. A post and pier foundation is made up of vertical wood posts anchored to concrete footings down in to the earth; typically spaced out 4ft evenly under the floor framework to support the house. A post and pier foundation will typically have brick or cinderblock curtain wall and will not be habitable space. The purpose of foundations are to give you a solid and stable structure to build off. You may have seen an old barn that is leaning to one side, or totally collapsed; 99% of the time this is due to foundation issues.
Common issues:
Cracking or sagging are the most common issues with home foundations. If you have a concrete or stone foundation you will more likely see cracking. With post and pier foundations, sagging is most common. When concrete cracks, it is actually most likely due to a small amount of settlement. All homes will settle over time, but this is different from sagging due to the rate at which it happens. Settlement is likely to be less than a 1/2 inch per decade, while sagging can be as much as 1/2 inch per month. Settlement can lead to small wall cracks, window misalignment ect, over time. Sagging will fuck up all your walls, windows, doors and your life in the span of as little as a month. Anyway, concrete cracking can allow draft, water, vermin and bug access and should be repaired with some sort of hydraulic cement or epoxy resin to avoid re-cracking. If you have cracking on a stone/ cinderblock foundation you should chip out all the loose mortar of the affected area(mortar is the substrate between stones and cinder). Do NOT do more than a 4ft x 4ft area at once as this can cause structural failure. Clean the area with a vacuum and muriatic acid, re-point with sanded mortar mix that closely matches the original mixture as best you can tell. Sagging typically happens on a post and pier foundation as those houses are supported by as little as 4-10 posts and if one footing begins to sag far below the other footings, the house will begin to lean in that direction. This is the most dangerous repair and I do not advise anyone attempt this without experience. To fix a sagging/ sinking footing is to first jack-up the house back to level and plumb. You can use a bottle jack if you have a good jacking surface, or you can use heavy equipment. Once the house is back where it should be, you should dig 3 footings for every 2 sinking. If space is an issue, remove the old conrete footing and replace it with a much wider footing that will not sink. Inspect your soil prior to construction of a new home in order to avoid these issues as much as possible
Cracking or sagging are the most common issues with home foundations. If you have a concrete or stone foundation you will more likely see cracking. With post and pier foundations, sagging is most common. When concrete cracks, it is actually most likely due to a small amount of settlement. All homes will settle over time, but this is different from sagging due to the rate at which it happens. Settlement is likely to be less than a 1/2 inch per decade, while sagging can be as much as 1/2 inch per month. Settlement can lead to small wall cracks, window misalignment ect, over time. Sagging will fuck up all your walls, windows, doors and your life in the span of as little as a month. Anyway, concrete cracking can allow draft, water, vermin and bug access and should be repaired with some sort of hydraulic cement or epoxy resin to avoid re-cracking. If you have cracking on a stone/ cinderblock foundation you should chip out all the loose mortar of the affected area(mortar is the substrate between stones and cinder). Do NOT do more than a 4ft x 4ft area at once as this can cause structural failure. Clean the area with a vacuum and muriatic acid, re-point with sanded mortar mix that closely matches the original mixture as best you can tell. Sagging typically happens on a post and pier foundation as those houses are supported by as little as 4-10 posts and if one footing begins to sag far below the other footings, the house will begin to lean in that direction. This is the most dangerous repair and I do not advise anyone attempt this without experience. To fix a sagging/ sinking footing is to first jack-up the house back to level and plumb. You can use a bottle jack if you have a good jacking surface, or you can use heavy equipment. Once the house is back where it should be, you should dig 3 footings for every 2 sinking. If space is an issue, remove the old conrete footing and replace it with a much wider footing that will not sink. Inspect your soil prior to construction of a new home in order to avoid these issues as much as possible
Floor:
Depending on the type of slab you are working with, you will have a different floor structure. Full basements and crawl spaces require floor joists and sills, while a slab foundation floors joists are optional. Floor joists are usually 2x12 lumber that will span across basement/crawl space. In a basement foundation, floor joists will rest on top of the concrete walls, with a rim board around the perimeter to keep the joists spaced evenly. A crawl space will use 4x4 posts every 4-8ft to carry the load down to concrete footings. The joist framing for a crawl space will use a double 2x12 beam along the perimeter instead of a rim board, for extra strength and structure. All joists should be spaced no more than 16 inches on center, leaving you 14.5 inches between. Any joists that span longer than 16 feet should have at least one structural beam with posts perpendicular to the joists, to carry the load to the concrete/floor below. Installed peerpendicular on top of joists will be subflooring. Subflooring can either be plywood in newer homes or rough sawn planks in older homes. Subflooring is what gives you a flat surface to install your finished floor.
Depending on the type of slab you are working with, you will have a different floor structure. Full basements and crawl spaces require floor joists and sills, while a slab foundation floors joists are optional. Floor joists are usually 2x12 lumber that will span across basement/crawl space. In a basement foundation, floor joists will rest on top of the concrete walls, with a rim board around the perimeter to keep the joists spaced evenly. A crawl space will use 4x4 posts every 4-8ft to carry the load down to concrete footings. The joist framing for a crawl space will use a double 2x12 beam along the perimeter instead of a rim board, for extra strength and structure. All joists should be spaced no more than 16 inches on center, leaving you 14.5 inches between. Any joists that span longer than 16 feet should have at least one structural beam with posts perpendicular to the joists, to carry the load to the concrete/floor below. Installed peerpendicular on top of joists will be subflooring. Subflooring can either be plywood in newer homes or rough sawn planks in older homes. Subflooring is what gives you a flat surface to install your finished floor.
Common issues:
Issues with floors are typically related to the foundation beneath, such as sagging issues previously described. Two other common issues with floor structures are bowing or rot. Sagging must be fixed at the foundation prior to work on the floor structure itself. Bowing is typically a noticeable drop in the middle of floors, where part of the floor drops down lower than the rest. Bowing is typically caused by either improper weight transfer or a broken joist and sometimes due to high moisture. You can find broken joists by either visual cracks or knocking on them with a hammer, you will hear a noticeable difference in the sound. Often times people will remove their entire floor surface or ceiling plaster in order to repair a floor structure. If you have this kind of access, drop new joist(s) next to the old from above or below. If you are not able to have such access you can repair or reinforce joists by cutting a slot outside, for the new joist to slide in, next to the broken. If no joists are broken and your floor is bowing, it means the floor is not strong enough for the load it is taking. Sometimes, if you have enough access to your floor frame work, you can install all new joists as described above. Most commonly however, a new beam and posts will need to be installed under the bowing floor after jacking the floor level. It is important that all weight-bearing posts be installed atop a proper strucural surface (footing, beams, foundation). Rot is like cancer and can be the most severe and also the most common of all hoke damage in general. Most of you have seen rot at some point in the woods or around the home. Rot happens when wood is exposed to wet conditions over a certain period of time. First identify the leak and stop it, whether its source is from inside or outside. The finished flooring surface may not show any signs of rot so this often requires a new finished floor. Rot is a cancer, you have to remove/ cut out all wood that is soft with rot. It is VITAL you build temporary walls/support before work on a damgerous floor and before removing or cutting anything that bears weight (aka joists, sills , posts). Once all rot is removed you can sister the cut joists, install new subfloor plywood and install a new finished floor.
Issues with floors are typically related to the foundation beneath, such as sagging issues previously described. Two other common issues with floor structures are bowing or rot. Sagging must be fixed at the foundation prior to work on the floor structure itself. Bowing is typically a noticeable drop in the middle of floors, where part of the floor drops down lower than the rest. Bowing is typically caused by either improper weight transfer or a broken joist and sometimes due to high moisture. You can find broken joists by either visual cracks or knocking on them with a hammer, you will hear a noticeable difference in the sound. Often times people will remove their entire floor surface or ceiling plaster in order to repair a floor structure. If you have this kind of access, drop new joist(s) next to the old from above or below. If you are not able to have such access you can repair or reinforce joists by cutting a slot outside, for the new joist to slide in, next to the broken. If no joists are broken and your floor is bowing, it means the floor is not strong enough for the load it is taking. Sometimes, if you have enough access to your floor frame work, you can install all new joists as described above. Most commonly however, a new beam and posts will need to be installed under the bowing floor after jacking the floor level. It is important that all weight-bearing posts be installed atop a proper strucural surface (footing, beams, foundation). Rot is like cancer and can be the most severe and also the most common of all hoke damage in general. Most of you have seen rot at some point in the woods or around the home. Rot happens when wood is exposed to wet conditions over a certain period of time. First identify the leak and stop it, whether its source is from inside or outside. The finished flooring surface may not show any signs of rot so this often requires a new finished floor. Rot is a cancer, you have to remove/ cut out all wood that is soft with rot. It is VITAL you build temporary walls/support before work on a damgerous floor and before removing or cutting anything that bears weight (aka joists, sills , posts). Once all rot is removed you can sister the cut joists, install new subfloor plywood and install a new finished floor.