Underpinning: Buying An old Brooklyn Two Family. Need to know if underpinning done correctly

If a third-party engineer inspected the underpinning and tested the concrete, the DOB will have these records in the public datebase listed under the project address.  I would expect your architect, engineer and builder would have numerous photographs of the underpinning to back up the inspection report.  My team documents extensively and our current third party inspector does as well.  If someone wanted to buy something I built, I would have no problem showing them time and date stamped photographs matching engineering drawings and documents establishing the compressive strength of the concrete. Good luck.

masterbuilder

in Foundation 11 years and 10 months ago

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kgriffin | 11 years and 10 months ago

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Like most other houses in Brooklyn, this house is >100 years old.  It was recently renovated – decent job – not a stellar one.  But that’s often the case in transitioning areas of Brooklyn. I need to know if the underpinning was a) done like the builder says it was and b) done adequately. Is there any way – not unrealistically invasive – to assess the quality of this work?  Btw, the basement was excavated, so I know that underpinning would have been necessary (or likely necessary). Builder claims it was done.  No disrespect to him, but I need to know what I’m buying.  (I’m in contract with an inspection contingency.) Any informed advice is appreciated. kmg

walkerridgeconstruction | 11 years and 10 months ago

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If there really was underpinning done it should be filed with the DOB. If it was filed there should be records of the special inspections for the underpinning if the job is signed off. Depending upon how many yards of concrete were poured they may also have been required to submit TR-2 concrete reports if all of that was done you not have a problem. If it was not filed you should have a windsor probe done to determine the PSI of the concrete and will have to at least open sections of the finish (if the concrete is covered) to see if it is in fact there and perform the test. Any cocnrete testing agency should be able to perform a windsor probe, otherwise to test the quality of the concrete you would have to core it. For the DOB the tests of the compressive strength are supposed to be performed on every batch of concrete used.

arch007 | 11 years and 10 months ago

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hire a structural engineer to inspect.

walkerridgeconstruction | 11 years and 10 months ago

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DOB Website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/home/home.shtml We have used Impact Testing, City Wide Testing, CTL. You can google concrete testing lab. Not sure what one test costs we usually have many done over the course of the job. But I would expect it could be a few grand for a visit and a couple windsor probes.

kgriffin | 11 years and 10 months ago

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Ok, my  browser may be acting a little odd.  Meant to vote “up” on each of these responses (esp. walkerridgeco for providing the additional technical detail).  But thanks to each of you.  Pardon if a vote “down” accidentally appears – I’m actually not at all sure what vote was registered.  (I’ll fix if the interface allows.) Anyhow, also meant to add, that yes… an inspection by a qualified firm makes sense.  It was miy first thought as well.  But needed a little insight as to how invasive the inspection would be (probing) and who out there would be qualified.   Right now I have the impression that we’d have to go through some drywall and take a small sample…  sounds like something the builder / seller should be able to tolerate.  But do we affect the neighbor buildings on the party wall if we take this probe?  Presumably we just fill once complete? architect777, if you have structural engineering firms you like, referrals are appreciated. thanks again, kmg

kgriffin | 11 years and 10 months ago

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Ok, an update… Spoke to a structural engineer who explained that the right way to do this underpinning (required b/c the basement was excavated), is to install a grade beam below the original foundation wall around the entire perimeter – with rebar to resist the lateral load.  But he also wanted to know 1) if it is a rubble stone foundation and 2) how deeply they had to dig.  The answers to which I don’t have immediately. Anyhow, I *know* this work wasn’t permitted.  So it’s easy to doubt whether they did this underpinning in the prescribed way.  So, now, I have to come to some sense for whether this is a sound structure or not. Considering setting up a meeting with the builder and my own structural engineer to ask some questions about what was done.  That or it’s $1100 for an onsite inspection…