Easy foundation work or a trap? 2

[ANE91]

Local contractor sells underpinning services to homeowners. Jurisdiction requires a sealed engineering report before issuing a permit for the work. Their last guy retired; I’ve seen his work. Enter me: seems like a good potential source of revenue, low hanging fruit. Totally new line of work for me (though I’ve done basement wall repairs). Salient assumptions below:

1. No geotech report, but I could default to the lowest presumptive soil bearing pressures in IBC 1610 and 1806.
2. Contractor specializes in helical piers side-mounted to footings.
3. Contractor is likely promising to “fix the foundation” when they really mean that they’re arresting or at least attenuating settlement. No jacking applicable.
4. Loads are not high enough and walls aren’t long enough to warrant special attention for any eccentricity.
5. I cannot think of any codified reason for the jurisdiction’s requirement beyond the basic alterations stuff in the IEBC.
6. By and large, these aren’t life safety issues but rather serviceability concerns. I would pull in a geotech for a house that looks like it’ll disappear into a sinkhole or some such.
7. My reports would simply verify whether the contractor’s proposed underpinning sufficiently increases the bearing surface so as to justify an expected decrease in settlement, even though the house is probably done settling by the time they get involved…

The last point doesn’t 100% sit right with me. On the one hand, who am I to tell a contractor what he can/cannot sell? On the other hand, I doubt that I would find much of that work truly necessary. Would getting involved make me party to deceit?

As much as I like to make money, I hate trouble more. Can I get a sanity check on this, particularly from others who design underpinning? Feel free to tear me a new one; I can take it. Thanks.

 

[jerseyshore]

As I recall, contractor was no longer in business coupled with a discreet and somewhat hidden note about Owner being responsible for engineering design that never occurred. In essence, the note was "this is our idea of a repair, but it is the Owner's responsibility if it does not work"

A classic shitty repair company contract always has something like "lifetime warranty on all work...warranty voided if preventative maintenance is not completed on all days that end with y".

 

[Ron247]

As I recall, the Client told me the contractor also used the line "I do all my work like I am doing it for my own mother."

 

[jerseyshore]

As I recall, the Client told me the contractor also used the line "I do all my work like I am doing it for my own mother."

And I bet he slapped the brackets and said "this baby ain't going anywhere".

 

[Ron247]

More like he kicked it with his foot and said, "That'll hold 15,000 lbs."

 

[jerseyshore]

More like he kicked it with his foot and said, "That'll hold 15,000 lbs."

"can land a chopper on this thing"

 

[phamENG]

"can land a chopper on this thing"

If only he knew helipad loading was the same as for his mother's living room...

 

[jerseyshore]

If only he knew helipad loading was the same as for his mother's living room...

Shh don't give them any ideas. It's already bad enough that parking garage loading isn't anything special.

 

[Greenalleycat]

@Ron247 amazing, a clause like that would never stack up here
It's explicit in our building law that you provide a warranty with your work, can't contract out of it, and can't do non-compliant work
Though if the contractor is out of business you are stuffed regardless

 

[Ron247]

Many projects may have a 1-year warranty, but the failure happened during an extended period of no rain. Probably 3-4 years after the service was provided.

 

[Greenalleycat]

There are 3-4 different avenues you could pursue that against a contractor here, and all of them would very easily capture a 4 year horizon
I think the shortest of them would be 7? or 10? years that the contractor is on the hook and, for residential work with a private individual as the client, they can't be contracted out of

 

[human909]

There are a LOT of nuances with this work, and it doesn't sound like you're familiar with them all

Be careful

I've only vaguely followed along with this thread. But this advice stands out in my opinion. Behind that advice is the general advice of, stick within your own area of expertise! It is a simple statement but is rings true and should be at the back of your mind at all times.

Given my current relevant experience and knowledge I wouldn't touch an underpinning job. I did do so once but only because I was dragged into it and I sought suitable additional advice. On the flipside I regularly design complex structural/mechanical items that the average structural engineer should likely take a wide berth from.

I would assume that the majority of regular contributors to this forum are excellent structural engineers. But there are still many subsets of expertise involved and we all have taken different paths and have different skills.