Contractor did not pour foundation wall elevation correctly
Hi All,
My foundation wall was poured two weeks ago but today I found out that a section of the wall was poured too low and not according to the lot grading plan. I found the issue after backfilling, I could not make the grade to have positive drainage. I am asking my engineer to design the missing wall with rebars but it is still a huge stigma for us and our house. I am thinking of two options:
1. Leave the wall as is but change the lot grading outside. I am not sure if I will be able to do it. The foundation to the property line is around 6ft.
2. Pour a new wall on top of the existing wall. My only concern is the wall will have a noticeable seam between the two concretes and it may raise some red flags if we decide to sell the house in the future.
Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.
Thanks.
Replies
Can't you call the foundation contractor back to fix his mistake?
I talked to him and he told me he makes that foundation section lower due to a window. I asked the surveyor and the surveyor also agreed that if we have positive drainage outside, it should not be a big deal.
If they do it properly, there should be no issue with the seam.
as far as an issue later, are you not going to bury the outside of it? and the inside will likely be covered as well.
Having a seam in a poured wall is not likely to be considered a defect you would be obligated to point out to a buyer. (call a local realtor or real-estate lawyer if you want more info on this.)
Ok. Thank you. I think I will just re-grade the outside to have positive drainage. I asked the surveyor who designed the lot grading plan and he said some minor discrepancies with the plan should be ok.
Adding no less than 6" to the height of a wall should not be an issue IF properly executed. There has to be rebar epoxied into the top of the existing wall, bent at a 90 degree angle to run horizontally about 2" below the top of the new concrete. Bars should be spaced about 3 times the height of the added concrete, but no more that 32" c/c. Consideration must be given to providing adequate anchorage for the wood-framed structure above. The existence of a horizontal seam between the lower and upper concrete placements should not raise any red flags if properly constructed.