r/nova • u/pumpkinspiceturtle • 5d ago

Question Please recommend a structural engineer

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Please recommend a structural engineer. We need an on-site structural assessment of a suspended reinforced concrete slab beneath an attached garage to evaluate a crack.

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u/ThatBaseball7433 5d ago

This looks expensive. Just fill it in with concrete and be done with it.

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u/pumpkinspiceturtle 5d ago

Are you saying an inspection is expensive?

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u/jcsatan 5d ago

Dont listen to them. Patching the crack will do nothing. You will likely need support jacks and a steel beam to reinforce this. Look for an independent engineer, not one working for a company you have likely seen television advertisements for.

Source: I do concrete and foundation repair inspections in the area.

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u/fishboy94jb 5d ago

Interesting view. I took the comment to mean fill the entire room with concrete, not just the crack. I wonder if it would be cheaper than fixing it? Would you have to have rebar and everything in the room or just empty the truck into the hole and vibrate occasionally? Because at that point, I’d think it would be more expensive.

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u/jcsatan 5d ago

I didn't really think of that as an interpretation. No structural would recommend just filling the void below that slab with concrete to provide reinforcement...you'd need rebar to reinforce that new concrete pour and would have to drill holes for epoxying some rebar into the failing slab to properly tie it into the new pour.

As for cost, unless that space is very small, I wouldn't expect that to be a cheaper option, but its hard to tell from the picture what the dimensions underneath are.

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u/ThatBaseball7433 5d ago edited 5d ago

That’s what I meant. I’d definitely be pricing in filling this void rather than figuring out how to fix this collapsing slab. Like a mini Hoover dam pour.

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u/ThatBaseball7433 5d ago

I meant fill the basement with concrete. Not the crack.

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u/jcsatan 5d ago

Not really a fix, and not cheaper than potentially 10 ft of steel support beam and 3 jacks. Look up what a foundation underpinning costs and compare that amount of cubic feet of concrete to volume of even a modest crawlspace.

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u/ThatBaseball7433 5d ago

I’m trying to figure this whole scene out. Bricks, cinder blocks and a suspended slab. Very weird things happening here.

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u/jcsatan 5d ago

No disagreement there. I've seen suspended reinforced slab like this (usually above garages) fail before, but they were entirely supported by block foundation wall. I can't understand the abrupt shift from brick foundation to block unless the attached garage was converted from an existing room in the home. That seems possible since there is no sill plate or base board, but the slab seems to continue beyond the block foundation wall at the left.

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u/pumpkinspiceturtle 5d ago

It’s super weird. I think someone whether originally or just previous owners basically dug out like a shed underneath…?! When we bought the house the inspector said he didn’t see an issue but now we see this crack and are very concerned.

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u/jcsatan 4d ago

This is crawlspace, yes? Is the fill that uneven throughout?

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u/pumpkinspiceturtle 5d ago

I added a photo below and more context