| Author | Message | ||
     Tootal |
So I don't know if anybody is interested or not but thought I'd throw this out there. My house, that I've been in for 30 years, has been in "Mine Subsidence" for 7 years. This is when a local mine collapses somewhere nearby and draws everything around it toward it. It just so happens that my house is at the point of the arrow aiming at whatever caused it. Fortunately the state of Illinois has insurance for this and is one of the only things that's not broke yet! So I've gutted the basement which included a fifteen foot long bar, full size pool table, two beer fridges and the best part was the 70's orange shag carpet!! Ok, maybe not the best part... Today they are excavating and taking out my front porch. A backhoe slamming the house in the rear and a jack hammer in the front! My plan is to photograph the progress and I will put them on here if there's any interest. They will be piering the house and hydraulically leveling the foundation. 28 piers will then hold the house up. The concrete floor of the basement is in bad shape so it's being replaced also. So let me know if anybody else but me would like to watch this. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Hell yeah! Hook up a tripod to a tree stump outside for a timelapse! Like a snap every half hour? | ||
| Teeps |
The process sounds interesting, I'd like to watch too. Photos or video even better. | ||
| Crusty |
Definitely! It'll be very interesting to see how they do it. | ||
| Tootal |
Ok. I'll start shrinking some photo's tonight after they're gone. | ||
| Macbuell |
Will the ground continue to shift in the future? | ||
| 86129squids |
Far out, man! I like the time lapse pics ideas... Good luck! | ||
| Greg_e |
Yeah, my concern would be that the ground continues to slide and will take the repairs with it and leave you with the same issue and no money to fix it again. | ||
| Tootal |
The state has been monitoring the land movement every year. This last year all movement had ceased for a whole year. According to them, once that happens the "event" is over. Part of the problem is I have a walkout basement which means that corner of the house is on dirt that isn't as compacted and therefore moves easier. Once piered the house will rest on heavy clay which is common here. So even if there is further movement it will take a lot more to move the house. They use Helical Piers that screw into the ground. When they reach a certain torque they know it will handle X amount of weight. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Very. Interested. Bring on the pictures. | ||
| Buellish |
Show and tell time! | ||
| Jaimec |
Damn, sorry you have to be put through this experience, but I agree: Time lapse photography of the process might be REALLY cool to see. | ||
| Hootowl |
FYI when they use the non-screw type piers they drive down to the "point of refusal". Never seen screw piers before. Should be interesting. | ||
| Teeps |
Tootal Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2017 They use Helical Piers that screw into the ground. When they reach a certain torque they know it will handle X amount of weight. Be sure to take a picture of the tap! | ||
| Tootal |
So the prep work required me to gut the basement. I forgot to take a picture before the destruction but the bar is still here in the first pic:  And then it's gone:  The concrete on the far side of the basement was in really good shape so they allowed me to stash all my crap back in there:  Then they showed up an hour earlier than their e-mail said and started:     They got it totally dug out in a day and they didn't knock the brick off...yet! | ||
| Hootowl |
Your porch looked like it was part of the slab. Is he cutting rebar? Why didn't they just dig under it? | ||
| Tootal |
The idiots that built the house put the porch on top of the brick sill and then put the brick on top of the porch! I had them leave some of the porch there to support the brick, it's just a veneer and could fall away. They had to remove the porch so the back hoe could get in there. | ||
| Hootowl |
Ah! That makes sense. So...you're going to have to cut the porch off flush with the brick? | ||
| Tootal |
The plan is to saw cut it near the brick and then drill in the side and put rebar and then pour the new slab. That was rebar he was cutting off. No wonder that slab looked so good after 41 years! | ||
| Tootal |
Well they hit the septic pipe! I told them right where it was since I replaced it 5 years ago but they hit it anyway. At least it's up to 42 degrees! I'm doning my insulated coveralls, if they still fit, and my steel toed shoes. I'm out of retirement boys!! | ||
| Hootowl |
Your foundation appears to have held up well, despite the shifting. I don't see any cracks in the brick/mortar. Good news. Did you give them any crap about the pipe, or did the pipe do that for you?  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Wow, that looks like a major construction project. Seems it would have been simpler for them to say "Mr. Campbell, would you like a new house?" | ||
| H0gwash |
At what angle was your house reclining at before the leveling work? | ||
| Tootal |
Your foundation appears to have held up well, despite the shifting. I don't see any cracks in the brick/mortar. Good news. Picture later. Seems it would have been simpler for them to say "Mr. Campbell, would you like a new house?" They made it clear that they don't buy houses. I could have taken the money and sold the house cheap and moved but I like the neighbors and my location so I decided to fix it. At what angle was your house reclining at before the leveling work? 5.5" tilt from one corner to the opposite corner. They said they'd never seen a house lean that much and the brick not crack. I figured if the house is that strong it might be worth fixing. I got the pipe repaired and it's not leaking!! I even fit in my overalls!! And I found my lost flashlight in my coat pocket!! The good news of the day! | ||
| Tootal |
  There's the evidence! Here's the pier locations and how they go under the footing.   And the septic line repair:  We got lucky, just a little water fell in the pit. Other than the dirt he knocked in there, it was pretty clean considering. | ||
| Greg_e |
I'm surprised that it didn't pull your septic apart when the soil slid. | ||
| Tootal |
Actually it did, 5 years ago. I had repaired it then and it was still good. The rubber boot really helped with alignment | ||
| Etennuly |
Hope they pay you for your labor. Not only about the pipe but all of the moving. You certainly are earning it!! | ||
| Tootal |
What they do is figure out what it will take to fix the house and they include things I didn't even think of. Then they write you a check. If you can do it cheaper that's fine. If not you can show receipts and make a claim for more money. There's not a whole lot more but there is a little. From the looks of things, if the bricks and window's don't break I'll come out ahead. Looks like another day of prep work and they might raise it on Friday. We'll see. | ||
| Etennuly |
Just curious.....did signing for this close off any future claims if it starts to sink again? |
