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Soft Brick Foundation and Concrete

[email protected] | Posted in General Questions on

Hello folks,

I have a century house with a soft brick foundation that has one spot with a bulge to the interior. It’s a four or five foot section – I’ve managed to push it back a bit using some timbers and it’s quite a bit better than it was. I’ve also resolved the water issue that was causing it in the first place.

The inspector wasn’t fond of my fix to the problem and suggested pouring a new concrete foundation connected to some footers on either side. I’m wondering if that’s advisable given the fact that it’s soft brick – would the concrete cause the existing brick to fail if the brick is completely encased in concrete? 

I’ve tried reaching out to some civil engineers in the area to spec a fix for me, but they are all booking out three years and aren’t interested in smaller residential jobs. 

Any assistance would be appreciated.

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
    Michael Maines | | #1

    What's a century house? I'm an old-house nerd but don't recall hearing that term. I'm guessing that it might be a local term for a house built around 1900?

    How many brick wythes are in the wall? Are they solidly grouted or separated with an air gap? Are they spalling? Is there efflorescence? What condition is the mortar in?

    If you are saying that the code official recommends pouring a new foundation against the existing foundation on the interior side only, that could work. I can't think of a reason it would make the brick more vulnerable to damage than it already is. If you're in a cold climate and adding insulation at the interior, that could cause the brick to be colder and more subject to spalling when water freezes in the brick. But if it's just concrete, the R-value is pretty low and I doubt it would make a difference.

    1. [email protected] | | #2

      Yeah - century home is a term I've heard thrown around in the area, just means the house is over 100 years old.

      There are at least two wythes to the wall and all the brick is in good shape. The mortar is decent with no spalling. Wan't planning on insulating the inside at all - insulation is going to go above it.

      Thanks for the reply.

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