home inspection for a house built 1912 showed center beam deflecting new lally poles r needed how bad is this? whats it entail to fix and how much could it cost?
2007-06-14 02:54:58 · 4 answers · asked by new buyer 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
This is very normal for a house built in 1912.
Many builders of the time had been building post and beam structures up through the turn of the century. Post and frame was new, and there was very little understanding of load flows and proper beam sizing. It was very common to notch beams to allow joists and other members to "tie in" to the beam. This significantly reduces the strength of a beam that was probably not big enough to begin with.
A few issues you will face. First, this house has probably been in this condition for some time. Moving the structural members back in place will be more than a simple "jack it up and block it" job. If you move it up too fast, other things may come apart.
Second, there are most likely other structural issues that you and the inspector can't see. Especially if there is a second story, once you bring the first floor up to level you may find the second floor starts to deflect. It probably is now, but it is often incorrectly assumed that it is due to lack of support from the first floor.
Installation of the columns is not a major deal. Dig holes in the basement (or crawl space) down to solid ground, 18" - 24" square. Pour concrete 8-12" thick. Set the new posts on top and begin bringing the beam back into place. Slow is better, 1/4" per week or so.
Sizing the posts and determining proper spacing is something that you should consult an engineer for. The loads during the leveling process can be many times the load that you would expect if you were starting off level. Also, someone needs to look at the beam itself, is it notched and is it big enough.
2007-06-14 04:24:49 · answer #1 · answered by be_a_lert 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Center beams deflecting means that major structural support wood beams are showing signs of being under undue stress and could fail. They are probably twisting or warping. They are saying that new support poles, like the metal ones in modern basements will be needed to give more support to the old wooden beam. The question is why have the beams began to fail? Is the beam undersized for the weight it is carrying, or is there damage to it? Old beams are normally very strong. If the beam is otherwise in good shape, additional support should be just fine. However, when you place the supports under the beam you will then adjust it to remove the sag in the floor about the beam. When you do this other things will flex as well. Depending on the amount of sagging that has occurred over time and other things, the adjustment could be as simple as putting in the support poles and tweaking the beam back into position, or it could result in replacement of molding, repairing cracks in walls and ceilings, re-squaring things that were adjusted to compensate for the old sag, etc. An old house normally will need some attention and starting with the foundation and major support beams is the correct place to start.
2007-06-14 03:07:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What you have is a dangerous structural issue. It would be in your best interest to get an engineer to look at the problem. While installing new lally posts would strengthen it, the original problem of why this is happening is still there. New lally posts would also require a footer under them to support the weight.
2007-06-14 03:16:22 · answer #3 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah that is a plan Mate..When does our flight to McMurdo take-off?
2016-04-01 07:14:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋