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RL203 t1_jac9o27 wrote

My house was built in 1922. I could not walk in the basement without constantly ducking my head (I'm 6'-3" tall). I was always hitting beams or HVAC ducts or bare light bulbs (always fun when you are bent over for some reason, stand up and take out a light bulb with your head).

I underpinned my entire house coming away with a basement that now has 8'-6" of headroom.

It's a long story and if you are interested, I can tell you how I did it later as I have to get my ass out of bed and head out just now.

But I will tell you this, the pay off is worth it but it is dangerous if you do it wrong. Think stages. Lots of stages.

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led76 t1_jacb6bv wrote

How expensive per square foot was it to underpin and dig out if you don’t mind saying? Or maybe just how expensive was the initial structural engineer consultation?

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RL203 t1_jaczkja wrote

I am a licensed professional engineer (structural) in Toronto and I did my own design for both permitting and construction methodology. So it was free (figuratively speaking).

If I was to be asked to do a design for underpinning a basement my fee would be 10k to 15k which would include hiring a geotechnical engineer to do a borehole and give me a report on the soil I'm dealing with. Drawings would be signed and sealed, suitable for permitting and construction with all specs on the drawings.

As to the cost per square foot, I have no idea. I took a month off work and hired a foreman and two / three pairs of hands and paid them all by the hour. I also laboured / directed with the crew.

Work included new main sewer, new basement drains, some waterproofing, subdrains, excavation, new columns and footings, new concrete floor on 2 inches of SM, vapour barrier, crushed stone subfloor, new water service, plumbing work, and all new electrical panel and associated rewire.

100k to 125k (I didn't keep track of just the underpinning, it was part of a much larger renovation. I kept a spreadsheet of the entire project, which I'm still working on. So my price is an estimate.). Price does not include finishing the basement.

It's a lot of hand digging, staging, pumping of self compacting concrete, etc.

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led76 t1_jad3uaf wrote

Thanks so much! That’s very helpful

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