×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
I have a job that has a ridiculously unlevel (or more correctly, not straight) stem wall.  Three courses high.  Supporting wood shear walls.  Seismic Design B.  90 mph wind.  Shear flow around 400 plf.  Corrective action is needed.

I call for the cells to be grouted.  Fortunately they have not been yet.  I was thinking of forming off the top course about 4 inches and when pouring grout, pour on up to the top of the form and trowel off.  Then puddle in anchor bolts and hold downs.  Of course, longer anchor bolts will be needed now.  

Anyone see a problem with this?

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
Sorry, typo.  Not 4 inches of grout, more around 2".  That number pad gets me some times!  :)

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

That is a possible acceptable solution. The important thing is to get the right size anchor bolts placed properly and embedded deep enough. - Make sure the bolts on the anchor bolts are in place after the framing is sufficiently completed (they get misplaced frequently when different trades get involved).

Must not have been much control over the masonry, because common practice when a footing is not level is to gradually adjust the levelness at every mortar joint instead of blindly building a uniform height wall on an apparently incorrect strip footing.

Dick

Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

A couple of questions here:

Is there any evidence that the strip footing settled or cracked due to poor bearing?

I trust that raising the structure 2" will not interferre with any local height restrictions.  Sometimes things are REAL tight that way...

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto:  KISS
Motivation:  Don't ask

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

may just as easily frame the shear wall to match the slope.
I cant tell you how many homes I have framed perfectly square atop foundation walls that weren't even close.  

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
Strip footing is fine.  Actually, in this area the footing is on rock.  It is poor workmanship.  Plain and simple.

I've framed homes too.  Plenty.  This just isn't acceptable to build off of.

Also, important to keep in mind is the same guy intends to frame it that is responsible for the unlevel wall.

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

WHOA!!!!
Thats totally ridiculous!

Step one- get rid of the jackass that laid that block if he is also your framer.

Step Two- knock the top course of block off all the way around and form the top of the wall up to the elevation the block SHOULD have been.

Step Three- Pour CMU cells and top ~8" of newly formed wall in one shot with concrete/grout with anchors preset.

Step 4- Send bill to aforementioned jackass.  

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Was the wall built VERY quickly during a period of local seismic ground undulations?  bigsmile

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto:  KISS
Motivation:  Don't ask

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
I had the idea of knocking the course off, but I think I can salvage it by doing the work I described above.  Just hoping that maybe one of you guys ran into this before.  

I wrote a letter to the owner encouraging him to find a new GC too.  This is one of those guys who builds crap homes and decided to build commercial during the down times.  You wouldn't believe the headaches I've had so far.  I've spent around 20 hours inspecting a 2' by 1' deep continuous footer that has (3)No. 5 bars, ties @ 24", and vertical dowels.  UNBELIEVABLE...  

Everything that has been done so far has been taken out and redone.

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

hahaha
Nice Mike....it was either that or during many 12 oz. undulations.  

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Or he was trying to do a local demonstration of standing wave theory to a group of...  well, probably to a girlfriend as was the ex-Captain of the Elwa - a local story 20 years ago.  

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto:  KISS
Motivation:  Don't ask

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

I was just thinking that knocking off the top course would help hide the abominable masonry work  

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
ToadJones

That did make me laugh out loud, but I can't bring myself to write that abbreviation on screen!

Luckily, the slab and exterior grade will eventually cover it up.  It is a mess though, isn't it?  Glad to have someone agree with me because (of course) the contractor thought it was great.

"Hell, hit won't matter once ya get the wood on hit."  We live in a rural Appalachia area.  I talk like that too actually.

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

I'm a Yinzer of sorts so the talk is nothing new to me.  

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

I just dont get it....I have seen many new homes with a few course a little bit wavy in the middle of the wall if the mason was lazy and only used his string every other course. But, they usually get the last few course back on.
Maybe this guy isn't a mason, but practices "masonary"...drives me nuts when people say that

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Looks like he had at least two too many "hit"s there.   

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto:  KISS
Motivation:  Don't ask

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
I'll let you guys know how the fix goes and try to remember to post some pics.

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Tell the "mason" that a Laser Level is not a new drink.  Nor is a String Line, or a Water Level.  He may be from Appalacia, but it's not the dark ages.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto:  KISS
Motivation:  Don't ask

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Holy #@$$
I just zoomed in on the picture....I can't help it, that is the funniest thing I have seen in a while.
It looks like a Saw Tooth Roof.  

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
I'm glad that everyone else is enjoying it.  I know I would be if I didn't have to deal with it!  :)

You are exactly right, it's like a saw tooth roof.  Perfect comparison.

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

"Laser Level" = 3 Parts White Lightning + 2 Parts Wild Turkey + 3 Tbl spoons of Tobaccy Juice

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Actually, this looks like the alledged journeyman mason left his to be sure is existing apprentice to finish the job so he could go to the nearest bar and get a Long Slow .....  

You know the rest.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto:  KISS
Motivation:  Don't ask

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Just to reiterate something you said in your OP, I would not wet set anything, especially anchor bolts with nuts on the end. You can cause small voids to form around the bolt and nuts and thus affect your bond with the grout. Plus from your description of who is doing the work, you should have everything in place prior to the grout and have it inspected then. They can trowel around these elements well enough to provide an even surface for what I assume will be a base plate...

This reminds me of when I had some old bricks laying around that I was going to make an outdoor fireplace out of, but I was moving and had to do something fast, so I hired a random guy off craigslist who "did brick work". Despite my better judgment on several aspects of this operation, I mocked up the wall on the ground dry and then coordinated on the phone as I was out of town. The result was similar to your photograph, as if he forgot his level at home and just said "aww, F it, it'll be close enough..."

Luckily all it was doing was separating my driveway from a landscape bed, and in the end it gave it a rustic look!

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

(OP)
a2mfk.  Good point.  I am calling for them to be in place prior.  I have no confidence in them at this point.

I'm not really going for the rustic look here.

Not kidding... my grandpa was nearly blind in his older age.  Couldn't even write checks.  He did some masonry work that looked much better than this.  BLIND I TELL YA.

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Is this a commercial project? Where is the Architect? That wall most likely would not meet specs, if there's one from the architect. Recommending a fix when the architectural specs are not being met would probably subject you to a liability. Get the Architect to reject or approve before you come up with a fix.   

RE: Unlevel CMU Stem Wall

Siding and stucco will fix that ;)

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources