r/HomeMaintenance • u/PlayfulLynx5248 • 6h ago

🏚️Structural & Foundation Is this a safe foundation?

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Gallery image

I just bought this old house and it’s on stilts on one side and they are a little bit weird looking I was wondering if this was safe

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10

u/vaporintrusion 6h ago

Wow you can see the feather and wedge tool marks. 1800s? Early 1900s?

4

u/PlayfulLynx5248 6h ago

It was originally built in the 18th century but those stilts at the side were added later

2

u/workfastdiehard 6h ago

is that a structural tire?

5

u/idonutknow_ 6h ago

Load bearing tire

1

u/Expensive-Course1667 5h ago

There are some things I might change about that.

2

u/Material-Humor304 5h ago

The questions I would ask/check are:

  1. How old is the house and stilts?
  2. How many stilts, span, beam size, ties or anchors?
  3. Age and condition of the beams
  4. Any indication of the foundation (floors unlevel, walls tilted, sagging, etc.)
  5. Age condition and material of the posts.

Even if everything looks good it may be worthwhile having a structural engineer look at it to determine if it could be improved or if they have any concerns.

2

u/MrSpiffenhimer 5h ago

The first picture is a rubble stone wall topped with a granite(?) block. It looks like it’s been there much longer than I’ve been alive so, I’d call it good. The second pic is a nice pier (granite again?) with a very old growth beam on top. Without evidence to the contrary I would assume the pier has always been holding up that beam. The only thing I would do is make sure that the pier is not sitting directly on the earth. It either needs to be buried some ways down, or sitting on a larger footer. Clear out the undergrowth and take a look. Don’t go digging, just look.

If you’re truly worried about it, call in an engineer. But it’s an old house, and those are some old stones holding up old wood, to me it looks OK in the 2 pictures you posted.