Foundations advice please.

[Wharty]

Hi

We are in the process of buying the house we have been renting for nearly 6 years.

I know nothing about foundations or building work by the way so go gentle!

I decided to do some digging and think I have found the foundations.

Should I be concerned about them and the brickwork above or do the foundations go deeper?

The water is there because I wanted to clean the area for pictures.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I think your house may collapse, have you actually bought it yet?

 

[Wharty]

I think your house may collapse, have you actually bought it yet?

As a newcomer to the forum I have no idea if your reply was sarcastic or you have seen something I should be concerned about?

 

[^woody^]

Why are you randomly digging around the foundations?

 

[Wharty]

The landlord told me they would support a first floor if we wanted to add one so I thought I would see what I could find. We haven’t bought the house yet so no harm looking and seeking advice.

 

[Wharty]

Does this photo help at all?

 

[Notch7]

Houses are built with brickwork or blockwork that goes some distance below the ground.

You have down the side of that brickwork and I guessvhave reached the top of the foundation.

That actually doesnt tell you much.

What is important is that the bottom of the foundation sits on stable ground with a good load bearing capactity.

In fact a foundation could be say 600mm wide x 400mm thick but 2 metres below ground and brickwork above.

Take a photo showing the whole house, then you would get more general advice about feasibility.

I wouldnt worry much about load bearing capacity, Its unlikely a 2nd storey would cause an issue.

 

[^woody^]

The landlord told me they would support a first floor if we wanted to add one so I thought I would see what I could find. We haven’t bought the house yet so no harm looking and seeking advice.

That's even more bizarre. Is your landlord also your local building control inspector? If not, then he should just stick to landlording.

 

[KenGMac]

Wharty, good evening.

Looks to me as if that is the top surface of the founds?

Question? not foundation related.

What is the material blocking up the air brick ? is it cavity fill material?

That would be of more concern to me ?

If you right click on the image and "copy as" -save to somewhere on your computer, once saved you can Zoom in and to me the material blocking off 99 5 of the air brick looks like blown cavity fill??

Ken

 

[HERTS P&D]

Keep digging.

Andy

 

[Bilabong007]

What's going on with the perps in the brickwork around the airbrick?

 

[noseall]

What's going on with the perps in the brickwork around the airbrick?

There are a plethora of 3/4 bricks in that zone, usually when the brickies were ranging into an opening.

 

[KenGMac]

OK I will have another pop

Forget the founds in the short term [please]

What is venting the under floor area given the air brick is about 99 % blocked up with what looks like cavity fill the old dodgy blown variety

Ken