foundation

Some background: We bought a 1967 built home 6 months ago in Seattle area. Recently we noticed a crack in our ceiling in the kitchen. It was pretty small, so we chalked it up to bad construction techniques. Also, it did not seem like a crack caused due to foundation settlement. Pic of the crack...

i have a raised concrete flower bed that needs to be replaced. my concern is that whatever gets replaced won’t account for proper drainage. my guess is that right now, there is simply dirt in the middle that is absorbing a ton of water when it rains and potentially seeping into the foundation...

Background: I removed a wall adjacent to the first floor stairwell to our upstairs, and have a question regarding supporting the header going forward. There were 2 2x4's running perpendicular to the base of the header, and this was supported by a post of 2x4s running vertically down to the...

Hello, I’m new to the forum and I’m hoping someone can explain what’s going on with my home. I purchased a house in rural southeast SD in July, and have been noticing random saturated foundation blocks around the perimeter of the home. The photo with the sidewalk pictured is the exterior...

Hello all and happy new year. This is my first post. And I don't really know how to start, so please excuse me if I make mistakes and I hope I'm in the correct place for my questions. We purchased this house a yr ago with no visible problems.. The hose was clean, passed inspection and the...

Location: Austin, TX Foundation: pier and beam House/addition built: 1953/1990 Dimensions: 10’ x 10’ I promise, it’s the previous owner’s fault! Finger-pointing aside, I have a small addition on my house that seems to have been built by some diy amateurs. The house is on pier and beam...

I have a 1960's ranch with a poured 8" concrete foundation and I'm looking to install a new exterior walkout door to replace an existing window. The house is on a slope and the wall where the door is going is only 18" above grade so minimum excavation required. Pic attached. I'm planning to...

Hi. This is my first post here. I'm a 2nd year carpentry apprentice Located in Montreal. I'm currently in the process of building our family cottage and I joined this community for construction advice. I'm almost done with building the forms, and next I'll be laying 4 inches of rigid insulation...

I have a home in humid south Florida that I've been living in for 30 years. The addition to my house has sustained, what I believe to be, water damage over the decades specifically located at the foundation. You can see it running along the rear of the house along the bottom, revealing exposed...

Hello - I have question and could use some help - I'm building an 8x8 shed on a 9x9 slab leaving 6" of concrete on each side. I used galvanized Redhook wedge anchors to secure the wood to the slab and used a sill plate gasket under the PT wood. I just realized that I screwed up in that the...

Hi! I’m new and I need some solid advise for a 16x24 workshop shed I’m building. I’ve never done any kind of project such as this. I thought I would try to cut some corners to save on costs. There is no call for me to meet certain requirements where I live. Just get an electrician to inspect...

Hello all, I have had this gap between the brick and the foundation wall when looking from each side of the house since the house was built few years back. I would like to know if I should get this patched up or keep it open for ventilation. I do have a basement and I have not noticed any...

Hi, I have a lot of recycled blue stone treads (18" x 1 1/2' x between 3' and 7'). Unfortunately, they still have a lot of concrete stuck to them as they came from a pool that was being renovated. To chisel off the concrete would, I imagine be an enormous and time consuming effort even...

Any advice please on how to create a foundation for this area? Background: I removed an old flimsy shed and want to replace it with the Home Depot 7x7 Rubbermaid shed. This area sometimes develops puddles during rainstorms so I'd like the shed to be somehow elevated by 1.5+ inches. A challenge...

Hi, I'm new to this forum, and new to building and construction. I'm at the very early stages of designing and laying out an 8'x12' clubhouse with my son. We've identified a spot at the top of a hill, behind our house, up in the woods. The location is on a relatively significant hill and the...

Hello Everyone, I'm looking for some advice. I'm building an 8x8 shed, and I need to attach a sill plate of PT 2x4 to a preexisting 9x9 slab. I'm planning to use Red Head or similar wedge anchors to attach the wood. The slab is 10" thick, I'm thinking of using 1/2" x 5.5" anchors. My...

Rot replacement wood framing T111 cut out and use CMU block? 2.25" foundation + grade Hi all! Been wanting to join a home DIY forum for awhile and today's the day :) I have a non load bearing side of house with a standard full basement with partial walk out bulkhead and half stick wall on one...

At the back of my garage there is concrete to about 3' above ground (the grade slopes) and then the brick veneer above that. I want to put in a raised bed for vegetables etc along the back using landscape timbers. So it would be about 20' long by 2' high x 3' depth out from the garage. First...

I have foundation insulation panels on my house that have been damaged by lawnmower, weed eater, etc. The damaged part is like a gravel or sand on the outside of the panels. Is there any way to repair these or do they just need to be replaced? See attached pic. Thanks!

I'm designing a home for myself and my SO with an unusual design, and even more unusual load bearing needs. This house will have a concrete slab foundation, and the floor will be the concrete slab (no wooden joists). The only wooden floor part will be the bathrooms, which will be raised up...