DIY house lift - foundation repair / basement wall rebuild

[The_pipeliner]

Word of advice if you ever take on another project like this. Keep the excavated material away from the trench edge at least 2 feet. Trench cave in’s are no joke and leaving dirt right on the edge of the hole is one of the main reasons they happen. Just my 2 cents from a heavy equipment operator, (ditch digger). 😊

[lowellirish]

So at 60 yrs old...I am doing the SAME thing...only my budget is 1/3 yours! Labor are the 3 of us...Me, myself, and I!! The basement wall is actually a crawlspace 4' high. The foundation was poured already. I've supported the house already with 3 16' laminated beams supported by 6x6 piers on poured concrete pier-slabs. Last year, the wall finally caved in! So now I need to hand excavate to expose the foundation and begin the block resetting 16' x 4' - Then its outside for machine excavation, and remove the soil to slope AWAY... I have 17 years in the landscaping construction industry, and have read 4 books on construction, plus have done construction my whole life...But DAMN!! I'm 60!! If I can just keep this hoise alive 20 more years...then I'm dead. 😂

[nickboercker]

I’m a real estate investor in Saint Louis and you deserve so much credit my dude. This is amazing

[HaroldRutila]

The nicest thing about this job is that you have a new, waterproofed foundation, with an egress window, which allows for a proper finishing of the basement into additional living space. Amazing.

[briangarnier]

You are a badass among mere mortals. I'm 62 and have generally done all my own repairs in life whether it be on houses, cars, machinery, etc but I don't know if I would've had the balls to even start on this one. Good job on having the confidence in yourself to start and to finish like a boss!

[austinherman]

Hell yeah man. You and I have a similar mentality. I am in a similar situation myself. I have been accumulating materials now for about a year. Steel beams, cribbing blocks etc. Waiting for those deals, all with budget in mind. So far so good, and as soon as the weather gets a little better, will be hoisting the house. Glad to see your accomplishment. I am a similar age as you and there's no reason to not learn everyday. Like you said, even if you never do it again, you have the knowledge and the know-how to do it if you had to. A similar philosophy on my end is that if someone else's hands can do it, there's no reason why my hands can't. That is, if it is the best return on investment of time... Great work my man

[kevinfoster]

I also bought a distressed house and have to rebuild half of the foundation walls along with every other thing that comes with this type of house. I have acquired many tools and skills and much knowledge in the past 10 months. I have watched countless videos like yours that have not only given me tips and information but also the confidence to commit to the task at hand. Much respect.

[krakenwoodfloorservicemcma]

Awesome vid and awesome work. Good to see a young guy learning on the fly (which is exactly how most learn on foundation repair) 20ton jacks, steel and a brain. you are the type that can make America great again. Detroit needs more of you.

[chadsmith]

Operator for 25 years and was impressed thru the whole video. I started to cringe thinking you was not going to put perimeter drain and rock in but then it got to where you did it lol. Great fuckin work bro

[cherylkitchen]

Awesome job. There is nothing a contractor can do, that all of us can't learn and practice with a bit of effort. No contractor I've ever used seemed to care about my home. Maybe in 35 years there have been 1 or 2 who showed some care. I am a small, female who has learned plumbing, minor electrical, framing, painting. I've replaced floors, windows. I'm now getting a pre-made shed for a river property. I want this shed to be 8 feet from grade. So this has been very helpful. Thanks.

[jimbogusky]

I want to turn my crawl space into a full basement. This is the first time I’ve seen a foundation replaced without jacking the house up. I’m 60 so I’m going to have to pay to have it done. Oh to be 26 again. Great job, I’m impressed!

[MrGreatness]

Beast mode activated. Great stuff here. I cant imagine the emotions of looking at your investment in pieces like that.

[drumrboynoid]

Amazing bud. The hardest part out of all of this for me would be finding the help. It’s tough finding help these days.

[TheFixerHomeRepair]

😮 this is so impressive! Can’t say I would have had the guts to take that project on honestly. Congrats on getting it done and saving a ton of money!

[SP-iolj]

"If you can find cheaper labor...like kids"! LMAO! I love what you did here! I'm a woman, but I'm aiming to do the exact same thing. Your video was great. Subscribed & liked!

[PAINT_S_CAPES]

WOW!!! I have so much respect for you bud!! 26 yrs old and you had the guts to figure this out and DO IT. That is a HUGE MOTHER JOB. Congrats! My blocks are bowing pretty bad - hence my research on this topic. Luckily it's only the porch add-on foundation and not the main foundation of the house which is all solid-poured-concrete at least 12, if not 18 inches wide. Italian built in the 40's. Not sure if there's rebar in there but I can tell you the main foundation walls are super super heavy duty. So now I have to figure out if I can get away with just excavating the porch foundation and sliding rebar into the blocks from the top and pouring concrete. I have no clue if that will work. I have professional foundation repair coming to assess and give me an idea. I just want to learn as much as I can before they show up so that I'll know if they're trying to soak me or not. Thx for this video. I'll be looking to see if you have any updates, including the inside.

[outdoorimpressionsmi]

Cool video. I’m in Jackson Michigan. Good to see people putting money back into Detroit

[r.j.dunnill]

This is the video I was looking for. Congrats on saving this 'tear down' (as some would refer to it) house!

[a]

I'm dealing with this same issue but in a crawlspace. Block foundation, none of the cells filled, and the footings are just ungrouted sideways blocks. Vapor barrier was hiding it all during inspection. Foundation companies bid 50k to solve half the problem. Adding an additional beam, replacing a rotted sill plate, and filling all the cells. So far my costs are $500, an aching back and a smashed toe. A basement is exponentially more difficult though. Props to you man!

[CMarcos]

I'm actually in the same position right now in Sudbury Ontario and I'm tackling the project myself. Yours is much bigger than mines. Thanks for the tips!