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Old 11-06-2011, 01:43 PM   #1
HungLikeJesus
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Mudjacking!

Our basement floor has dropped almost 2 inches in one corner. I didn't realize how bad it was until I took out our hot tub last year. The house is built into a hillside and the part that has dropped is above grade (it's a walk-out basement).

I'm considering mudjacking (concrete raising) and am looking for any experience or opinions that others might have on the subject.
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Old 11-06-2011, 01:53 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus View Post
I'm considering mudjacking (concrete raising) and am looking for any experience or opinions that others might have on the subject.
It sounds like you have a problem too common with lesser builders. Part of the foundation is either on fill. Or not deep enough below the frost line. Obviously you must raise that part of the house. I don't see where you have also mentioned binding windows, skewed doors, or foundation cracks. But the ultimate solution is to build a foundation under the house that is down to virgin earth and below the frost line.
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Old 11-06-2011, 02:04 PM   #3
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It sounds like fun but isn't there a chance of infection or something? Just go with a clean water-soluble lube.
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Old 11-06-2011, 02:12 PM   #4
HungLikeJesus
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I think that most of the settling occurred in the first few years after the house was built (~1983). We didn't move in until 1998. There is evidence of cracks in some of the walls, and separation of the bath tubs from the tiles.

You're right - the house is not very well constructed. There's a lot of evidence of that. We're slowly trying to improve it, and there's still a lot to be done.

I believe that problems are partly due to expansive soils:

Quote:
Expansive soils are soils that expand when water is added, and shrink when they dry out. This continuous change in soil volume can cause homes built on this soil to move unevenly and crack....

Although expansive soils can be found in almost every state and in Canada, the problems related to expansive soils are the most severe and widespread in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and other western and southern states.
We get a lot of snow in the winter (October to April or May), then it's very dry in the summer.

I need to do a visual inspection of the exterior foundation, but much of it is currently under snow.
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Old 11-06-2011, 02:41 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus View Post
I believe that problems are partly due to expansive soils:
Unless you have rare and unusual soil (such as Dallas), then expansive soil is a myth created so that the building need not admit to his negligence. The term 'virgin soil' was critically important.
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Old 11-07-2011, 08:06 PM   #6
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I wonder if we're blending terminology a little sloppily here. Soil usually refers to the upper layer of earth which is full of organic matter and is unsuitable for construction. I would tend to agree with tw though that they probably built on fill rather than virgin subsoil. I wonder if there are other things to consider, like improperly installed drains and whether the footer is below the frost-line? I don't know anything about mudjacking, keep us posted.
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Old 11-07-2011, 10:49 PM   #7
HungLikeJesus
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Here's a brief description of what I'm talking about:
http://geology.com/articles/expansive-soil.shtml
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Old 11-08-2011, 05:32 AM   #8
Griff
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Soil does expand, but if you backfill with the proper material the "expansive soil" is isolated from the outer walls of the house. ymmv as I'm strictly an amateur and this is the innertubes.
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Old 11-08-2011, 06:19 AM   #9
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We don't have much frost, but most of Adelaide is built on Clay. In my current rental I can watch cracks open and close a few millimeters with the dry and wet times. It is only really noticeable where it had got a bit wide and the landlord had it filled and painted. Then we had good rains for a year or so and the crack has tried to close up, causing a mini-mountain range to pop out of the wall.
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Old 11-08-2011, 09:01 AM   #10
HungLikeJesus
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Soil does expand, but if you backfill with the proper material the "expansive soil" is isolated from the outer walls of the house. ymmv as I'm strictly an amateur and this is the innertubes.
I agree.

If we do the mudjacking and get everything level, I wonder if this will lead to problems like Dr. Gum mentioned.
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Old 11-08-2011, 11:58 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Undertoad View Post
It sounds like fun but isn't there a chance of infection or something? Just go with a clean water-soluble lube.
I'm glad you went there, means I don't have to.

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Old 12-22-2016, 05:31 AM   #12
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I also agree with Griff.
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Old 12-22-2016, 06:47 AM   #13
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Do you now, spencer? Nice to meet you, but this is kinda an old thread to dig up? What are your plans for the holiday season?
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Old 12-22-2016, 08:36 AM   #14
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Old 12-22-2016, 10:00 AM   #15
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