sidegate Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I own a 1929 Craftsman in the Shepherd/Westheimer area. I've lived in it for about 6 years. In that time there was always a small gap between the concrete floor of the porch and the wall of the main house, but nothing serious. In the past few months though, the gap has grown noticeably larger and runs the entiure width of the porch - probably 1 - 1.5". A gap has also appeared between the floor and the steps on the side. The entire thing seems to be coming apart. Any advice on what I can do to alleviate. I have a pier and beam guy that I have used for maintenance of the main structure - would he be the person to call for this? Or is this a cylical thing that will correct itself in time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 (edited) you can expect shifting like this over time. i know mine has a slight gap. someone else i know had the concrete porch removed and replaced with a nice pier/beam replacement porch because it was way out of alignment. my porch is independent of the beams of the house as is my friend's so replacement would be an easy option if i felt it was necessary. Edited November 15, 2007 by musicman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 sounds expensive - what $$ range would I be looking at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I saw a show in Austin where they fixed this on old homes by inflating the slab with air and then refilling underneath. It looks like an easy solution vs. a total rebuild.I tried to Google this but didn't have much luck.Anyone else see this show? It was on PBS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 It sounds like the outer perimeter of the porch is sinking. I assume the porch is slab on grade. If it were mine, I'd look at having a foundation company lift the edges and support them with piers.flipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 (edited) Sounds like you just need to jack up the back of the house to come forward a little. BUT, perhaps it is the porch that is moving away from the house. You need to hire a surveyor to evaluate it. About $300 or so is the cost, and you can figure out which one is actually moving, causing the seperation. Or, what I would do, is have Olshan's come out and give you an estimate, I am pretty sure the estimate is free, and I feel confident they can tell you what the problem might be. Edited November 15, 2007 by TJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I saw a show in Austin where they fixed this on old homes by inflating the slab with air and then refilling underneath. It looks like an easy solution vs. a total rebuild.I tried to Google this but didn't have much luck.Anyone else see this show? It was on PBS.I think you are talking about the Austin season of This Old House. They used this method: http://www.uretekicr.com/You drill through the concrete into the ground and inject a 2 part expanding foam that lifts the structure.flipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 That's it flipper. Very cool way to fix it if you ask me. That was a good episode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I would entertain the notion of having the porch removed and rebuilt as pier and beam. If your existing porch is of the earth filled variety then you're just BEGGING for termites to invade, and if they do invade it will be quite difficult for them to be detected until they've done a lot of damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 sounds expensive - what $$ range would I be looking at?depends who you get and what you consider expensive. also any roof supports associated with the porch, etc?the injection method looks great but i'll bet would be a similar price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 I have a feeling it's earth filled since a few years back I removed a smaller original porch at the side of the house that had deteriorated in similar fashion; it was earth filled. thanks for all the input, I'll have a couple of foundation companies take a look. if it were elsewhere in the house I wouldn't mind as much but it's a very visible part of the house and is pretty unsightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy444 Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 I did the injection system for my driveway. I want to say it cost around $500, which isnt too bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 I did the injection system for my driveway. I want to say it cost around $500, which isnt too badWow, I talked to a guy about doing a slab about 5 years ago and they had a $2500 minimum back then. I'd say you got a good deal!flipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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