There are a couple of obvious things about concrete. It is heavy and it cracks. Once the material is laid down, unless you do what is necessary to stop it, it will continue to go down. Like I said---it is heavy. It is very common, when building houses, to fill around the foundation with materials that are either not easily compacted or can’t be compacted at all----except over many, many years. Architectural drawings in the past---back when blueprints were actually blue----use to call out for all fill to be “puddled.” Most builders today probably don’t even know what that means. What it means is that the filled areas were to be flooded with water until there was sufficient puddling on the surface. After all the water disappeared the process was repeated. This was actually a pretty effective way to make sure the ground was compacted enough prior to installation of the “heavy stuff.” Today we would use vibration machines to compact the fill and hopefully use fill that was compactable----usually not what is found on site. The other day I inspected a house with a great example of what happens when the ground around the foundation is not compacted enough. This installation was lucky----at least the settlement was fairly uniform----2 to 3 inches. When settlement only occurs right next to the foundation the slab sometimes then drains toward the home----creating water issues inside the basement or the crawl space. After 40 years, nature has likely done what man should have done during construction in terms of settlement of the earth around the foundation. This concrete patio is now a good candidate for slab-jacking. Charles Buell
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Hi Charles, They sure are lucky the settlement is even. Did you see any evidence of leaking in the basement? Speaking of those old "true blueprints" I miss the feel and faint ammonia smell of a fresh stack of blueprints. It was so exciting to show the future homeowner the plans for their new home.
Charles - Slab-jacking, eh? I've never heard of the term but now I know. And knowing can be good:) I may have to do that google search on slab-jacking in my area.
Jay, this house had water related issues----but not on this side of the house
Jason, you just never know when you might need to get jacked :)
This is crazy Charles. How can I find out if my home was done correctly? Do I just have to wait for Nature to do her thing?
Joe, pretty much :)
I'm certain that everyone could use a good jacking now and again:)
Charles - I would think you'd need at least a couple of "slab-jackers" to steal that slab; but why would anyone want to?
Are you sure they were not just raising the roof and got carried away
thanks for another what to watch out for and definition
enjoy the day
Hi Charles, In California, this is not so uncommon here. This and plumbing issues are 1 and 2 of the major problems in our area. I see this all too often.
"You've Lost That Sinkin' Feeling"... This was a Righteous Brother's song, right?
I know one builder in my area that has not figured this out as of yet. All his houses after about 6 months look like this!
Jason, I am sure :)
John---love to see it thrown in the back of their van
Don, the levitating house?
William, this is really quite easy to avoid if one simply uses the correct fill and compact it properly
Kate, you've got it!
Paul, most have not I am sure of it.
There was a time when blueprints had footing details for the step areas. Often they were poured with the foundation of the house and continuous with it. Not that everyone always followed the blueprints, or even followed them correctly.
Glenn, true. Sometimes we find steps poured as part of the foundation and they end up "hanging" on the foundation with the earth settled away below them enough for racoons to call it home :)
Mr Charles,
I think that you and I are in agreement that the best solution is a sealant with a very strong duct tape.
Nutsy
Nutsy----and just a little dab of mustard?
Sometimes that monolith can lean its lower end into the house as it sinks forward and put pressure onto the foundation wall.
Is slab jacking like flap jacking? I might suggest that to my Scouts.
My neighbor tried to lift his stoop with the concrete injection underneath and they filled and filled and never lifted it a bit. That must have been one huge cavity underneath!
Jay, don't you have caverns down your way? :)
Charles,
Well...you are full of all sorts of great information. I just keep going down your blogs and see something else to learn! I have seen this and wondered...thanks!
Wow Charles, I think my hopes just sank. :o( Maybe Mother Nature won't be too mean to us. LOL
Lori, glad you are enjoying my blog.
Joe, it just does its thing----in spite of our "hopes" Best not to hope at all and instead do what it takes :)
I love the pictures in your blogs Charles. Always interesting :) Re-blogging this one.
Michael, I love working with pictures.