Example Foundation Repair Projects in Renton

Scope of work

Digging beside the foundation at the corner under the room, three or four steel piers set to the depth the plan calls for, backfill, and a check of the floor and window on that side. Floor refinishing, an engineer’s design and permit costs are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a house in Renton set a ball on the living room floor and watch it roll to the same corner every time. The room is bright, with a hardwood floor and a large window onto the trees.

Before anyone digs, the floor is measured from several points so the plan has numbers. The plan then puts three or four steel piers under the corner, and says where an engineer’s design or a permit applies.

The goal

The goal is a rolling floor measured before and after, with piers under the corner set to the depth in the plan.

Process

1. Before work The floor is measured with a level at several points, and the plan, the permit question and the pier count are written.
2. Dig The corner outside is dug out beside the footing and the soil is kept on boards.
3. Piers The piers are set one at a time to the depth the plan shows.
4. Check The strip is backfilled and the room is measured again.

Planning right

• Mark where the ball stops and tell us whether the tilt has changed over time.
• Move furniture away from the corner so the floor can be measured clean.
• Ask whether the window and the door on that side still open and close easily.
• Ask for the number of piers and the depth to be written in the scope.

Scope of work

Measuring and marking the crack, cleaning out loose mortar, and sealing or repointing it to match the plan. Pier work, an engineer’s design and permit costs are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a house in Renton see a crack stepping through the mortar at one corner of a block foundation. It is narrow at the bottom and wider near the deck above.

A crack like this can mean the corner has moved. The plan starts with measuring it twice, and with a note on whether an engineer should look before anything is sealed.

The goal

The goal is a stepping crack with its width on record, repaired as the plan allows and read again so any movement shows.

Process

1. Before work The crack is measured at the top and bottom, marked and photographed, and a second reading is taken later.
2. Decide The plan says whether the crack is only sealed or whether the corner needs more.
3. Seal Loose mortar is cleaned out and the joints are repointed or sealed.
4. Check The marks are read again after the next wet spell.

Planning right

• Put a dated pencil mark at each end of the crack.
• Tell us what is above the crack, such as a deck post or a downspout.
• Ask whether the corner needs more than sealing before the sealing is booked.
• A crack that keeps widening needs a plan, not just a repair.

Scope of work

Temporary supports, three new posts set on new pads under the girder, connectors, and putting the ground sheet back as it was. Floor finishes and any moisture work beyond the sheet are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a house in Tukwila notice the hallway floor sag between two of its supports. Under the floor a long girder rests on rows of timber posts, and the owners want to know whether they are sound.

The crawlspace is entered and every post is checked. The plan then props the girder and replaces three posts on new pads where the check calls for it, and the plastic sheet on the ground is put back.

The goal

The goal is a girder carried on sound posts and pads, with the whole row looked at and written up.

Process

1. Before work The crawlspace is entered and every post is checked, and the ones to be replaced are marked.
2. Prop Temporary supports take the load off the girder.
3. Replace New posts go on new pads and are connected to the girder.
4. Close up The supports come out, the sheet is smoothed and the floor is checked.

Planning right

• Say which part of the floor sags and whether you hear creaking.
• Ask for every post to be photographed, not just the ones that are replaced.
• Clear the hatch and any stored items near the posts.
• Ask what the plan is if the soil under a pad is soft.

Scope of work

Anchor bolts with plate washers along the sill, connector plates where the framing needs them, and bracing on short walls as the plan calls for. Permit costs and any engineer’s design are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a house of about 1,200 sq ft in Renton want it bolted to its foundation. They have heard that a house can slide off its foundation in a strong earthquake.

The plan sets bolts with square plate washers at regular spacing along the sill. It reduces risk and does not make the house earthquake-proof, and the written scope says that.

The goal

The goal is a small house tied to its foundation along the whole sill, with a scope that does not promise more than that.

Process

1. Before work The crawlspace is measured, the sill is checked for sound wood and the plan is written, with any permit question settled.
2. Drill Holes are drilled through the sill into the concrete at the spacing the plan shows.
3. Bolt Bolts and plate washers are set and tightened, and connector plates go on where needed.
4. Check The bolts are counted against the plan and the work is photographed.

Planning right

• Ask the sill to be checked first, because a bolt needs sound wood.
• Keep storage away from the walls so every foot of sill can be reached.
• Ask for the bolt spacing to be written in the scope.
• Ask what a retrofit does and does not do for your house.

Scope of work

Piping the downspout away from the wall, a trench along that side to the footing, a perforated pipe in washed gravel run to a safe outlet, and backfill. Gutter replacement and planting are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a shingle-sided house in Kent watch rainwater leave a downspout, hit a splash pad and pool against the foundation. The lot is wooded and the ground around the corner stays damp.

The plan first sends the downspout water away from the wall in a closed pipe. Then a drain is laid along that side at the footing, so water that is already in the soil has somewhere to go.

The goal

The goal is a downspout and a footing drain that carry water away from that corner, with the outlet written down.

Process

1. Before work The downspouts are traced, the outlet is chosen and the plan notes where the pipe may cross the lot.
2. Downspout The downspout is connected to a closed pipe that runs well past the wall.
3. Drain A trench is dug along the side and the perforated pipe is laid in gravel to the outlet.
4. Close up The trench is backfilled and the run is tested with water.

Planning right

• Watch the corner in a heavy rain and note where the water goes.
• Tell us if a tree root sits close to the wall, because roots affect where the trench can go.
• Ask where the pipe will end and how far from the foundation.
• Ask whether gutters are part of the scope.