Weird Lally Column Issue After RI Flood Damage

Lou Fancy · 04-08-2010, 03:13 PM

Hi all, I've got a weird lally column issue going on and I've got a video. After removing the bottom of a finished basement wall after the worst flooding in RI for about 500 years I found this.

I found a lally column bolted right next to my basement wall resting on a particle board subfloor. That's right, nothing underneath, just resting on the subfloor. There isn't much weight on it because I can push my nail puller underneath the sopping wet particleboard pretty easily. There is also no column at the other side of the beam.

My question is, can I just shore it up with some new wood or more preferably something more flood resistant like concrete blocks? If that's not a good idea maybe I can just bolt in an adjustable.

The Video

Thanks for your time!

Ron6519 · 04-08-2010, 05:12 PM

The "header" as you call it, is the main beam that supports the house. It looks like it sits in a pocket in the foundation on the other side. It should sit in a pocket on the column side. The space between the columns I see is too large. I think a column was removed that was about 7 feet from the wall. Maybe they moved it next to the foundation wall with the misunderstanding it was functional. It's not unless the beam in the pocket has issues.
If you have a neighbor with the same house, check out his supports. They should be every 6-8 feet apart depending on the loads above.
Ron

Lou Fancy · 04-09-2010, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron6519

The "header" as you call it, is the main beam that supports the house. It looks like it sits in a pocket in the foundation on the other side. It should sit in a pocket on the column side. The space between the columns I see is too large. I think a column was removed that was about 7 feet from the wall. Maybe they moved it next to the foundation wall with the misunderstanding it was functional. It's not unless the beam in the pocket has issues.
If you have a neighbor with the same house, check out his supports. They should be every 6-8 feet apart depending on the loads above.
Ron

Wow, you're totally right. There is a hold in the floor where they removed a column, for some reason it never occurred to me that they moved it to the wall! Now that I look at it I can see the cut that was made which wasn't perfectly level. It all makes sense. Thanks so much, you're a lifesaver!