DL Engineering Inc. Structural / Civil Engineering

Transcription

1 9/3/2014 Complete Basement Systems Quentin St., #114 Aurora, CO DL Engineering Inc South Wadsworth Blvd. D-115 Denver, CO RE: Job #: Jeremy Martinez 1149 North View Drive Erie, CO As requested, a site visit and observation was performed at the single family house at 1149 North View Drive Erie, CO on August, May 27, 2014, at approximately 12:30 p.m. The purpose for the site visit and observation was to review the home for movement of the house s foundation. The subject property is a single family house located in an established neighborhood and has a partial finished basement and a crawl space. The house was built in 2001 (based on an online search of the Weld County Assessors records). The foundation is constructed of concrete and is assumed to be on spread footers. The basement floor is a concrete slab on grade and the house appears to be constructed of conventional wood framing. The observation was visual and limited to the exterior and the interior of the home. No observation was performed on the roof structure. Additionally, there were no structural or architectural plans available for review at the time of observation. Observations Cracks throughout the center of the house in the ceiling gypsum. Crack in concrete floor slabs. There were minor cracks in the back foundation wall in the basement. Recommendations The cracks observed in the house wall were likely caused by the heaving of the soil under the slab floors this heaving is caused by changing moisture content. The solution is to drain water away from the house and prevent it from infiltrating the soil next to and under the foundation. The following is a list of recommended repairs that should be made to stabilize the foundation: Install 4 mono posts with new concrete footing in the basement of the house. Install 1 helical pier and mono post in the garage. Install 1 helical pier under the garage foundation. Remover the basement floor and replace. Install an interior perimeter drain and sump pump. The cracks in the back foundation wall should be patched and monitored for further movement. Re-grade soil near the foundation to direct water away from the house.

2 Site Drainage Site Vegetation The moisture around foundation elements must be controlled for the useful life of the building. Lack of proper drainage is often a contributing factor to foundation damage observed. The site drainage around the structure must be maintained such that precipitations will quickly drain away. The use of proper slope slabs-on-grade, moisture barriers, swales and surface/subsurface drainage systems are strongly recommended. Extensions should be attached to properly functioning downspouts and roof drains should discharge a minimum of 10 feet away from the structure. The vegetation around the perimeter of the structure can eventually lead to foundation movements. Vegetation can hold moisture in soil and create excessive pressure on the foundation system. In order to reduce the risk, bushes, shrubs and trees should be carefully removed by an experienced professional. Care should be taken to not further disturb or damage the existing foundation system. Planters and other surface features which could retain water should be eliminated and properly graded to reduce the possibility of moisture infiltrating around the foundation. Irrigation systems and excessive moisture adjacent to structures can introduce unwanted moisture, possible resulting in settlement and or heaving. Figure 1: Crack in ceiling gypsum 2

3 Figure 2: Crack in ceiling gypsum Figure 3: Crack in ceiling gypsum 3

4 Figure 4: Crack in ceiling gypsum Figure 5: Crack in ceiling gypsum 4

5 Figure 6: Crack in corner of wall Figure 7: Crack in ceiling gypsum 5

6 Figure 8: Crack in ceiling gypsum Figure 9: Crack in wall 6

7 Figure 10: Misaligned door Figure 11: Misaligned door 7

8 Figure 12: Crack in garage slab Figure 13: Dirt infiltrating the garage 8

9 Figure 14: Crack in foundation wall, garage Figure 15: Crack in concrete slab at mono post 9

10 Figure 16: Crack in ceiling Figure 17: Crack in slab 10

11 Figure 18: Mech equipment expansion joint Figure 19: Plumbing expansion joint 11

12 Figure 20: Crack in concrete wall at opening Figure 21: Front of house 12

13 Figure 22: Crack in concrete slab Figure 23: Existing sump pump 13

14 Figure 24: Crack in front of house east of the front door Figure 25: Crack in foundation wall 14

15 Figure 26: Crack in foundation wall Figure 27: Front of house In as much as the site review of an existing structure for the purpose of observing the structure conditions requires that certain assumptions be made regarding existing conditions and because some of these assumptions may not be verifiable without expending additional sums of money or destroying otherwise adequate or serviceable portions of the building, the Client agrees that, except for negligence on the part of the Engineer, the Client will hold harmless, indemnify and defend Engineer from and against any and all claims arising out of the professional services we have provided. 15

16 If you should have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at (720) or Sincerely, Daniel LeMier, PE 16