Ranch house with an attached garage in Woodbridge, CT

Wednesday, March 5th, 2014 by Amy Fitzgerald

Challenge

Property conditions: It is a wood frame ranch style house with attached two car garage. Garage floor is concrete slab on grade with concrete block foundation. Grade in the front is level with five feet front to back drop at the rear corner of the garage, with most of the rear and side foundation wall exposed. The structure is built on regraded parcel and set mostly on disturbed, unstable soil, inadequately compacted and anchored. Original stucco foundation reveals up to 18” of soil erosion along the garage foundation.

Problem: Concrete block foundation bowed out appreciably on rear and the side, also settled - mostly at the rear corner – with pronounced cracks visible within six to twelve feet off the foundation corner.

Solution

Solution: Engineered, certified and permitted to install four “Push Piers” down to the stable soil depth and lift the rear corner of the garage foundation to correct the vertical settlement. In addition, two “Wall Anchors” were installed to permanently stabilize the rotational movement of the concrete block foundation.

Result: Footing and foundation lifted by one inch, cracks minimized and the stucco cosmetically reconditioned. Wall bowing arrested and the possibility of foundation blowout and collapse permanently avoided. Owner will complete additional grading and correct water runoff systems.