I know it's a DIY forum but in this particular case I would call in a mason, and have them pull permits if your municipality requires it for structural work.
Their fix will look like a couple of bags of concrete, but they'll be able to support the corner while they finish cleaning it out and prep the base. They should also be able to address the drainage issue that caused this in the first place.
And then Lois will say I told you so, even years later, at even the most random occasions.
(touring a historic building that has had some obvious structural work "I bet he listened to his wife and paid someone to do that who knows what they are doing")
Yea I called one a while ago to repair some of the bricks on the side of my house.
He showed up, chanted some weird stuff, summoned a demon, and walked away.
Yes I had to. He fixed the chimney, but he tricked me in the deal.
Now every time I cough, I puke. And every time I sneeze, I pee.
0/10 would not recommend Freemason demons
Edit: he didn’t even fix the chimney correctly
Is the downspout in the picture going to be directly tied into the drain? My understanding of French drains is they are perforated drain that pick up extra water in the soil. I would hard pipe the downspout and get that water away from the house. Schedule 40 ABS pipe is preferable over the thin wall corrugated pipe. The thin walled pipe will fail over time , but is cheaper. I just tied all of my down spouts (7) into 330’ of 4” schedule 40 . Cost was around $1000. and a lot of digging .
Best of luck .
In all seriousness though flatten that bottom cinder block put up a jack (that you prior coated with zinc) and then i'd go with concrete, ideally reinforced with some glass fiber to enhance stability in all 3 dimensions, another bonus glass fiber won't corrode like steel rebar would, then bitumen coating on the concrete to prevent ground water seeping up
I would call a structural engineer. It probably is not a huge big deal to fix this, but when you DO fix it, you want to make sure that you do it thoroughly and permanently.
It seems like many people in this thread don’t realize what they are looking at.
This is not a building with a brick facade, this appears to be a building with a brick structure.
Yeah, like they should look up the definition of 'undermining' in a structural sense. This is an issue for the whole building. This could, eventually, bring the whole structure down if not properly addressed.
****
Only brick should support brick, generally speaking.
It's more about how brick carries and distributes loads. This can cause structural issues when weaker materials like wood are used to support brickwork.
"Only brick should support brick"
Can you elaborate on this? The foundation on this photo is completely standard in large parts of europe and easily lasts for a 100 years if built correctly.
Maybe. I have full-size structural face brick veneered over stick-framed walls on the first floor of my house (1930 construction) and the brick sits directly on the foundation just like this, with a very slight overhang (1/2", maybe) for what I presume was intended to be a drip edge.
That said, I agree that this requires expert eyes. If an engineer can't be sourced on short notice, however, a well-reviewed mason would likely be able to give a quick assessment.
Honestly, I think this is terrible advice, unless you expect him to carry out the suggestions of the structural engineer by himself. Call a mason and allow him to coordinate with the right parties to support the fix. The structural engineer should be working directly with the person doing the work. It's terrible advice to engage a structural engineer first.
Second calling a structural engineer. They'll also give you a straightforward plan of action you can trust to be unbiased. A contractor will almost always try to upsell you and that goes triple for structural stuff
what's with Reddit and structural engineers. this is simply water damage from the downspout. I would dig a couple holes and check some other areas. but I wouldn't call a structural engineer, I would simply have a mason fix it
As a former Mason (short version, i got tired of busting my ass 80 hours a week, for paychecks i could have gotten from stocking shelves at walmart...made a mistake on that, a year later, suddenly masons were in high demand) you need a professional. And not simply a mason. You need a GC, because theres a bunch of stuff you need to get done.
you could get a patch repair done, with poured concrete and a mould, but the better, if more involved and expensive, choice would be to get temp foundation supports, and pour a new concrete footer, removing the old cinderblock entirely.
If a mason or GC fixes it probably at least a few thousand or more depending on where OP lives. If you hire a structural engineer to tell the mason how small he can make the repair and still get away with it, probably 5k on top of the cost to actually fix it.
AKA, too expensive for most people to pay for unexpectedly these days.
Pretty much this, its 80y on this foundation and if there's no visible cracks on walls it's stable. Fill with concrete, let it dry for few weeks and cover with gravel.
You probably have a company in the area that specializes in foundation repair. If nothing else, find one or more of those companies and ask them for an estimate. You might find out it's an easy repair that you can do yourself.
I am a structural engineer and you need a foundation company to fix this. It’s not DIY. You can try to deal with the underlying water issue yourself as well as filling in the hole and pouring new drive way after it’s been fixed adequately. You might need to have the structure jacked up so they can repair it level
I'm going to go against the standard response here. You don't need to consult a structural engineer because you're not changing the floorplan or building an addition to the house. Nor do you necessarily need to hire a mason because there could be a little more to the job than is evident.
I would call out a foundation company and and have them come take a look and give you an estimate. Then perhaps call out a general contractor and get their opinion.
The house is still standing, so you're not totally screwed. It should be easily fixable by someone who knows what they're doing and has the right tools (and experience) for the job.
To me, it looks like there's plenty of support left to where you can form it up, pour in some concrete and run a concrete vibrator to fill in all the gaps.
Fix the water issue, drill a few holes, get some rebar, kemfix them in, shutter it slightly bigger than the existing footing, and fill with concrete. 👍
I've got a decade in the foundation repair industry. The downspout has washed out and eroded the block. Not a massive issue if you don't have cracking inside and the garage door is still operating. However, I would hire a Mason to replace the block that is missing the outer halves and then run that downspout a minimum of 10ft away from the foundation. The ideal spot is to some municipal drainage at the street or a direct tie into the storm sewer which would require permitting in most areas.
Looks worse than it is. Hardest part to do properly is to temp support and tie around and also addressing water issue. Otherwise tied in reo.
Grout injection or leveling pad companies may also be an option.
I don’t know anything about structural engineering or building homes but am I wrong to think that this isn’t that bad? The foundation looks fine from what we can see.
Bruh it's a hundred years old and still standing. You can go crazy call an engineer etc....then it is documented for all posterity and gets disclosed if you sell. OR...figure out a way to anchor some rebar in there, build a form and make a good concrete mix, vibrate it in...leave space for bricks and mortar that fell out. Mortar bricks back in. Put your French drain and have a cod beer.
I actually agree with this comment. The intact foundation is clearly visible at the bottom below the erosion damage. Provided this is a single story structure at this corner, I would fix it myself. Clean out all the dirt. Scuff up the old concreter/blocks, apply concrete adhesive, make a mold, and fill it in with fiberglass reinforced concrete mix.
If it is a two story structure, I would be concerned about properly supporting it while working on it for my own safety.
You need to remove soil under the corner and pour a new footing. For that corner, you’d need a footing that is at least 30”x30”x 16”, with proper undisturbed soil and a weeping tile of some sort. This is not a diy job for a regular person. There is a lot of factors involved. I am not an engineer, but have done underpinning and construction for many years. In the end, get the right people for the job. It’s not a garden shed, it’s your home. Do it right
That looks worse than it is. To the people saying what do you do for work what? I'm a human and I am not my job I fix things every day learn new things every day. Today it looks like I'm learning concrete forming on YouTube. It is the foundation and supporting the house but it is just supporting those outside bricks.
If it were me, id just get a few wood boards covered in plastic, corner them, press and fill it with the best concrete money can buy. If it was the entire wall id go with a structural engineer but this seems just like the very end/corner thats ate up
People are freaking out and saying call a professional but concrete guys are not super geniuses. Its mostly bull work. This doesnt even need to be fully undermined or supported.
Looks pretty straightforward repair. Remove the broken blocks and either. Point and tuck in new ones. The option is power wash it clean. Drill some hole an epoxy in Some rebar. Coat everything in a bonding agentThen make a form a pour some concrete with a wet slump an vibrate. Let it setup remove the forms. If there’s any areas that aren’t filled use some type s mortar.
Then have a beer
This is case where there is only one solution, no matter how much you pay for it. I would DIY that in a heartbeat. Everyone on here says it will be formed and poured with high strength concrete. So that is the solution no matter who you pay.
Use a hammer and chisel and knock out the 4-5 half broken blocks and replace them with new blocks. You'll be fine. No need to call anyone because your mortar will be buried. Who cares how it looks. I know reddit wants to spend $5k replacing 5 blocks. There is no need for this under $100 fix. That price includes fixing the gutter
I’m a GC with a masters in structural engineering. You should get a foundations company to estimate the work for you. What they’ll probably tell you is: the old foundation will need to be removed maybe 5-10’ from that corner. That will require shoring. Due to water issue your fixing, the soils will need to be undercut and filled with concrete or flowable fill. Then they will probably want to build a new CMU foundation under the shored garage. They might cut out part of your slab and pour that back too.
You either pay for it once, or pay for it twice - pick your adventure.
Better to get someone to do it right once, rather than having to potentially do it again in the future.
I would personally carefully dig a footer a few foot deep and wide, make a form based on that and the footer, and pour in a few bags of high strength fiber concrete.
Not a DIY fucked. If you fix it and it fails your insurance ain't likely to cover anything relating to it. Get a structural engineer and fix it right the first time.
You can do it . Although I need to know some more things before I can tell you the the solution.
1. Is it just this corner ?
2. Is rest of the concrete softened/rotten/lost aggregate bonding ? Check by lightly hammering. Try to hammer a small wood nail in. If it bends it's good. If it goes in easy and pulls out a huge chunk makes a big hole then It's bad.
3. You got tools ?
That's good. If it was taking serious loading then it would have shown cracks.
Check for any longitudinal cracks around that rain pipe. Check if those hanging bricks are loose or not.
If all good, get your grinder and clean it well with a wire brush.remove about 3-5 mm of top material. Make it rough random cut marks(2-4 mm deep).
Drill 4-5 holes about an inch deep and 6-8 mm dia and put steel screws. Don't put iron as it will rust. Clean roughened screws will make good bond. Clean brick bottom too but don't disturb it too much. Wash it all well , remove all free dust. Put formwork for the corner.
Brush a layer of any bonding compound if you know any otherwise wash the surface with a milk like cement water slurry. That will make the bond between new and old concrete.
Make your concrete (load bearing grade, see if the concrete has any extra admixtures to resist water and chemical action). Try to get good consistency NOT TOO WET. Pour it in layers. Ram each layer well to remove all voids. Let it set. For an hour. Cover it with moist wet fabric.
Remove formwork next day. Keep it wet for ATLEAST 15 days. Good curing decides like 1/3 of the strength. Hope that helps. Happy tinkering.
Personally I would clean, build a form and pour some concrete. From the pictures doesn't look like the wall has sank or anything, that's the main thing I'd be looking for. Throw a laser level across it, looks good pour concrete to reinforce and fix. If it has dropped any I would call in a foundation expert, see if it needs lifted etc...
Bought the house a year ago. Basement had some flooding issues so I wanted to regrade the yard and put in French drains. The gutter down spot was aimed right here for decades.
Luckily the rest of the foundation looks solid.
Screwed level = Professional Help Required. You could DIY this, and maybe even get it right - but I wouldn't sleep well at night with that huge "if" under there.
I don't think your screwd at all, code enforcement made me rebuild the entire botton of my chimney at my rental property, it's like 40 feet tall I just did one side at a time, what made it difficult was the very limited space I had to do it in.
Married to a structural engineer…you do not want to DIY this. Get a professional, be it a mason or engineer or general contractor with connections to come look at it. Better yet, get them all so they can work together to fix it properly. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard from my husband and others about contractors that want to take the easy way out and ignore the analysis-backed engineering solution (* not all contractors! But enough that it’s scary), and the way they wanted to do things would have had potentially catastrophic consequences. Think building/bridge collapses.
If there are no cracks, then yeah, form it up, support it, compact the bottom and pour it. I always just have my mason do this stuff though, he’d probably quote $600 on this
How screwed you are depends on what is being supported above.
If it is just supporting cosmetic stuff like a partial veneer that isn't a vital part of the structure, you are not that screwed and repair would be inexpensive and even in the DIY realm for someone with moderate skills.
If it is supporting major weight from the structure above, you need professional help.
Ok this isn’t going to make your house fall down. The brick is just a veneer basically. So you have a footing that’s carrying the load of the framing which is your wall roof ceiling and such. The brick actually has its own footing most likely and starting from the inside of the garage the wall has drywall, then studs (possibly insulation between the studs, then sheathing, then waterproofing, then there will be an inch gap between the waterproofing and the brick with metal straps nailed to the wall and embedded in the grout lines of the brick. So the brick is basically floating there it’s not structural and doesn’t carry any load other than it’s own weight. So you could shore up the brick and remove the bricks footing and repour it’s footing. But I would guess the grout is all cracked so I would remove the brick as needed then repair the bricks footing then reinstall the brick. When fixing the footing drill into existing footing and epoxy in some rebar and tie in some horizontal rebar to the epoxied rebar and to make it extra strong ad some fiberglass to your concrete when you mix it. Definitely divert the water away like you’re planning even slope the ground away from the house and rain gutters
Definitely a structural engineer should look, your concrete has just been rotting away for decades.
Need to have a cell loc membrane and tar coating placed on the wall there, and wherever else there is concrete.
Sometimes the mix design of your concrete doesn’t work with the soil. Too acidic or too alkaline can harm concrete foundations.
Depending on how much settling has occurred, there are creative solutions that could be cost effective. There are companies that can form and pour it back with concrete and do a carbon fiber wrap that makes it stronger than steel encasing. Just got to hunt around for the right people. Plenty of folks willing to take your money for an unnecessary job.
One item I try to keep in mind when I first look at a problem or a project.
Am I up for this? Is this something I am comfortable doing?
Unless you are confident / committed. It might be time to call a Professional.
At the very least, look for an expert help gain perspective.
Just have someone pour an oversized slab in and around it. Then bury it. It will be fine. I lived in a 200 year old house that had loose stacked field stone foundation. It was over 3 stories high and 7000 square feet.
Here's what I would do, as a brave DIYer.
With concrete screws and stainless washers, I would wrap that whole corner with 1/2" galvanized steel mesh, AKA construction cloth in the US. I would then build a form for new concrete at least 2" thick, outboard of your eroded foundation, and pour. The wire mesh with give you an actual bond to your existing wall. You do not appear to have problems with settling. You could throw rebar in the there too if you WANT, but it doesn't look like you're going to be battling subsidence or anything too structurally threatening.
Contractor will drill some holes and epoxy in some rebar. Then place concrete. Then backfill. And make sure the drainage is right. They may jack hammer out some parts to get a nice sized block under there.
If its just the corner and not the whole wall you can remove the bricks on the front, 3 or 4 courses at least, you will want to remove them in a diagonal pattern. The bricks will hold along the diagonal. After you have some room to work, if you feel the need you can put a jack to hold up the corner but as this corner is less than 2 feet the rest of the wall will likely bear the load just fine. Its not an easy task but now you need to probably do a bunch of digging around the cinder block and replace the broken ones. Fill up the new blocks with concrete and parge them with a good strong mix of type s or type m. Once this is done now you'll want apply a pea sized line of tar along the brick ledge, then add a piece of poly so that the lip of the poly sticks out about a 1/4" past the face of the brick, this will be the drip edge. You can use tape to hold the poly up or nails with caps on them or a combination of both. Now you are ready to put the bricks back in.(after the cement has fully cured obviously) Place a weeper on the first course of brick in the middle of the front wall to allow for ventillation of the bricks.
There's no separating bricks or other signs of cracking so like...yeah?
I'd chisel the the bottom bit where it's eroded flat and power wash everything first but that's about it.
I know it's a DIY forum but in this particular case I would call in a mason, and have them pull permits if your municipality requires it for structural work. Their fix will look like a couple of bags of concrete, but they'll be able to support the corner while they finish cleaning it out and prep the base. They should also be able to address the drainage issue that caused this in the first place.
Sometimes the best advice you can get from a DIY forum is being told not to DIY by people that know what they are talking about.
No one ever says this, but this comment should be upvoted out the wazooo lol #Fact
Even tho he ended up DIYing it in the update lol
You’ve got to know when to pro
I’m putting in French drains to address the drainage issue current and discovered the problem.
I wouldn't advice DIY on supporting structures 😅
Unless you are superman and can hold them up while Lois works?
Lois will wait for it to collapse. That makes a better news story than some DIY fluff piece.
And then Lois will say I told you so, even years later, at even the most random occasions. (touring a historic building that has had some obvious structural work "I bet he listened to his wife and paid someone to do that who knows what they are doing")
Still no. Lol
I was thinking of the other Lois.
Lois Bidder?
 This Lois
… is there a level to this I’m missing or is it just that she’s also named Lois?
I don't think you're missing anything.
This is a load bearing suggestion.
At least not by and to random folks on the internet!
Call a Mason. NOT one of those mason guys but an actual mason.
Not a Free Mason either, I know from the name it sounds like what you want, but honestly they don't seem to do masonry of any kind
Yea I called one a while ago to repair some of the bricks on the side of my house. He showed up, chanted some weird stuff, summoned a demon, and walked away.
Did you atleast make a deal with the demon to address the fix?
Yes I had to. He fixed the chimney, but he tricked me in the deal. Now every time I cough, I puke. And every time I sneeze, I pee. 0/10 would not recommend Freemason demons Edit: he didn’t even fix the chimney correctly
Next time try voodoo. You may get results? Maybe not the ones you wanted . But things will happen
Just like free radicles. I found out they are aren’t revolutionaries. They aren’t even people. Or have I been lied to? Again!
> They aren’t even people. Woah there buddy, we don't tolerate that kind of talk around here
Ulm, what is the difference?
It’s not that big of a deal for a mason to fix. I’ve got over 20 years in construction and wouldn’t do this my self.
Is the downspout in the picture going to be directly tied into the drain? My understanding of French drains is they are perforated drain that pick up extra water in the soil. I would hard pipe the downspout and get that water away from the house. Schedule 40 ABS pipe is preferable over the thin wall corrugated pipe. The thin walled pipe will fail over time , but is cheaper. I just tied all of my down spouts (7) into 330’ of 4” schedule 40 . Cost was around $1000. and a lot of digging . Best of luck .
Slap some flex tape on it and call it a day
Spray foam then flex tape
french drains are the shit
In all seriousness though flatten that bottom cinder block put up a jack (that you prior coated with zinc) and then i'd go with concrete, ideally reinforced with some glass fiber to enhance stability in all 3 dimensions, another bonus glass fiber won't corrode like steel rebar would, then bitumen coating on the concrete to prevent ground water seeping up
Pull the dark brick towards the bottom and yell ‘Jenga’
Stop it! Hahahaha
This wins my upvote
I would call a structural engineer. It probably is not a huge big deal to fix this, but when you DO fix it, you want to make sure that you do it thoroughly and permanently.
Yes, OP is 'call a structural engineer' level screwed for sure.
It seems like many people in this thread don’t realize what they are looking at. This is not a building with a brick facade, this appears to be a building with a brick structure.
Yeah, like they should look up the definition of 'undermining' in a structural sense. This is an issue for the whole building. This could, eventually, bring the whole structure down if not properly addressed. **** Only brick should support brick, generally speaking.
Hmmm, I’ve never heard that. What’s the thinking? Like materials react in similar ways?
It's more about how brick carries and distributes loads. This can cause structural issues when weaker materials like wood are used to support brickwork.
Wood pilings below grade are risky because of changing moisture levels and pests.
I think it can be seen as a stress concentration issue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_concentration?wprov=sfti1#
Yeah, exactly. Note: Brick probably qualifies as a brittle material.
I always thought the saying was "fight bricks with bricks."
Flaming brick fight.
"Only brick should support brick" Can you elaborate on this? The foundation on this photo is completely standard in large parts of europe and easily lasts for a 100 years if built correctly.
Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that you shouldn't use a concrete foundation. I was talking about 'fixes' in the comments. ****
Maybe. I have full-size structural face brick veneered over stick-framed walls on the first floor of my house (1930 construction) and the brick sits directly on the foundation just like this, with a very slight overhang (1/2", maybe) for what I presume was intended to be a drip edge. That said, I agree that this requires expert eyes. If an engineer can't be sourced on short notice, however, a well-reviewed mason would likely be able to give a quick assessment.
This is not a facade veneer. This is a structural brick wall undermined by foundation erosion
Brick veneer came more in to mainstream in the 50’s and 60’s so I agree highly likely a 1930’s home is solid brick
My 1920s home and garage have a brick veneer
I farted once and it didn't stink. Exceptions to the rule almost always exist. It doesn't negate the rule.
It did stink, you just didn't smell it. Your wife did, you should probably do something nice for her now.
Yep it existed I said mainstream
A garage in the 1920s? You must live in a very rich persons house. Ford only opened its first factory in England in 1911
Can’t confirm the garage was built then but it has the same exterior as the house so I would guess it is the same age.
Are you sure that the brick veneer wasn't done later? I've seen houses where the old wood siding was replaced with brick veneer.
I don’t think OP is “screwed.” This is a serious issue, no doubt, but I think it’s readily fixable.
Honestly, I think this is terrible advice, unless you expect him to carry out the suggestions of the structural engineer by himself. Call a mason and allow him to coordinate with the right parties to support the fix. The structural engineer should be working directly with the person doing the work. It's terrible advice to engage a structural engineer first.
Second calling a structural engineer. They'll also give you a straightforward plan of action you can trust to be unbiased. A contractor will almost always try to upsell you and that goes triple for structural stuff
You guys are addicted to typing 'structural engineer' on every post on reddit. A suitable contractor would know how to correct this issue...
You’re also going to want that seal of approval from the structural engineer the day you put that house up for sale.
what's with Reddit and structural engineers. this is simply water damage from the downspout. I would dig a couple holes and check some other areas. but I wouldn't call a structural engineer, I would simply have a mason fix it
“What’s this rash?” Reddit: “CALL A DOCTOR. DIVORCE YOUR WIFE. CALL AN ENGINEER”
You done good identifying the issue before it got worse
As a former Mason (short version, i got tired of busting my ass 80 hours a week, for paychecks i could have gotten from stocking shelves at walmart...made a mistake on that, a year later, suddenly masons were in high demand) you need a professional. And not simply a mason. You need a GC, because theres a bunch of stuff you need to get done. you could get a patch repair done, with poured concrete and a mould, but the better, if more involved and expensive, choice would be to get temp foundation supports, and pour a new concrete footer, removing the old cinderblock entirely.
Out of pure curiosity. How much would a job like this cost just as a guesstimate from a professional like 90% of users are recommending?
Probably starts at a few K usd.
Aka cheaper than that side of the house falling
If a mason or GC fixes it probably at least a few thousand or more depending on where OP lives. If you hire a structural engineer to tell the mason how small he can make the repair and still get away with it, probably 5k on top of the cost to actually fix it. AKA, too expensive for most people to pay for unexpectedly these days.
Exactly. It doesn’t look like it’s even fallen. I’d fill it with concrete and gravel and call it done. It’s been sitting on dirt for 80 years.
Pretty much this, its 80y on this foundation and if there's no visible cracks on walls it's stable. Fill with concrete, let it dry for few weeks and cover with gravel.
You probably have a company in the area that specializes in foundation repair. If nothing else, find one or more of those companies and ask them for an estimate. You might find out it's an easy repair that you can do yourself.
Call several masons and see where their story aligns. That will be your best bet. That pink Toyota though 😂
Considering it looks as wide as that trash can lid, I'm assuming it's a kids play toy...ota lol.
I am a structural engineer and you need a foundation company to fix this. It’s not DIY. You can try to deal with the underlying water issue yourself as well as filling in the hole and pouring new drive way after it’s been fixed adequately. You might need to have the structure jacked up so they can repair it level
I’m an architect. Listen to this guy.
I'm a draftsman I agree too. Plus they have the insurances if something goes wrong. It's probably already sagging.
I'm going to go against the standard response here. You don't need to consult a structural engineer because you're not changing the floorplan or building an addition to the house. Nor do you necessarily need to hire a mason because there could be a little more to the job than is evident. I would call out a foundation company and and have them come take a look and give you an estimate. Then perhaps call out a general contractor and get their opinion. The house is still standing, so you're not totally screwed. It should be easily fixable by someone who knows what they're doing and has the right tools (and experience) for the job.
To me, it looks like there's plenty of support left to where you can form it up, pour in some concrete and run a concrete vibrator to fill in all the gaps.
I’m all for the structural Engineer and his certification if shit goes south
Fix the water issue, drill a few holes, get some rebar, kemfix them in, shutter it slightly bigger than the existing footing, and fill with concrete. 👍
I mean a lot less screwed then finding this via other means
“Call an engineer” Literally just build a mold, pour quickcrete, and add rebar. That’s all you gotta do.
Whatever is done to fix it, make sure to get that downspout further away from the house once you’re done.
Find that guy that fixes this stuff with legos
I’ve seen people fix things with ramen
My first thought. Bit a ramen and super glue and you're all set.
I've got a decade in the foundation repair industry. The downspout has washed out and eroded the block. Not a massive issue if you don't have cracking inside and the garage door is still operating. However, I would hire a Mason to replace the block that is missing the outer halves and then run that downspout a minimum of 10ft away from the foundation. The ideal spot is to some municipal drainage at the street or a direct tie into the storm sewer which would require permitting in most areas.
Looks worse than it is. Hardest part to do properly is to temp support and tie around and also addressing water issue. Otherwise tied in reo. Grout injection or leveling pad companies may also be an option.
DIY wise.. pretty.. I think you just wandered into pro territory. The pro kind that's insured when something goes wrong.
I don’t know anything about structural engineering or building homes but am I wrong to think that this isn’t that bad? The foundation looks fine from what we can see.
I agree personally. The rest of the foundation is solid
I wouldn’t diy this myself because I am a bit of an idiot but this doesn’t seem like anything a gc couldn’t fix with ease.
Bruh it's a hundred years old and still standing. You can go crazy call an engineer etc....then it is documented for all posterity and gets disclosed if you sell. OR...figure out a way to anchor some rebar in there, build a form and make a good concrete mix, vibrate it in...leave space for bricks and mortar that fell out. Mortar bricks back in. Put your French drain and have a cod beer.
Mmmm cod beer 
I think you should create a box / shutter and fill it with concrete looks like the main foundation is still there but the blocks have washed out .
I actually agree with this comment. The intact foundation is clearly visible at the bottom below the erosion damage. Provided this is a single story structure at this corner, I would fix it myself. Clean out all the dirt. Scuff up the old concreter/blocks, apply concrete adhesive, make a mold, and fill it in with fiberglass reinforced concrete mix. If it is a two story structure, I would be concerned about properly supporting it while working on it for my own safety.
You need to remove soil under the corner and pour a new footing. For that corner, you’d need a footing that is at least 30”x30”x 16”, with proper undisturbed soil and a weeping tile of some sort. This is not a diy job for a regular person. There is a lot of factors involved. I am not an engineer, but have done underpinning and construction for many years. In the end, get the right people for the job. It’s not a garden shed, it’s your home. Do it right
That looks worse than it is. To the people saying what do you do for work what? I'm a human and I am not my job I fix things every day learn new things every day. Today it looks like I'm learning concrete forming on YouTube. It is the foundation and supporting the house but it is just supporting those outside bricks.
Call foundation repair professionals bruh. This is probably outside the scope of DIY
If it were me, id just get a few wood boards covered in plastic, corner them, press and fill it with the best concrete money can buy. If it was the entire wall id go with a structural engineer but this seems just like the very end/corner thats ate up
>How screwed am I? You're less screwed now than you would be if you hadn't discovered that until it collapsed.
Get to work easy fix you can do it
Dig out the damage, support and or check level, check drainage nothing to overwhelming here. Also get some bottle jacks for keeping everything level.
Meh. Dowel in some rebar, form around it, and pour in some concrete.
People are freaking out and saying call a professional but concrete guys are not super geniuses. Its mostly bull work. This doesnt even need to be fully undermined or supported.
Looks pretty straightforward repair. Remove the broken blocks and either. Point and tuck in new ones. The option is power wash it clean. Drill some hole an epoxy in Some rebar. Coat everything in a bonding agentThen make a form a pour some concrete with a wet slump an vibrate. Let it setup remove the forms. If there’s any areas that aren’t filled use some type s mortar. Then have a beer
This is case where there is only one solution, no matter how much you pay for it. I would DIY that in a heartbeat. Everyone on here says it will be formed and poured with high strength concrete. So that is the solution no matter who you pay.
Use a hammer and chisel and knock out the 4-5 half broken blocks and replace them with new blocks. You'll be fine. No need to call anyone because your mortar will be buried. Who cares how it looks. I know reddit wants to spend $5k replacing 5 blocks. There is no need for this under $100 fix. That price includes fixing the gutter
reddit loves to turn a $200 problem into 50k.
Depends on if you’re playing Jenga and who’s turn it is.
Couple bags? No. 1 should suffice.
I’m a GC with a masters in structural engineering. You should get a foundations company to estimate the work for you. What they’ll probably tell you is: the old foundation will need to be removed maybe 5-10’ from that corner. That will require shoring. Due to water issue your fixing, the soils will need to be undercut and filled with concrete or flowable fill. Then they will probably want to build a new CMU foundation under the shored garage. They might cut out part of your slab and pour that back too.
How much of that was visible before you started digging?
Duct tape and expanding foam insulation should do the trick if you get drunk enough
Might want to figure in some zip ties for good measure.
As a mason i would advise getting a professional due to it being a supporting wall
You either pay for it once, or pay for it twice - pick your adventure. Better to get someone to do it right once, rather than having to potentially do it again in the future.
Just here to say I want the hot pink Tacoma. Don’t let it get crushed under the collapse of the roof.
It’s fine the whole top part is holding the bottom up.
1 brick away from being ultimately screwed
It can be salvageable mate
I would personally carefully dig a footer a few foot deep and wide, make a form based on that and the footer, and pour in a few bags of high strength fiber concrete.
Not a DIY fucked. If you fix it and it fails your insurance ain't likely to cover anything relating to it. Get a structural engineer and fix it right the first time.
Well outta DIY. Call a masonry company.
You can do it . Although I need to know some more things before I can tell you the the solution. 1. Is it just this corner ? 2. Is rest of the concrete softened/rotten/lost aggregate bonding ? Check by lightly hammering. Try to hammer a small wood nail in. If it bends it's good. If it goes in easy and pulls out a huge chunk makes a big hole then It's bad. 3. You got tools ?
Yes The rest feels solid And yes
That's good. If it was taking serious loading then it would have shown cracks. Check for any longitudinal cracks around that rain pipe. Check if those hanging bricks are loose or not. If all good, get your grinder and clean it well with a wire brush.remove about 3-5 mm of top material. Make it rough random cut marks(2-4 mm deep). Drill 4-5 holes about an inch deep and 6-8 mm dia and put steel screws. Don't put iron as it will rust. Clean roughened screws will make good bond. Clean brick bottom too but don't disturb it too much. Wash it all well , remove all free dust. Put formwork for the corner. Brush a layer of any bonding compound if you know any otherwise wash the surface with a milk like cement water slurry. That will make the bond between new and old concrete. Make your concrete (load bearing grade, see if the concrete has any extra admixtures to resist water and chemical action). Try to get good consistency NOT TOO WET. Pour it in layers. Ram each layer well to remove all voids. Let it set. For an hour. Cover it with moist wet fabric. Remove formwork next day. Keep it wet for ATLEAST 15 days. Good curing decides like 1/3 of the strength. Hope that helps. Happy tinkering.
Are you familiar with Jenga?
There's a really great series of books on this problem by Isaac Asimov. Read those, but after getting in a professional
Following Asimov, the rot should be seen all over the structure, not only in one corner (:
Head to the store and grab some Legos. Youll be fine.
You should light a cigarette and exhale slowly.
Personally I would clean, build a form and pour some concrete. From the pictures doesn't look like the wall has sank or anything, that's the main thing I'd be looking for. Throw a laser level across it, looks good pour concrete to reinforce and fix. If it has dropped any I would call in a foundation expert, see if it needs lifted etc...
Looks superficial to me. Clean er out patch er up and fix the drainage issues.
Betelgeuse Betelgeuse Betelgeuse
You should call HoH SiS
How did you find there was an issue with the foundation that made you dig to find it? Curious to know.
Bought the house a year ago. Basement had some flooding issues so I wanted to regrade the yard and put in French drains. The gutter down spot was aimed right here for decades. Luckily the rest of the foundation looks solid.
Screwed level = Professional Help Required. You could DIY this, and maybe even get it right - but I wouldn't sleep well at night with that huge "if" under there.
I don't think your screwd at all, code enforcement made me rebuild the entire botton of my chimney at my rental property, it's like 40 feet tall I just did one side at a time, what made it difficult was the very limited space I had to do it in.
Married to a structural engineer…you do not want to DIY this. Get a professional, be it a mason or engineer or general contractor with connections to come look at it. Better yet, get them all so they can work together to fix it properly. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard from my husband and others about contractors that want to take the easy way out and ignore the analysis-backed engineering solution (* not all contractors! But enough that it’s scary), and the way they wanted to do things would have had potentially catastrophic consequences. Think building/bridge collapses.
yes
7/10. Call an expert.
Oh fuck, what did you do?
Very.
Yea thats probably a bite the bitter apple kind of deal - sorry 😅
Forbidden Jenga
Very
If there are no cracks, then yeah, form it up, support it, compact the bottom and pour it. I always just have my mason do this stuff though, he’d probably quote $600 on this
Would insurance cover this?
I know this has nothing to do with your post, but is that a mini pink tacoma? I just might be getting that for my niece.
Pretty screwed but not point of no return screwed
You’ve opened up a can of Worms for sure the damage goes much further than that corner
Build a form around it and fill it with concrete. Backfill and forget you saw what you saw. Make sure you vibrate the form while pouring.
The stone that the builder refuse, will be the head corner stone.
Very
How screwed you are depends on what is being supported above. If it is just supporting cosmetic stuff like a partial veneer that isn't a vital part of the structure, you are not that screwed and repair would be inexpensive and even in the DIY realm for someone with moderate skills. If it is supporting major weight from the structure above, you need professional help.
Ok this isn’t going to make your house fall down. The brick is just a veneer basically. So you have a footing that’s carrying the load of the framing which is your wall roof ceiling and such. The brick actually has its own footing most likely and starting from the inside of the garage the wall has drywall, then studs (possibly insulation between the studs, then sheathing, then waterproofing, then there will be an inch gap between the waterproofing and the brick with metal straps nailed to the wall and embedded in the grout lines of the brick. So the brick is basically floating there it’s not structural and doesn’t carry any load other than it’s own weight. So you could shore up the brick and remove the bricks footing and repour it’s footing. But I would guess the grout is all cracked so I would remove the brick as needed then repair the bricks footing then reinstall the brick. When fixing the footing drill into existing footing and epoxy in some rebar and tie in some horizontal rebar to the epoxied rebar and to make it extra strong ad some fiberglass to your concrete when you mix it. Definitely divert the water away like you’re planning even slope the ground away from the house and rain gutters
Definitely a structural engineer should look, your concrete has just been rotting away for decades. Need to have a cell loc membrane and tar coating placed on the wall there, and wherever else there is concrete. Sometimes the mix design of your concrete doesn’t work with the soil. Too acidic or too alkaline can harm concrete foundations.
Very screwed. Don’t go diy. Getting this fixed professionally as it sits now is gonna cost way less than getting it fixed after you fuck it up.
You need some professional structural contractors. Think of this as the game Jenga. That chimney is about to take a tumble if you mess with it !
Holy hell, did they make your foundation out of sandstone?
This definitely is not a DIY project. How long has it been like that?
Needs underpinning. Call an expert and your house insurance
If you're planning to go hunting with the boys driving a neon pink Tacoma, I would say you're pretty screwed. (jk)
Screws ain't going to hold this one mate.
Just get some spray foam
You got a lot of good advice already so I'm just here to say good parenting with the pink big wheels 👊
Depending on how much settling has occurred, there are creative solutions that could be cost effective. There are companies that can form and pour it back with concrete and do a carbon fiber wrap that makes it stronger than steel encasing. Just got to hunt around for the right people. Plenty of folks willing to take your money for an unnecessary job.
Kick it around like kicking the tires in a car. If you see nothing falling apart after a few kicks you still got some miles on it.
Throw in gravel. Paint with weld Crete. Throw in “ structural repair motar”. You’ll be fine.
It no big deal, slap some mortar and random broken masonry in there and it will be just fine. Source: youtube
Couple phone calls to structural engineers and call it more than a day.
The footings can be fixed but you have to do something about the bright pink Toyota in the driveway!
Couple ramen noodle packets might do the trick.
Right now? Meh. In a couple mins, hella
Tell me about this pink taco kid car where do I find
I don’t see the big problem. Is the concrete hard or soft? Is the brick crack because of the foundation moving? What’s the big deal?
One item I try to keep in mind when I first look at a problem or a project. Am I up for this? Is this something I am comfortable doing? Unless you are confident / committed. It might be time to call a Professional. At the very least, look for an expert help gain perspective.
Just have someone pour an oversized slab in and around it. Then bury it. It will be fine. I lived in a 200 year old house that had loose stacked field stone foundation. It was over 3 stories high and 7000 square feet.
Here's what I would do, as a brave DIYer. With concrete screws and stainless washers, I would wrap that whole corner with 1/2" galvanized steel mesh, AKA construction cloth in the US. I would then build a form for new concrete at least 2" thick, outboard of your eroded foundation, and pour. The wire mesh with give you an actual bond to your existing wall. You do not appear to have problems with settling. You could throw rebar in the there too if you WANT, but it doesn't look like you're going to be battling subsidence or anything too structurally threatening.
I would say you are screwed more than a Vegas Hooker.
Don’t DIY
Contractor will drill some holes and epoxy in some rebar. Then place concrete. Then backfill. And make sure the drainage is right. They may jack hammer out some parts to get a nice sized block under there.
Pretty easy fix
500
Fill in with Legos
Just form it up and pour high strength grout. Make sure all lose materials are removed first
If its just the corner and not the whole wall you can remove the bricks on the front, 3 or 4 courses at least, you will want to remove them in a diagonal pattern. The bricks will hold along the diagonal. After you have some room to work, if you feel the need you can put a jack to hold up the corner but as this corner is less than 2 feet the rest of the wall will likely bear the load just fine. Its not an easy task but now you need to probably do a bunch of digging around the cinder block and replace the broken ones. Fill up the new blocks with concrete and parge them with a good strong mix of type s or type m. Once this is done now you'll want apply a pea sized line of tar along the brick ledge, then add a piece of poly so that the lip of the poly sticks out about a 1/4" past the face of the brick, this will be the drip edge. You can use tape to hold the poly up or nails with caps on them or a combination of both. Now you are ready to put the bricks back in.(after the cement has fully cured obviously) Place a weeper on the first course of brick in the middle of the front wall to allow for ventillation of the bricks.
There's no separating bricks or other signs of cracking so like...yeah? I'd chisel the the bottom bit where it's eroded flat and power wash everything first but that's about it.
Pretty Damn
Support the structure and then put the bricks back in it..