Hello everyone, I have a 100 yr old row house in Washington DC that has a sinking/separating porch. I would like advice on how to get the situation accurately evaluated (do I need a structural engineer?) and any suggestions for affordable solutions. I’d really like to build new railing and posts, but I’m reluctant to do so until I get the separation evaluated.
Additional Info: The house is brick (see attached photo). The porch floor is a 4″ concrete slab attached to the house and resting on the concrete front steps and 3 brick pillars approximately 6′ in front of the house. The slab has about 30″ clearance underneath. The gap between the exterior house wall and the porch floor is currently 1.5″ and has grown by perhaps .5″ since we bought the house 10 yrs ago.
Thank you!
Cassandra
Replies
The concrete porch steps and slab look very recent to me so I'd guess they were redone shortly before you bought it 10 Years ago. If that's the case and permits were pulled then you may be able to see the plans that were submitted by going to your city building dept. Some cities you can look up that info online for your address. My guess is no permit.
You mentioned it has pulled away from the wall 2". How much does it sag? What do you see when you shine a flashlight in that crack all the way along. Any bolts or rebar (steel rods) that extend from the slab into the house foundation? I can't tell in the pic if the slab is against the brick piers but if it is then they should've moved or leaned 2" as well.
I'm not sure why the slab would be on the move as it looks flat and gravity and the exterior piers should hold it in place.
You will need a structural engineer who does residential work to come up with a solution and then contractor who does this sort of work to either stabilize the existing situation or replace it according to the engineers plans.