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Posted by Will W on October 4, 2007, 9:48 am
> I feel you would only be wasting your money. If this is a mob, and was
> installed in a last few years, you go back on the installer for failing to
> locate the footings below the frost line (a code requirement). Most allow
> you to sue for not complying with a major code item; some have limitations
> such as ten years, others shorter and others never expire. You should talk
> with your local building department.
>
> If your home has a conic foundation you 'could' consider adding a little
> heat to raise the under-floor temp on the dirt; during the worst winter
> weather (this is only feasible if you have an enclosed foundation, not a
> curtain wall or skirting as the heat loss is going to be quite high).
>
> As I see it, your only real option is to replace the piers, on-at-a-time
> with footings below the frost depth (leave the existing piers in place and
> install new piers along side; removing the original piers afterwards.) You
> WILL need a Professional Engineer to do this as there are many factors
> concerning the soil type, vertical and lateral load paths and existing
> structure to be concerned with). This would be a labor-intensive and a very
> costly venue; however you will never have a home that will resist frost
> heave with your current installation. Sooner or later it will cause serious
> structural problems.
>
> Again, your local building official could be of immense help to you, please
> go there first and forger any easy scheme to fix a very serious problem.
>
>
>
>
>
> >I have a house in a region which is prone to deep frost, and is
> > supported on cement piers. Some of these piers move up after the
> > ground freezes, and then somewhat return after the ground thaws. Some
> > of them sink past their original positions and require shimming to
> > keep the house plumb. I'm currently applying basic drainage
> > principles
> > to get the water away before the ground freezes.
>
> > Someone suggested I bury styrofoam discs around the surfaces where my
> > cement piers meet the ground to help prevent the piers from rising
> > and
> > shifting due to frost. Any thoughts on this?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Thanks for the quick response. I don't see litigation as a solution to
this problem. I bought this house in Northern Maine as a unfinished-
fixer-upper, and knew what I was getting into.
The house is a large contemporary style home built on a southern
slope, with the front of the house facing south. The large 1400' shed
style roof "sheds" ALL of the water to the north side, which then
obviously runs down the slope, and under the house. You'd think
someone would've considered that, and built in some type of drainage
system. I guess that's where I come in.
I'm applying some basic common sense things, like gutters, increasing
the grading around the house, etc... I'm also enclosing and insulating
the crawl space (where the piers are) under the house to help keep it
warmer, and help mitigate the freezing/thawing cycle. And, just for
kicks, I'm installing some salvaged glass sliding doors along the
entire south side of the crawl space to take advantage of the sunlight
and see if I can capture some heat under there. Sounds ambitious,
doesn't it?
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