Level and Support Sunroom


  #1  
Old 05-31-05, 12:20 PM
stresco
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Level and Support Sunroom

I need to know what i should do to level off and support our sunroom. It is an extension to the house and the orrigonal support posts are set on top of concrete. The last owner of the house tried to re-stablize it because of the way that it is settling, it has a 1-3 inch dip. He just took a 3 posts and jammed them up under the room:

This is what it looks like if you were to be looking straight down. You see that 2 of the posts are on concrete and 3 are not. The are just standing there not supported at all.
http://www.stresco.us/gallery/data/m...ngDownAsIs.JPG

This is what it looks like if you were to look up from underneath. As you can see, he just propped them up unde the floor joist.
http://www.stresco.us/gallery/data/m...kingUpAsIs.JPG

I want to jack it up to level, and dig out 4 holes and poor concrete to support the room. This is what I think it should look like if you were looking straight down:
http://www.stresco.us/gallery/data/m...ookingDown.JPG

This is what i think it should look like if you were to look striaght up:
http://www.stresco.us/gallery/data/media/4/Sunroom.JPG

I have never done anything like this before so please tell me if I am going in the right direction.

Also, i need to know:
How deep do the holes need to be?
How much concrete am i going to need?
What size should the support beams be?
Where can i rent some bottle jacks in NY?
How long does the concrete need to set before I can prop up the posts?
What should i use to fasten the cross beams to the floor joists and then the posts?
What am i missing?
 
  #2  
Old 05-31-05, 03:10 PM
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Those illustrations don't make any sense to me as they do not show where the beams are which sit on the posts.

I would assume that the 3 posts in a row are the farthest from the house, are notched and have a beam bolted to them. None of your pictures show where the sunroom attaches to the house and whether the floor joists have hangers on each end and attach to a ledger or not. More structural information would help.

If you had a digital camera you could post some actual pictures of the underside here, and perhaps someone could assist you.
 
  #3  
Old 05-31-05, 06:51 PM
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I know you are in New York but not what your weather conditions are. The Hamptons and far noth have significantly different weather, which could determine the depth to get below frost. I have no idea how much room you would have between the ground level and the bottom of the sun room, so I can offer little in the way of specifics or methods of connecting things.

I would think in terms of raising the sun room with a way to excavate under where you want to put a supporting foundation. To me, this is the most direct and obvious direction to go without knowing more about your problem.

With a post hole digger, you can dig down below frost to firm, undisturbed soil. You can buy Sonotubes (cardboard tubes with a protective surface) in many diameters. A local engineer can tell you how deep to go and what diameter to use.

After getting the tubes in place, fill between the tube and soil and insert some rebar. Fill with concrete and then do what you have to do to get the room sitting on the new foundations including some sort of column attachment embedded in the concrete.

Don't skimp since you do not want to go through everything again when everthig settles in a couple of years and you want to sell it.

Dick
 
  #4  
Old 05-31-05, 07:44 PM
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Concretemasonry wrote:

>>After getting the tubes in place, fill between the tube and soil and insert some rebar. Fill with concrete and then...

Dick,

I don't claim to place a lot of cement, but I've built many patio rooms, decks and small room additions on sonotube piers. I've always poured a 24" wide footing (reinforced with 3 pc of rebar which then turn vertical and are tied in a triangle fashion which then travel up the middle of the pier) before placing the 12" sonotube form. Isn't the footing a necessary step? Otherwise the pier would be more likely to settle under its own weight and that of the load on top of it?
 
  #5  
Old 05-31-05, 09:00 PM
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I was thinking of using a larger sonotube so you have enough base area to support the load. Usually not too big if you have decent soil. This approach can eliminate the forming, reinforcing and pouring a footing that could be down 4 feet and under a sunroom. More concrete, but less work in the hole and possibly less dirt since you are not working in the hole.

A reinforced spread footing and a column will certainly work well also. If you have to go down a ways you could have to move a lot of dirt if you are going to have room to work in the hole.

If this is a house in the Hamptons on Long Island, you wouldn't have to go deep and it will be easier. It would help if we had more information.

Dick
 
  #6  
Old 06-01-05, 07:20 AM
stresco
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Sorry about the poor pics and lack of information. I was trying to get this question out there while at work. The drawing #3 is wrong. I will take some digital PICS tonight. I drew 3 holes in the middle when it should have been only 2. The extention is off the side of the house. The house is on the left of each pic. On the far right of the pics, the 2 outer posts are actully part of the build of the room, where are the one in the center is just a support brace that the last owner stuck under there. The 2 outer posts are sitting on top of concrete. The posts are 4x4s. The 2 posts in the 1st and 2nd pics are just 4x4s that he stuck under there for support and they are NOT attatched in any way. I can move them easily. My house is located in Northern NY in Orange County/Dutchess County area. I spoke with a freind of mine who is a retired house builder and he said that our frost line is 46" so i should plan on digging 48" deep. Thanks for all your help guys, ill get those pictures up ASAP.
 
 

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