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Posted by on September 22, 2006, 11:06 am
Harry K wrote:
> mkeary@gmail.com wrote:
> > I have a concrete block wall (foundation for a rear single-story
> > enclosed porch, 10 feet long, 6 blocks high... maybe 3.5-4 feet high?)
> > that has buckled inward (as much as 6" in center) due to moisture
> > freezing/expanding in the ground outside. The top course-and-a-half is
> > above the exterior grade, and the inside of the wall (under the porch
> > floor) has dirt up about a third of the height.
> >
> > We have done the following already:
> > - installed gutters above to route water away from foundation
> > - dug down to bottom (unmoved) course on both inside and out
> > - jacked up porch floor to take weight off wall, and shifted blocks
> > back to plumb
> > - made plans to fill the 1-foot space immediately outside wall with
> > stone gravel to improve water drainage
> > - made plans to grade dirt away from house to improve water drainage
> >
> > My question: What steps can/should I take to keep the blocks where I
> > have (re)placed them?
> >
> > Obviously, the cement seams between the blocks are long-since
> > compromised. My thoughts include:
> > - metal mesh bolted to inside of wall (attached to every block) to take
> > tensile loads of future pressure on outside
> > - parging cement on inside/outside surfaces to keep moisture from
> > between blocks
> > - building buttresses of blocks inside (think steps of blocks,
> > perpendicular to wall, at say three points along length)
> > - piling/packing the dirt back aalong the inside wall surface
> > - pour a concrete/cement buttress along inside length (not easy, since
> > porch floor is in the way)
> >
> > Which (combination) of these options would you employ, or what other
> > suggestions might you have?
> >
> > Additional info: This house in in upstate NY (Ithaca). We are fixing
> > up to sell - already have new residence in NJ.
> >
> > Thanks for any advice,
> >
> > Teo
>
> All of your proposed fixes would -probably- work but...as others have
> said, you might as well rebuild the wall. It won't cost much more than
> your fixes and will be done right. Of course do the french drain and
> rock fill thing to.
>
> When rebuilding the wall use "Z-bar" between every other course and
> rebar plus concrete fill of the cavities in about every 4 blocks.
>
> Harry K
I would fix all of the motar joints in the wall, then knock out the top
block of the wall, shove rebar in there and pour those cells solid with
concrete, then replace the top block. I would work the whole wall
using this process, and pour the whole wall solid.. or at least every
other cell with rebar and concrete.
This sounds like a lot of work, but it isn't, and its sure easier and
cheaper than ripping down the wall and rebuilding.. I poured my 8"
block walls every 16" for my addition in two weeks, mixing the concrete
myself. I'd buy or rent a concrete mixer.
8" block - 40 cells is 1 yard of concrete. I think...
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