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DIY Foundation Pier | OUR HOUSE IS SINKING SO WE HAD TO JACK IT 😬
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- Опубліковано 15 сер 2024
- Our house was sinking on one corner which was causing cracks to develop in both exterior and interior walls. We prefer our house without cracks so we knew we had to install a foundation pier to stop the movement. Since the sinking was minor and we believe it was due to the dry soil contracting (rather than permanent, large scale movement of soil), we installed a single foundation pier. The pier brought our foundation back to level and the cracks which were developing in our walls have closed back up. We will be monitoring our foundation closely to determine if additional piers are necessary.
Check out a close up shot showing how much our foundation was moving: • Foundation Dropping Wh...
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#diy #foundationrepair #jackit
Useful tools for foundation repair:
20 Ton Bottle Jack - a.co/d/26N2LAS
Angle Grinder - a.co/d/d0L2sNC
Diamond Masonry Blade - a.co/d/1ftYysK
Demo Hammer - a.co/d/6JWHNR8
Clay Spade - a.co/d/9jm7Syy
[Chapters]
00:00 - Intro
02:17 - What's Happening
03:24 - Acquiring Supplies
03:53 - Anna Introduction
04:25 - Digging
04:50 - Demo Hammer
05:30 - More Digging
06:54 - Pier Explanation
07:26 - Jacking & Pier Installation
11:18 - Cap Installation
11:57 - Cutting Shims
12:29 - Shim Installation
13:22 - Replacing Dirt
15:44 - Outro
Disclaimer: This video is provided for educational purposes and is not intended to be a thorough demonstration of all safety requirements. Incorrect installation of foundation piers can be dangerous and may actually lead to further damage.
Having worked in foundation repair for years and running successful piering crew I find this quite impressive and you saved yourself thousands
Thanks for the kind words and the affirmation. We have a good amount of experience doing DIY projects around our house, including some large renovations, but this is our first (and hopefully only) foundation work.
Saved himself tens of thousands
How is it holding up? Any additional settling?
I loved when they brought in a crew specializing in dirt transportation.
Great family job!!😊😊😊
Unless bracing off of load-bearing strata or bedrock, it’s a temporary solution. Anything within the first 10-15ft of a foundation is being installed in ground that can absorb rain water, washout, or isn’t properly compacted. This method will save money, but doesn’t address the root cause of the problem.
Mostly agreed. I should have explained better in the video why exactly we were doing this. We had an exceptionally dry summer and we weren't watering our foundation properly. That caused the soil to contract and obviously our foundation went with it. Once we upped the watering frequency, the settling stopped but our foundation was not restored back to level. That's where this pier comes in. Our hopes are that the pier supports the foundation long enough for the soil to make its way back under. So this was really only ever intended to be temporary in that we're not expecting the pier to take the full weight forever. Considering our house is just shy of 40 years old and has never had foundation issues to our knowledge, we're hopeful this is sufficient. So far so good but we're prepared to do more if we see further signs of shifting/settling.
Nice job. I would have recommended injecting any cracks you had access to in order to mitigate corrosion of reinforcing, and would have recommended formed and poured concrete to encase the piers and flowable grout to fill gaps around the steel shims. Also would have dropped some spiral reinforcing around the top pier cap below the cap stone prior to encasing to mitigate potential for compressive failure of the top of the pier from what is almost certainly an uneven bearing reaction between the cap stone and the pier, unless those precast piers are reinforced there is a potential the the top pier will experience a sudden compression failure spall allowing the foundation to drop again. The chance of such a spall failure could also be mitigated by chamfering the top corner of the pier under the cap stone. At least if it did fail the repair of that would be easier than the first time around.
Recently bought a house next to a lake in south Texas, about an hour from both San Padre and the Rio Grande. Driving down the street you can see almost all of the pier and beam foundation houses are leaning towards the lake, when I walk through ours, it’s drunken sailor not flat. But cosmetically everything looks fine, even the stucco on the outside. So maybe to keep it from getting worse, do this in a few places as needed. In the Netherlands, all of the buildings near the water are put on concrete piers pushed down until they won’t go any further, then leveled off, and construction begins.
Thanks for your UA-cam!
That's the right way to do it (adding piers before pouring the foundation), but it obviously adds to the cost and so many houses at least here in the States are built on the cheap.
Should have shown the cracks and door afterwards
Thank you so much for recording this.
Gosh really good job guys. Even the dog got into it 😊 very informative thanks. I found myself wondering how you avoid pushing too far and start lifting the house beyond the target level but I guess you watch for that and the cracks in the house help you monitor that. I note too that this method puts a lot of force on a small surface area which. means the concrete pins are going to settle down to a firmer substrate using only the weight of the house from above, which is part of how this works. Thanks for sharing your experience!!!
What happens when you attempt to sell the house? Doesn't this require a permit and full disclosure?
In my experience, no one cares. Cities don't have a resources to track unpermitted work. Sellers always leave the disclosure section blank. Lenders have resorted to "digital inspections" which means they look at google maps and dont even bother with a drive by let alone an actual inspection. Insurance rates are already through the roof. And all agents prioritize closing the deal over anything else. The only person that cares is the neighbor that calls code enforcement, but if it can't be seen from the street they have little enforcement power.
@@a104917 Very well thought out. Thank you.
Outstanding! Dude, you better keep that wife too!
Same thing is happening in my house in Dallas. Going to get the piers adjusted next week
Where do you live that has so much foundation issues that your HD stocks piers 😮
Awesome and informative video. Why didnt you show the before and after of the cracks especially if they look better?
Enjoyed this. Foundation specialist gets angry when home owners DIY. They feel like everyone is going to DIY and they will be out of a job. All about money. I seen a man here in dallas do this same thing across his front .
Good quality video here folks! Although I think you might have to instool a new window in the master bath
Well that stinks 😩
Have some foundation issues so I’ve been watching videos on helical piers and straight piers. I’m very handy at many trades. Watching some other professional companies do this i cant help but think this is not rocket science. They are going to charge me an arm and a leg. After watching your video I am pretty sure I can do this on my own. As many as stated, some jobs are left for professionals. In my case meh. Thanks for the video
Your foundation seems to rise/ drop as you're pushing your pilings down. It looks like you only sunk two of them in the video. Did you do more? How did you know when you had gone down far enough? I'm doing this right now and I have 4 pilings in the ground already. My foundation hasn't budged and the pilings just keep going every time I put another one in. The only part I haven't been able to figure out is how many to drop in the ground. Any ideas/ pointers from your experience?
We did more, it's just that it was the same thing over and over so no need to show it all. You need to keep going until the jack lifts and holds your foundation at level. At that point, you know the pilings have hit solid soil/bedrock.
Wow, that was cool
I have a fixer upper and noticed cracks, now I know why
Thanks
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
I'm thinking about this. I called a foundation guy. They want 2000 dollars for each "pylon" for my sinking garage. . They are a reputable company 40 years in business. I would need 4. Thing is, he showed me pictures
of where they did this to a large church like 40 feet high and brick. Mine is just a wood garage. Seems like WAY over kill. I just wish I knew how far down the footer was dug. Plus I'm worried about putting too much pressure in one spot and cracking the foundation.
That’s gotta be better than nothing. Ppl underestimate bottle jacks but because of the cylinder design they’re the strongest jack IMO. Hydronic press channels show that they are the hardest to break under immense pressure
Agreed. They look small at first glance but once you pick one up and realize just how much they weigh, it's not quite as surprising they can lift what they can. Oh and not to mention just how little the ram moves with each pump of the handle. For those who have never used a bottle jack, it takes probably 100 pumps of the handle to fully extend the jack.
Are there any other products you can recommend to drive into the ground? I can't find the concrete cylinders ANYWHERE 😢. My local Home Depot or Lowes doesn't carry them anymore and the non-chain stores don't either.
That's surprising. You can find them at pretty much any big box store in our area. Maybe slab on grade foundations aren't as popular in your area so this type of repair isn't common enough that it's worth them carrying? If that's the case, you might want to look at a concrete supply house. Just a heads up, though. Sometimes supply houses like that won't sell to homeowners. Other than that, I'm not sure what else to do. There are other systems for foundation repair but most of the others require very expensive specialized tooling. Best of luck! 🤞
Just had another thought. Did you check to see if Home Depot or Lowe's can order them for you? Here's what you'd be looking for:
www.homedepot.com/p/6-in-x-6-in-x-12-in-Solid-Cylinder-Concrete-Block-6032/203828028
And
www.homedepot.com/p/Headwaters-9-in-x-9-in-x-14-in-Solid-Pile-Cap-Concrete-Block-60810/203828030
@@realidiyrenos Thank you for the reply! You're right, SOG foundations aren't super common in my area. Mostly old crawl spaces on cinder blocks. Have a great one.
@@realidiyrenos Yea both of those products reflect "Out of stock and unavailable online." I reached out to Home Depot and they say the items are discontinued and there's no way to order them or get them transferred to my store just for me lol. Again, thank you for your help. I may have to make my own cylinders or find steel piers or find old cylinders on marketplace.
Note, get a pneumatic jack. Great video, thanks.
Trust me, I would love to have one but I couldn't justify the additional cost over a manual one for something I use so infrequently 😆
How did you know which location to jack up?
Mostly based on the locations of the cracks, both inside the house and out. They were concentrated in the corner of our house. A spirit level then confirmed our foundation had a slight slope down towards that corner.
Who’d you know when they reached stable soil?
In large part you can tell based on the effort required to extend the jack. While the piers are going through soft soil, it takes very little effort to sink them. But once they hit bedrock/solid soil, it becomes noticeably harder since the jack is now attempting to lift the foundation up beyond level.
Very nice HARD work. I got to do this also.
Thanks and good luck!
Harbor freight has pneumatic bottle jacks…. Could save your arms if you end up having to do it again : ). Really nice job
Yeah, I was aware of that but I already had a bottle jack and thought "how bad could it be?" 😂 I will absolutely purchase one if I need to do a similar project in the future!
How long was this entire process?
It took us 1 solid day of work to get the hole dug and get the first couple of piers in the ground. The next day we got the final few piers and the cap in place and the hole filled back up by early afternoon. I think we could do it in 1 day now that we know what to expect, though hopefully we never need to do it again. So far the rest of the house isn't showing any signs of movement 🤞
That bottom brick to square one must sway flat. That’s why they keep busting.
That was a landscaping stone that's not much stronger than sandstone. I knew in the back of my mind that it wouldn't be strong enough but I was being lazy 🦥
Where did you get the cylinders and cap?
We got them at Home Depot, though you should be able to find them at any big box home improvement store. Just be sure they're made of solid, high strength concrete.
Would love to see after photos of the wall, bathroom, etc. Great work otherwise
I bet your arm and shoulder was sore after that.
thank God your fingers were not in there when the weak part of the foundation gave way.
The poop on the window sill is an allegory for houses built in texas 😂😂
😂
Was wondering about that, thought the dog had jumped up there and left a load, gross!
Hey brother I’d really appreciate talking over Microsoft Teams, Voom, or even the phone to pick your mind concerning questions. As you know the cost of material and companies over charging for overhead and other reasons have caused the industry to really stick it to the people. I am over it and lately been taking projects on my own sound the house. If you are okay with email I should would like to talk further. I am up in Oklahoma
Do you have a link to those cylinders? I’ve been to a few different Home Depot’s no one has them
www.homedepot.com/p/6-in-x-6-in-x-12-in-Solid-Cylinder-Concrete-Block-6032/203828028
Depending on your location, they may not stock them. In my area, nearly all homes are built slab on grade but if you're in an area where basements or pier and beam are the norm, HD likely won't stock them because they wouldn't sell enough to be worth the shelf space. You should be able to have them order them to the store, though.
@@realidiyrenos i’m in Illinois near Chicago. I haven’t been able to find them for months I can’t order them online. I can’t get them in any store
You've home to the customer service counter at Home Depot and asked if they can order them for you? If that doesn't work, the only other option I can think of is to try calling masonry/concrete supply stores and ask if they carry them or if they can tell you where to get them. Good luck 🤞
@@williamvinet9134. Harbour freight has them. You can order online or walk into the store if you have any nearby. I bought 5 pieces for a huge DIY recently.
Thank you for this video
There is a cement u can use
Are you talking about pressure injected cement? I've only ever heard of it and never actually seen it done myself. I do know it's not exactly DIY friendly, though 😜
Where are you located? Have you had to make adnustments since then?
We're in North Texas. More specifically, a suburb of Dallas. Things have been stable since, though.
Feel bad for ya man...I am diyer too but don't think this'll work unfortunately
Appreciate the concern but it's been more than a month and the cracks remain closed and there's been no further shifting of our foundation.
Your wife is a WINNER.
I can't seem to find these cylinders anywhere. Any chance you have a product link?
Lowes
I got them at Home Depot. Make sure they're high strength, solid concrete and not something like cinder block.
www.homedepot.com/p/6-in-x-6-in-x-12-in-Solid-Cylinder-Concrete-Block-6032/203828028
www.homedepot.com/p/Headwaters-9-in-x-9-in-x-14-in-Solid-Pile-Cap-Concrete-Block-60810/203828030
Glad there wasn’t any mishaps but sketchy things like this are better left for professionals. And no I am not a pro!
9:55
Your slab foundation is moving. That means it's cracked from the jacking. No way this Jack would move the entire foundation, only way it's moving is if it's cracked.
The cracks were there long before we did the jacking. In fact, the cracks closed up almost entirely after the jacking and pier installation. And the jack absolutely can lift the entire house. We used a line marked on the foundation and compared it with the concrete slab patio which is not attached to the foundation and it was clearly being lifted. We ended up raising the foundation by about an inch when all was said and done.
@@realidiyrenos there is no way that one bottle jack can lift the entire house
@@SeanDoe86 Believe what you will but I uploaded a short showing our foundation dropping while letting the bottle jack down in order to place another concrete pillar. Our foundation is in the back with the black line on it and our concrete slab patio is in the foreground with one of the steel plates sitting on it so you can clearly see the foundation movement.
ua-cam.com/video/q-Kwhx5naVo/v-deo.html
@@SeanDoe86 I don't think it need to lift a whole house but rather just a corner of the house that was sinking. A 20 ton jack can lift 40,000 pounds which is quite a lot. That could definitely lift a corner of a smaller house
You're 100% correct. Looking back at it, what I originally said was confusing. I didn't mean the jack could literally lift our entire house. I meant it is capable of lifting an entire corner of our house. Our house is ~2400 sq ft so neither small nor particularly large.
That is some seriously life-threatening thing to attempt!!!!
Idk why people think that those piers can hold all of that weight. Why not jack the house level and pump concrete under the foundation. Seems like a better way to broaden the stress of the weight.
That's literally what these piers are made for. Jacking house foundations up and supporting them as a permanent repair. They're a 6 inch cylinder of 6000 PSI concrete, meaning they can withstand a compressive load of more than 150,000 pounds.
Steel is gonna rust away
This is standard foundation pier installation for this area. Sure the steel will eventually rust but being a couple feet below the surface and underneath the foundation, it's going to take decades for that to happen.
Patch and sell
😆
I meant after you put in the new footer then your blocks on that you can fill the gap with cement i saw it on tv
Liar!!! I wanna see!!!!
I mean, how much more do you want to see? 😋
Honestly, though, what would you like to see that the video didn't include?
As a 30 year veteran in the foundation repair industry, I applaud your effort and ingenuity. However, the system and materials you used are not rated and/or an engineered solution. Second, the technique applied does not have any way to show and/or prove what capacities and applied loads you have achieved. Third, you have no information about the soils so you have no idea if the bottom of the pier has reached stabilization at the appropriate load bearing strata. As the water table changes and shrinkage and swelling of the soil occurs around these after market cylinders movement is likely to occur. The house could start to settle and move once again. And now, in order to fix it with an engineered repair system the old repair would have to be dug up and ripped up at additional cost. Not to mention if you ever sell the house, this repair must be disclosed to the new homeowner. And you have no engineering certification that states what you installed met the minimum standard of the building code. All you have achieved here is a short term stabilization goal with absolutely no warranty for long term effectiveness. As creative and insightful as these people are, homeowners should take note of this as a prime example of what not to do. Always hire a structural engineer first for a consultation before hiring contractors and/or performing repairs on your own. It could save you thousands of dollars on the repair and keep you from getting entangled in a real estate law suit after the fact when the work fails after resale.
I appreciate the insight but we have, in fact, had our foundation inspected by a structural engineer. Prior to purchasing the house 6 years ago, the inspector pointed out the minor cracks in the drywall and brick that suggested the foundation was shifting. While he said he wasn't concerned, he made clear he was not a foundation or structural expert and he was obligated to recommended we get it evaluated by a structural engineer. Out of an abundance of caution (and protection of the largest purchase of our life we were about to make), we did so and he found the shifting was minor, resulting in cosmetic damage only, and was unlikely to progress to the point of structural compromise. So I admit and agree my solution was not engineered and I don't know for certain it will be a permanent "fix" but there was never a concern the structure was or will be compromised, regardless of whether it lasts or not. In my opinion, the only thing I'm guilty of is perhaps not making it clear the average homeowner should not attempt this, particularly if there's a chance the structure could be compromised.
@@realidiyrenos, I appreciate the explanation. however, I am too stodgy and well trained in my craft to allow that spin to stand. In my world, you touch it, now you own it from a legal standpoint. A pre-sale evaluation from the engineer stating the issue was minor is fine. However, that is not a guarantee of the structure as a whole. When we perform our work, we issue a life of structure transferrable warranty for stabilization. Further, all projects have engineering oversight, log review, and engineering summary provided to the client. everything is well documented. It is actually the law in our state to do so. You may want to check with your state quietly to see what requirements you have. Whether or not you have a hairline crack and/or a 3" crack the fact remains a DYI project has no engineering design. No product specifications. No 3rd party oversight. Nor post construction certification. And now you will have to disclose what you did if you ever sell the home. And the buyers would demand to have written certification and warranty for what you put into the ground. You would have been better off pointing up the hairline cracks and living with the cosmetic symptoms. Or, hiring a qualified contactor to perform a "real" foundation underpinning application approved by a licensed engineer. This is a great exchange. And those commenting here thinking this is a wise thing to do need to think twice before taking on so much liability. Think it through thoroughly before making a huge mistake that will be costly down the road. Unfortunately, we come across DYI repairs all the time. And we have to charge the customer to rip the old system out even before installing the new work. Its just that simple. But thank you for the response.
@@michaelmasserang8922And people wonder why there are so many homeless, a house that may not last 200 years but is affordable is safer than living under a bridge. Licenses, engineers, lawyers, industry standards, money hungry property tax collectors are not everyone's friends.
@@vicktdock, is that supposed to mean something? What relevance does your comment have to do with anything? You can be a communist and live inside a tee pee if you wish. It does not mean it is safe from wolves and/or the weather. Is Bernie Sanders your idol? Or did AOC visit your play pen for a quick visit?
@@vicktdock And what relevance does this comment have to do with means and methods? More of a political speech really. Are you running for dog catcher in a blue district?