Has anyone ever installed Basement I-Beams?

[lukebuz]

So, I may be moving in a few years, and the basement walls need shoring up.  Got a quote to fix them for $2,400.  Figure I could install "power I-Beams" myself for a material cost of $500-$800.  Anyone had exeperience with this?  Seems as simple as bolting to the concrete floor, and to the floor joists.  Not tough...  thoughts?

[Greg]

A little confusing language here... beams run horizontally, sounds like you're describing posts.  But the walls need shoring?  Can you explain a bit more?

[Exflyboy]

I would agree.. Usually you have square beams running under the joists on say 12' centers the ends of which engage in pockets in the stem walls.

If the walls are crumbling sounds like you need to support the ends of the existing beams with columns??

If this is the case you'd need to spread the load adequately on the concrete basement floor.

In our area we have to plan for 20lb per sqft snow load on the roof plus dead load on the floor(s).. The our soild (under the concrete) is allowed to be planned for 1500 lb per sq ft.

This gives you the area of the footing under each column. I would avise taking to your local building department, even though you will have to buy a permit this would be much better than guessing and having it come up on a house inspection because then you would likely have to provide evidence it was done legally or maybe not be able to sell the house.

Frank

[lukebuz]

Sorry I wasn't clear.  It was clear in my head :)
The block walls are bowing in - and I need vertical I-beams (columns, I guess) to keep them from moving in any more.

Seems fairly straightforward for an advanced DIY'er, but I can't find the hardware brackets anywhere...

[Greg]

Ooo, that sounds bad.  If you mean beams to hold the walls out then they aren't exactly posts or columns but sounds iffy.  If the block walls are bowing in either the block wall needs to be rebuilt, the pressure on the outside relieved, or both.  Probably both.

[paddedhat]

Nothing personal, but it sounds like expensive lipstick on a pig. The walls are failing due to lateral loading from the exterior. This is happening for a rather undesirable reason, expansive soil, frost heaving, saturated fill, drainage issues, trees......and countless others. Bracing from the inside, just addresses the symptom, not the cause. The other issue is that it would seem to be a deal breaker for most rational folks shopping for a home. Who wants a place with a bunch of shoring, keeping the foundation from collapsing?

[soccerluvof4]

It matters more the amount the wall is "Caving in" Drop a line from ceiling to floor. If its more than an inch you need to put the posts in. I assume you have alot of stair cracking going on as well in the mortar joints those will need to be tuck pointed as well. This is a situation that a licensed contractor is probably your best bet to write a report that the problem is resolved. Not seeing photos or knowing the surroundings of the house its usually caused by water or soil settling. When people backfill they should really do so with a couple feet of gravel first for drainage and then good old dirt not soil. It can take up to 30 years for soil to settle. I have had to address this in several houses but I guess my point it have a contractor do so you have a guarantee in writing for selling and if they told you the cause and you can fix it , do so. Also take a picture before and after so you can see while your there if any changes. Foundation issues is something you could easily get sued over so take the right precautions.

[lukebuz]

Yeah, the walls have moved in 3 inches.  Much more than hairline cracks!
Houses in my area pretty much all have foundation issues like this.  Symptom of builders and clay soil and area.
This house had 1/2 of it's foundation shored up 22 years ago - not an inch of movement since then.  The other half has started to come in though.  Going to do the same strenghtening on this half.  Should last lifetime of the house...

Lipstick on a pig?  Of course, you are right.  It would be best to rebuild the wall (for 15x price!!).  But do you throw your 100K milage car engine away when you need minor repairs?  Or do you do the repairs, and continue on with the knowledge it's not as good as brand new...but it will still last another 100K miles...

[soccerluvof4]

No i think the support beams are for sure the way to go. I just would want the warranty to be able to pass on. Well whatever you decide good luck to you!

[Jon Bon]

Yes I have done this DIY, and yes it's as easy as bolting to the floor and joists.
 I just called a metal fabricator who cut me beams and brackets for the install. If you want to get fancy put mortar between the beam and the wall so it's supporting the wall along a longer length. As I'm sure you know fixing grading and gutters outside can do wonders for a basement.

[lukebuz]

Nice!! 
Thanks for the tips.  Is there any way you could PM me any other details or advice you've learned?  Or better yet, share it here for other to see?  I've researched it on Youtube, and will probably grout the beams...but I was undecided on if I should bolt through the concrete, or jackhammer up the concrete and set the beams in the floor.   Any ideas?

[Jon Bon]

Lukebuz,

Disclaimer: Not a contractor, just a guy who is willing to learn, and try things on his own. DIY at your own risk.

A little background:
I bought a 1950’s style home with a block basement. The house was not all that well maintained when I bought it. The home had negative grading, and gutters were doing nothing. I fixed both of the outside issues which probably would have solved the basement wall bowing long term. I wanted peace of mind, and wanted to finish the basement (thus hiding the wall).

The process:
 I did a bunch of research online and got a bid from a contractor. The problem with bidding it out is they cost 200-250 per beam, which is fine, except that they want to do them every 5 feet the whole perimeter of your basement! In speaking to the contractor, he said they simply bolt them to the floors.
I called a local steel place, and ordered the I-beams to length with brackets to secure to the floor. They are measured by weight; I think the ones I used were 13lb per foot. To secure to the floor I used ½ inch concrete anchors that have around 3000lb test strength. I should say if you have thin concrete floors (1-2 inches) this might not work and you would have to jackhammer. I secured to the joists with wooden blocking.

Conclusion: It is a two man job just because of the weight; you will need a hammer drill. I would do it again rather than hire it out.

[lukebuz]

Great Details!  How did you attach to your floor joists?  Both the parallel and perpendicular beams?

It looks like I'll probably need to jackhammer it out, because the slab has already been busted out once to put some drainage tiling in, running to a sump...and it looks like pretty thin/weak concrete.

Sounds like you have pretty heavy beams.  They ones I can get from steelyard are 4" I Beams, with 9 lbs/ft.  I will do every 5 feet, because the wall is pretty bad....

[Jon Bon]

I did mine with wood blocking and friction. I think they do sell specialized attachments so you can "tighten" the beam against the wall but I did not use it.

[jawisco]

Jon Bon :  This is interesting - could you post pictures of what you did?  Or post links to the type of system you installed?  Thanks!

[Jon Bon]

I attached the picture of what I did, it does not show the top, but I just bolted some 2x8's to the existing joists tight up against the beam. The bottom bracket is visible.

http://www.pepwaterproofing.com/foundation-repair/bowed-walls.html

The website above has some good ideas as well as an adjustable brace to attach to the joists. You could probably DIY something like this on your own if you wanted it to be able to tighten it over time.