3. Any advice on reinforcing a basic slab concrete/concrete brick foundation in hea...

Any advice on reinforcing a basic slab concrete/concrete brick foundation in heavy clay soil?

If he is thinking of undermining (digging below foundation) the existing structure, that is typical a HELL NO for me. Recently, I inspected a job where the contractor dug a 4 ft deep trench next to a house. It caused the center span of the brick wall of the house to crack (neighbors house). Typically cracks in mortar are normal but this was an almost perfect vertical crack that even went through the bricks, not just the mortar.

Another incident, which the contractor attempt to sue me but lost, the contractor dug next to a house he was working on. The house shifted a little and he tried to sue me but lost because that’s basic construction 101 (although a lot of people do not know this information).

Another incident, a co-worker of mine had about 8” of settlement at the perimeter of his house. Adding soil below a pile supported house can cause downdrag (engineering term for downward movement by friction blah blah). We did it anyways because we are engineers haha. The house did move about 1/2” within the first year. We ordered a truck full of structural fill and did it ourselves with shovels and water hoses.

Lastly, do you even know what type of soil he is planning on putting in there? Although I don’t recommend you guys doing anything further before consulting an engineer, you may want to educate yourself on how soil mechanics work and the effects it may cause.

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