Underpinning cellar

Thanks everybody for your input. This helps.

katdov

in Cellar 9 years and 5 months ago

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katdov | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Hello, I’m about to dig down in a cellar of my brownstone. The permits are being filed as I type this but I was wondering about costs. The house is 16×36, they will be digging down 2.5′, and underpinning approx. 100 linear feet. I’ve been given 2 estimates for the work and they are so far apart that it defies reason. Have anyone had to do the same and can you advise on the costs? Thank you so much

Lurker | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Get a third estimate, use the middle or high one. Of all the things you do to your house, this is certainly the one not to take risks. We dug down 8 inches and so didn’t need to underpin and got estimates around 18000 for demo, gravel, vapor and insulation and 4 inch slab with rebar for 700sq feet. That didn’t include installation of columns, or underpinning, or andy of the engineering, permits or special inspections, which I think would be substantial for this.

katdov | 9 years and 5 months ago

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@Lurker – thanks for this. I actually have 3 estimates, but 2 were so close, I sort of treated them as one. I got 18k, 20k and 60k for the same work. I’m not sure I’d agree with going with the highest bid, since it doesn’t necessarily mean they will do a better job. I heard that there is a sort of formula for calculating underpinning costs by linear foot (around $20), but I’d had thought that would also vary depending on how far down they have to dig.

chipito | 9 years and 5 months ago

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If either of you used an engineer with your project we’re looking for suggestions, same goes for the companies who did the work.

edificerex | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Assuming your walls are 1 ft thick your low bids are not realistic. You have around 95 yards of excavation. Concrete is $100 a yard and the dumpster will be $40 a yard so you are at $14,000 without labor or overhead. A rough cost is around $400 a yard but site conditions can change that a lot. Just make sure you contractor has done this before and successfully. And be certain he is heavily insured specifically for underpinning. Many companies won’t cover it or require a special rider. It is not complicated work but it requires extreme vigilance.

curated | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Your low bids are unrealistic. Get more estimates. This job will be closer to your high bid. [brownstoner.com/curated](http://brownstoner.com/curated)

carmenf | 9 years and 5 months ago

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we are digging essentially a 3’x10′ trench at 2′ deep in our cellar, no underpinning because its in the middle of the cellar, and it’s costing us $7k as a part of a large job. I think 20k for your project sounds light.

katdov | 9 years and 5 months ago

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@curated – when you say “unrealistic” do you mean they will not do what they propose or that they will do a bad job?

johnife | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Just the underpinning will probably run $2,000 per cubic yard. Now, if the bottom of your current foundation is 2′ 6″ or more below the level where you intent to pour your new slab then no underpinning should be required. On the other hand, if you have a 2′ 0″ wide foundation right at the level of the current dirt or slab then you would be looking at 100’0″ X 2’0″ X 2’6″ divided by 27 cubic feet (to get to cubic yards) X $2,000, or $37,000\. Did your bidders do any test pits to determine the width and depth of your foundations (essential for determining the scope of the work)? If your current footing is only 1′ 0″ wide then the cost would obviously decrease, if 3’0″ wide it would obviously increase. John Ife

katdov | 9 years and 5 months ago

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@johnife – Is $2000 cubic yard an industry standard? They will have to underpin. Thanks for the numbers and calculation!

curated | 9 years and 5 months ago

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@katdov – Unrealistic meaning that anyone quoting 20k for this project is either underbidding on purpose to get the job and will try to hit you with change orders or has no idea what this project really entails and will not do it in the right way. As previously mentioned underpinning is not a very complicated job but it must be done in a very diligent manner and with the utmost care and this means it is a slow moving job. This is not the type of job where you want to roll the dice on the low bid as the results can be disastrous when an underpinning job goes bad. Similar projects we have done have cost between 40-70k. [brownstoner.com/curated](http://brownstoner.com/curated)

anotherposter | 9 years and 5 months ago

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What @curated said. I think we were told underpinning would cost about $30-50K more than digging down and leaving a ledge. I can’t imagine you can underpin safely and properly for $20K at Brooklyn rates.