Example Foundation Repair Projects in Burien

Scope of work

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

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1920s Craftsman bungalow in SeaTac want the house tied to its foundation. It stands on a concrete stem wall under the porch and walls, and it has not been bolted.

The plan is worked out from the crawlspace. It reduces the risk of the house moving off its foundation and does not make it earthquake-proof, and it says where an engineer or a permit may come into the work.

The goal

The goal is an old bungalow tied to its stem wall, with a scope that says what the work does and does not do.

Process

1. Before work The crawlspace is entered, the sill is probed for sound wood and the plan is written.
2. Bolting Holes go through the sill into the stem wall, then the bolts and plates are set.
3. Bracing Short walls are covered with plywood in the pattern the plan shows.
4. Check The work is checked against the plan and photographed.

Planning right

• Tell us whether the crawlspace has been opened or used for storage.
• Ask for the sill to be probed first, because bolts need sound wood.
• Ask whether a permit applies before the crawlspace work is booked.
• Ask what a retrofit does and does not do for your house.

Scope of work

A temporary jack, one new post on a new pad, a fastener at the top and a check of the posts on either side. Floor finishes are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a house in Burien feel one spot in the hallway floor give underfoot. Below it, in a low crawlspace, one post has soaked up water at its base.

Only one post has failed, so the plan replaces one. The posts either side are looked at on the same visit, and the low space is the main thing that affects the cost.

The goal

The goal is a single wet post swapped out and the posts beside it checked, with the cause of the wet noted.

Process

1. Before work The crawlspace is entered and the posts around the soft spot are probed.
2. Support A temporary jack takes the load off the post.
3. Replace A new post is set on a new pad and fastened at the top.
4. Close up The jack comes out and the area is cleaned.

Planning right

• Tell us how low the crawlspace is, in inches, if you know.
• Ask for a photo of each post nearby.
• Ask why the base of the post got wet.
• Keep the hatch clear.

Scope of work

Digging along that side of the foundation, six to eight steel piers to the depth the plan calls for, backfill, and a check of the doors on that side. Interior patching, paint, an engineer’s plan and permit costs are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a house in Burien find the trim above one doorway cracking at its corner, with a crack running up into the wall, with a thin dark gap at the top of the door. Other doors on the same side have begun to stick.

Because the signs run along one side, the plan covers the whole side. Six to eight piers are set along it, from a plan that says where an engineer or a permit may come into it.

The goal

The goal is a side with a cracked doorway and sticking doors held on piers set to the plan, and each doorway measured again.

Process

1. Before work The doorways and floors along that side are measured end to end, then the plan is written and the permit question settled.
2. Dig The side is dug out in sections beside the footing.
3. Piers The piers are set one by one to the depth the plan shows.
4. Check The strip is backfilled and the doors on that side are tried again.

Planning right

• List every door and window on that side that sticks or has a crack.
• Mark the end of each crack with the date.
• Ask for the pier count and depth to be written in the scope.
• Ask where an engineer comes in, if the plan needs one.

Scope of work

Measuring and marking each crack, cleaning them, setting ports and injecting from the inside, and removing the ports. Repainting is not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a house in Normandy Park have painted over three narrow cracks in a basement wall, and the lines have shown through again. None is wider than a pencil line.

The plan treats the three as one visit. Each crack is measured and marked first, and any that has moved is set aside for a closer look before sealing.

The goal

The goal is three narrow cracks sealed from the inside, each with its own marks so later movement shows.

Process

1. Before work Each crack is measured, marked and photographed on the wall.
2. Prepare The paint over each crack is ground back and ports are set.
3. Inject Each crack is injected in turn from the bottom up.
4. Finish The ports come off, and each crack is looked at again after the next wet spell.

Planning right

• Say which cracks have come back after painting, and when.
• Clear the wall of shelves so every crack can be reached.
• Ask whether any of the three runs near a window or door.
• Ask what is done if one of them has moved.

Scope of work

Digging about 30 ft along the garage side to the footing, drainage pipe set in clean gravel, a discharge to a safe outlet and backfill. Driveway work and planting are not part of this cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a single-story rambler in SeaTac see puddles stand on the driveway after rain and run toward the garage wall. The lawn beside it is green and the firs behind it are tall.

The plan lays a drain along the garage side at the footing and sends it to a safe outlet. The driveway is looked at to see which way it falls, and the trench is cut beside it, not through it.

The goal

The goal is a drain along the garage side that gives driveway and roof water a path away from the house.

Process

1. Before work The driveway and wall are walked in the rain if possible, and the outlet and route are chosen.
2. Dig A trench is dug along the garage side beside the driveway edge.
3. Drain A perforated pipe is laid in gravel with a fall to the outlet.
4. Close up The trench is backfilled in layers and the run is tested.

Planning right

• Watch which way the water runs on the driveway during a heavy rain.
• Tell us if the garage floor is damp inside.
• Ask where the outlet will be and how far from the house.
• Keep cars and planters off the trench line.