Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
(OP)
I have a 12" thick (nominal) unreinforced brick masonry wall 6' from base to ground floor joists that needs to support gravel fill. The basement needs to be filled to comply with FEMA insurance regs. I am surprised that the bending stress is so high in the masonry wall fb=40psi. There will be a gravity load as follows: Dead = 2500lbs, Live = 500lbs
I am using a phi of 36 degrees so Ka=0.25 and a weight for gravel of 150pcf.
The building is a row home and the adjacent buildings have similar basements. The walls are not party walls but independent. There is no guarantee that the neighbors are also filling in their basements so there is no passive pressure.
I am surprised that the wall is inadequate and the homeowner is not really in a financial position to spend money on reinforcing the wall.
I am using a phi of 36 degrees so Ka=0.25 and a weight for gravel of 150pcf.
The building is a row home and the adjacent buildings have similar basements. The walls are not party walls but independent. There is no guarantee that the neighbors are also filling in their basements so there is no passive pressure.
I am surprised that the wall is inadequate and the homeowner is not really in a financial position to spend money on reinforcing the wall.






RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
EIT
www.HowToEngineer.com
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
I don't think there is. Bad news upon bad news for homeowner.
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
A 6' clg. ht. in a basement, what’s that all about? What was this bsmt. used for? Is the FEMA Ins. intent that this lower level not be habitable. Is this bsmt. 4 or 5' down in the ground on the two walls, and then no external soil support on the walls at adjacent units, the problem walls? You should be careful to use a low estimate for the D.L., and is that 2500lbs./ft. or per mile? You probably shouldn’t use any L.L. If you use gravel fill, 150lbs./c.f. is probably a little high since there is considerable void volume. But, in a flood, won’t you have to design for water pressure? Can’t you use this space as storage space, but not inhabited space. Could you fill this space with lean concrete, in 2' lifts, and pretty much keep 5' of water out of there?
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
Regarding your situation: If the basement is going to be abandoned you could build a gravity wall along the existing walls. Use concrete blocks; just stack them up; no need to mortar or grout them.
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
The neighbors are not getting the insurance so they can do whatever they want. I guess there is no mortgage on their homes so they do not care. Or if you do not fill in your basement the rate would be so high to be prohibitive.
I will refine my weight of stone and look at the friction angle.
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
where i live on LI people by the water need to raise their homes to avoid $24k/year premiums. there is a lot of work to be done.
it is not possible to raise this home in red hook which is an up and coming area although very much industrial.
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
And I think you said it was a basement, but then do the basement walls extend above grade to form stem walls and this is the lateral pressure you are worried about? Just a little confused about the actual construction.
You could also look into flowable fill in lifts. Maybe do it in 1-2ft lifts, and then once it cures it will shrink slightly and you should end up with almost no lateral pressure.
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...
RE: Unreinforced Brick Masonry Foundation Wall Needs to Support New Gravel Fill Due to Flood Ins Regs...