Advice - Dodgy foundations...

[compact]

Hi

In my 110 old terrace, we have the basement in 2 levels. One is a normal 8 ft high room.
The other is a dust 3 ft with what appears to be soil base.

This is below the kitchen.

In there some walls seems to have crumbled and some beams not supported.

The central beam is supported by a pillar i child with lego has made.

What advice do you give?

1) how to replace the central support for the beam
2) what foundations to do for this, as the ground seems loose soil.
3) should I rebuild the walls supporting the beams, or build pillar against the wall for further support?
4) should I replace what looks like old slate, slotted between wooden beams and wall (isn't slate too brittle and fragile?)
5) Surely my £400 survery should have spotted this, as there is a huge hole leading to the pillar from the large cellar (which is carpeted etc), and you can see it with a torch.... (not paid for it and not impressed a qualified guy missed this)

Here are the horror pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10357138@N08/875584426/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10357138@N08/875584346/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10357138@N08/875584312/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10357138@N08/875584236/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10357138@N08/875584202/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10357138@N08/875584084/

Cheers

All advice welcome

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

Move out

 

[compact]

ha ha
well that is an option,
but since the girls have been living there for 6 years and throwing some seriously packed house parties with people dancing on the kitchen table, i think it can hold for a few more weeks.

Was thinking of proping up the beam with this metal props.
Digging out the central pillar, putting in some foundation/cement. Building a new pillar.

Rebuilding the bricks in the wall and also may be building small pillars against the wall for extra support..

 

[doyle]

first thing i would do is move out and get a structual engineer in to assess the property.

how on earth you got a mortgage for it is beyond belief as to why a surveyor/valuer didnt point it all out and recomend structual engineer assistance.

looks like your whole house could come down with movement affect wall shown where proped beam termintates, would you really expect that pile of old brick to supprt the rest of the house.

 

[JohnD]

the reason you are getting those cracks and walls falling apart upstairs (including the other photos in your album) is that the house is falling down.

You need professional help. Apart from the structural survey and advice on rectification, you might be able to make a claim against the surveyor from when you bought it. But you had better read his report carefully to see what it says.

Don't allow yourself to fall into the trap of thinking "I haven't died yet therefore I will never die"

Sooner or later it is going to fall down.

looks like a load-bearing wall has been removed below

The timber balancing on that pile of bricks is obviously new so I suspect an extension or something has been built there by someone who doesn't know how to do it. The floor is liable to collapse at any time.

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

I told you!

 

[JohnD]

you're right, Bodgeit.

 

[compact]

cheers for the advice.

We haven't paid for the surveyor yet, so will be questioning it.

There was some new work a few years back, done on the kitchen so will try to find out about that.

I am getting someone in.

 

[compact]

We called the surveryor back in and a local builder

Apparently it is only a joist to 'take the bounce' out of the main joist, which run across it.

Although it looks bad, it is still working.

I will have to look at rebuilding, where it goes in to the wall and if I wish also rebuild the central pillar, but there isn't a panic on...


Cheers for all the advice from here.

 

[JohnD]

Did they tell you why the walls are falling down

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

The walls are not falling down that’s only a hairline crack.